Int'l Driver's License

Answer to your question is no, I never had a problem while driving that made me wish to have the IDL, or an up-to-date copy. (I carried an expired copy for a while, just in case.) France is no longer even mentioned in the latest tips at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements, so I would not be worried about going without. If you get stopped by police, the IDL provides a translation in several languages that says you have a valid driver's license, but your state-issued license is still the "real thing."

We have always taken an IDL with us believing "better safe than sorry". The only place in all of our travels where this was required was in St. Lucia this past February. We have never needed it in Europe but will still have one with us when we travel this year - the cost is minimal for peace of mind. We get ours through our local AAA office.

It's not required in France. It is in some other European nations.

Kyle,

Just to clarify, it's not an International Driver's License but rather an International Driver's Permit which must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. The primary function of an I.D.P. is to translate the terms of your home license. You can obtain these at any AAA office for a small fee, and they're valid for one year.

AFAIK, an I.D.P. is not compulsory in France but it may be a good idea to have one anyway. I always travel with an I.D.P. whether I'm planning to drive or not. That way I'm covered if I decide on short notice to drive in a country where an I.D.P. is compulsory (such as Italy).

Be careful with speed limits in France as they can be a bit "strict", even for being a small amount over the speed limit. Also, you might consider packing along a GPS or at least a good Map.

Since an IDP isn't required in France I'll save myself a few bucks on this trip. I have an expired one that I can bring. It will translate the DL info just the same as a current one would.

What is the opposition to getting the IDP? A couple of bucks and 30 minutes at AAA -- hardly a drop in the scheme of a trip to France. So far no car rental place in France has asked us for an IDP but the relatively recent law is that you need a notarized translation of your license. Do you have that in case you have the bad luck of being stopped by a stickler police officer who does not speak English? See http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article376. The IDP is an acceptable substitute for the notarized translation. You don't have to get an IDP but recognize that it is required by the police not the car rental company and play the odds. Many people do, but I wish that people would stop saying nothing but a US license is required.

I have gotten an IDP every trip I have driven in a non-English speaking country. I have no problem spending the money on one. But if it isn't required by law to have one in France I don't know why it would be a problem to bring an expired one. It has all the same information that a new one would have.

@JHK that's an eye opener.

I just read the link on JHK's post. Okay, I will be getting an IDP before my trip. Better safe than sorry. I have never been asked for an IDP when picking up a rental. I understand that it is in case there is an unfortunate event that involves the car.

Huh!
Britain's probably next.

Please, someone inform the French Embassy to revise the website indicating it's IDP not IDL.

The rental agencies usually don't care whether renters have an I.D.P. or not (although I was asked to produce one in Greece). OTOH, the Police DO sometimes have an issue with that, especially if foreign drivers are involved in an "incident". I'd rather be "safe than sorry", so always pack one along. In relation to the overall cost of a European trip, the cost for an I.D.P. is a "drop in the bucket".

highly unlikely you will ever need this document in any country. but one comment on speed limits. there are signs on roadways indicating where there are permanent speed radars. our rental car had a cruise control of course, but it also had a "limit" feature on the cruise knob, which was linked to the GPS device. when you pressed "set" the nav screen showed the common speed limits (30, 50, 70, 90, 110, 130) and you just push the one where you are.. this feature was a governor that prevented you from driving faster than that, but allowed you to go slower and most importantly to keep you eyes on the road and the signage. I found it VERY difficult to drive as slow as necessary in the towns and cities and on the non-interstate/autoroutes, and this feature was invaluable. The GPS also showed the current speed limit for whatever road we happened to be on, even when there was no road sign. I didnt plan to get the GPS, but having had it, I think it's worth every penny.

There is no good reason NOT to bring an IDP.

I've been asked for it by the rental agent in England. They couldn't figure out my state license expiration date. I didn't have one and there was some stressful moments when it seemed they would deny me a rental. Finally they were able to figure out my license was still valid.

I've been asked for an IDP in Greece. You cannot rental the car there without one.

Most people have never been asked for an IDP because most people have never been stopped by the police or in an accident. THAT is the most likely time when you will need one.

One other argument for having an IDP ; If you are in one of the countries which requires it and are in a situation like an accident ( which would likely cause property damage and/or physical injury ) , there is a strong possibility that your insurance carrier would deny any claim for damages on the grounds that you did not possess a proper license ( IDP , AND , your personal , valid USA license ) . If anyone thinks that this is a far fetched scenario , keep in mind that the ads want you to think that insurance companies have YOUR best interests at heart ;-)

I've relayed my story before - I was driving a secondary road in southwest France when a gendarme waved me to a stop. I had been clocked going about 10 km/hr above the speed limit. He was very polite as he issued me a ticket and a moderate fine on the spot. But he struggled to interpret my Oregon drivers license to write his ticket. It occurred to me then and I've said this before - if you're to be pulled over for a traffic violation, you want a happy gendarme.

I did not carry an IDP on that trip even though we planned to drive in Italy, mostly because of Rick Steves' breezy dismissal of their necessity. And for sure, I never have been asked for one in Italy at the occasional roadside checkpoints. But the traffic stop in France persuaded me of their value when I realized the gendarme was frustrated trying to interpret my drivers license and we could not speak to each other.

We had a lively debate here on this forum a few years ago about whether they are truly needed. The conclusion I believe we came to is that it is risky to go without them in countries where they are required (apparently, now, including France) and nice to have in the remaining non-English speaking countries. Especially as they are so low cost and easy to obtain.

@Alex. It sounds like you could at least respond in English. I had a hard time understanding what my gendarme was asking me and he couldn't understand me. So we spent a lot of time pointing at my drivers license and his ticket book.

If nothing else, I came away from the experience deciding that having an IDP is a courtesy.

Thanks to everyone who responded. This forum is amazing! Merci to all!