Are there any jurisdictions where driver's licenses or car registrations are not required?

[robert_columbia]

In the US, Canada, and Europe, motor vehicles are fairly heavily regulated, and in order to operate one on a public road, the vehicle itself must be licensed/registered (evidenced by a “license plate” or “number plate”), and the driver must have a driver’s license.

Are there any jurisdictions anywhere in the world where this is not the case? E.g. is there anywhere in the world that one can travel to and drive 100% legally on public roads without a driver’s license from a recognized jurisdiction, and/or drive a car that is not registered with the Government, or with a government where there is cross-acceptance?

[GreasyJack]

Somalia hasn’t issued driver’s licenses (or any form of ID whatsoever) since 1991, and I have a feeling license plates aren’t exactly required either.

[alphaboi867]

Queen Elizabeth II can drive on any road she wants to in her realms with neither a driver’s licence (she has one; it’s just expired) or licence plates. IIRC her viceroys don’t need licence plates on their official cars either.

[Askance]

I’m going to guess that is so in Antarctica, but whether that counts as a jurisdiction I’m not sure.

[Quartz]

How about the Vatican? Although maybe there aren’t any public roads there.

Edit: actually, the island of Sark would qualify. Cars are banned, but that leaves agricultural vehicles.

[psychonaut]

If the Vatican maintains and regulates its own tiny postal, telephone, and rail systems, I’m pretty sure it does the same for its roads, which probably includes issuing driving licences and laws regarding the same (or else it has some agreement with Italy to handle this on its behalf).

[ExcitedIdiot]

Cameroon has no system of vehicle registration.

Vehicle registration plate | Cameroon

[Colophon]

@psychonaut

If the Vatican maintains and regulates its own tiny postal, telephone, and rail systems, I’m pretty sure it does the same for its roads, which probably includes issuing driving licences and laws regarding the same (or else it has some agreement with Italy to handle this on its behalf).

Vatican licence plates in the wild.

Interesting about Cameroon. Didn’t even sven live there for while? How does that work then? My experience of African nations is that they just love bureaucracy, especially when trying to cross borders with vehicles where there might be some taxes, bribes or beer money involved…

[grude]

@ExcitedIdiot

Cameroon has no system of vehicle registration.

Vehicle registration plate - Wikipedia

Then how do they have license plates?

http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/where/cam.htm

New-style, post-c1985, Cameroon vehicle registration plates start with a group of two letters, indicating the province of registration (followed here by their main towns in parentheses, to aid location):

AD - Adamaoua (N'Gaoundéré)
AN - National Assembly vehicles 

CA - State owned vehicles
CE - Centre (Yaoundé) 

EN - Extrême Nord (Maroua)
ES - Est (Bertoua) 

LT - Littoral (Douala) 

NO - Nord (Garoua)
NW - Nord Ouest (Bamenda) 

OU - Ouest (Bajoussam) 

SU - Sud (Ebolowa)
SW - Sud Ouest (Buéa) 

Old-style, pre-c1985, Cameroon vehicle registration plates started with one letter, indicating the province of registration (followed here by their main towns in parentheses, to aid location):

C - Centre-Sud (Yaoundé)
CS - Centre-Sud (Yaoundé)
E - Est (Bertoua)
L - Littoral (Douala)
N - Nord (Garoua)
O> - Ouest (Bajoussam)
W - Sud Ouest (Buéa) 

And take a look at this newstory:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201008060699.html

Over 1,700 car owners have been summoned to the different regional delegations of transport for the verification of their registration certificates. According to a communiqué, signed by the Minister of State, Minister of Transport, Bello Bouba Maigari on August 03, vehicle owners whose names feature on the list, published in Cameron Tribune of August 03, have been requested to present various car documents and certificates at their different delegations of transport for proper confirmation. The concerned are encouraged to take along their registration numbers latest August 20, for check up.

The decision comes against a back drop of the illegal acquisition of registration certificates. According to Aoudou Dotel Moussa, Director of Land Transport in the Ministry of Transport, the ministry has noticed that fraudsters issue same registration certificate to more than one person. It is to crack down on this phenomenon that measures have been taken in the ten regional delegations of transport to fish out unauthentic registration certificates. The move, Aoudou Dotel reiterated, is to regulate the transport system in Cameroon.

For those who buy vehicles with already issued registration certificates, the law on the implementation of registration numbers stipulates that a second owner of a vehicle should immediately demand for the issuance of a different certificate. This is to avoid eventual problems.

[ExcitedIdiot]

@grude

Then how do they have license plates?

http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/where/cam.htm

And take a look at this newstory:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201008060699.html

Whoops, guess I should have double-checked before posting. I don’t know where Wiki got that, it appears several other sites are repeating this falsehood.