International Drivers License

Ride and Rave

Your post gives no indication where you are from, neither does your profile.

The correct answer depends entirely on what country you are resident in and what country issued your driving license.

Gone are the days that most of the questions here could be assumed to originate in North America - we get questions from all over the world.

If you do need it, the only International Drivers License is an internet scam.

The correct document is an IDP, International Drivers PERMIT.

If you need it, where it is issued for you will depend on which country you are in.

Playing the odds, if we assume that you are coming from the U.S., the answer is you need an IDP, which is a translation of your driver's license, not an actual license, as Nigel points out. AAA is the place to get it:

http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

I got one for a recent trip to France, just to be on the safe side. It took only 15 minutes at AAA.

We were told by our rental car agent that some rental car companies require one and some don't, but if you are stopped by the police for whatever reason, they will want to see one. As another post says, these are easily obtained at CAA or AAA for a fee. Just bring two passport-type photos and go to a branch office, and they'll do it for you while you wait.

Marvox

According to the research we've reported at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements and in Rick's France guidebook, France is not one of the countries where the IDP is required. Even with the IDP, your valid, home-issue driving license is essential for driving.

While Laura's position quotes from the Rick Steves website and books, I would like to share what the French Embassy in the USA says on their official site.

At

http://www.franceintheus.org/spip.php?article376

which is entitled "Driving in France" which can be found by drilling down from the main Embassy website by:
Home
Going to France
About France
Practical Info
Driving in France

it says:

IF YOU ARE ON A SHORT VISIT OR SHORT BUSINESS TRIP (LESS THAN 90 DAYS)

You may drive with a valid U.S. driver’s license if it is accompanied
by a notarized translation in French. It is strongly recommended that
you carry an International Driving Permit. You must be 18 years of age
or older to drive in France.

It then goes on to what to do if you are a greater than 90 day resident of France with a state license from one of the 50 States depending on which State you are from.

The IDP performs all the functions of the notarized translation in French. Is it the position of Rick Steves that all US visitors to this website should, instead of paying an easy $15 for an IDP at their local AAA, pay a translator to translate the state license and a Notary Public a fee to notarize it?

Or is the French Embassy to the USA wrong?

We were in France last month and didn't get one. We found the same link that confirmed that it's not one of the required countries to have one and also called our rental car agency (Avis) to make sure they didn't have their own policy to require it. We were never asked to show anything other than our passports and US driver's licenses.

In the better safe than sorry category, were I to be involved in an accident in France I would sure be pleased to whip out my IDP instead of my CDL. Our last trip, we drove a rental for only the first four out of fifteen days , the IDP becomes a handy secondary item to leave as "ID" when renting an audio tour, etc.

Nigel, I have updated my profile. I am from the USA. Please forgive me for being so presumptuous. And it's Rider Ave.
After reading all the kind and prompt replies, I will most likely get an IDP just to be safe. I like the idea of using it as another form of ID too.

Avis in Dijon didn't ask for my IDP and didn't care if I had one, FWIW.

If nothing else, it adds to the sense that you're on an adventure and gives you a keepsake of your trip. It only takes a few minutes at an AAA office.

The purpose of the IDP is for the police to see that you have a valid current drivers license from the country you are from. Contrary to expectation, not all police in Europe speak or read fluent English, or are prepared to recognize a valid license from 180 countries or the fifty states of the US. Whether the rental car company wants to see it or not, you could have a problem with insurance and the police if you don't have it and have an incident.

I'm sure it's possible that it's not required to drive in France but I have to agree with whoever said it's better to be safe than sorry and cheaper than a notarized translation of your state DL. And I can vouch for the fact that all policemen in France don't speak English, at least not fluently. I was smart and glad that I did get the IDP before driving in France because I was involved in an accident and I was asked to see a French translation of my CO drivers license.

And yes, the car rental agencies likely won't ask for it but they're not the ones that require it so what do they care. It's the French police that would want to see it if necessary.

Why quibble about $15-20 when your trip is most likely costing in the thousands.

Rental agencies rarely ask for or care if you have an IDP (Greece is one major exception that I've encountered). But that does not mean it isn't required or you won't face consequences if the police ask you for one.

France requires a certified translation of your drivers license. That means an IDP isn't technically required but is about the only realistic option to comply.

I think I recall being asked if I had an IDP when I was at Europcar Avignon TGV-not certain, but I think so. I looked at my (Auto Europe) contract just now and it says: "An International Drivers license is strongly recommended. Auto Europe can help you obtain one." I would say it's just all around good to have.

You have to be a member of AAA to pay $15. Otherwise you have to pay $68 for a membership + $15 = $83. Isn't there somewhere else that provides an international permit?

I'm not sure that's correct, RailRider, are you sure you have to be a member?

It doesn't appear to say that:

http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

Maybe in LA LA land, but here in Green Bay, it was free if an AAA member and $15 for nonmembers plus you bring your own passport type photo. I think it took 20 minutes.

Looks like all AAA offices are not created equal. At mine, the IDP is $15 for anyone. Bring your own passport photo or they will do them there - $7 for members, $15 for non-members. So it could be $15, $22, or $30 depending on membership and passport photo.

My husband just got his for our trip. I'd much rather be safe than sorry.

AAA first told me I could not get an IDP, but then I called another branch and they did produce it for me (for $31 because I was not a member rather than $23, for the permit and photos). It took about 20 minutes.

Well let's hear it for continuity! Good to know, RailRider, enjoy the travels and drive safely ;-)

Pay absolutely no attention to the idiots that think the rental car company policy means anything. It doesn't mean boo-squat. The people at the rental desk could care less, they are there to get your money, nothing more or less and they won't get your money if they refuse to rent you a car. If something ugly happens they will simply say, "Oh gosh I forgot to ask. So sorry."

The law in France has changed recently as indicated above. The IDP will be much cheaper and infinitely more reliable than a notarized translation of your driver's license written by someone who probably doesn't know what he is doing in the first place. The guy at the rental desk will not be paying your fines And if the police decide to impound your car because you can't legally drive it, the guy at the rental desk knows your credit card will pay the cost to have it retrieved from the impound lot. If you have an accident and the insurance company decides to void your insurance because you are not a properly licensed driver the guy at the rental desk still doesn't care because the car will get fixed and he still has you by the credit card.

Rick writes guide books but he dies a horrible disservice to his readers by printing things like, "It's the letter of the law but the rental company didn't ask and I got the car." THE LETTER OF THE LAW IS THE LAW!!! The vast majority of us will motor safely and never need to produce an IDP but if you need one and don't have one it's kind of like skydiving without a parachute.

I have driven in France for 25 years or so, and never got an IDP until this year. However, based on the apparent change in law and what I read here, I got one this spring at my local AAA branch. While in France it was never brought out of my bag, but at least I had it. Although I'm not quite sure why it's required, as it seems to contain so little info. I could see if I was in a country with a completely different alphabet, but I'm sure that any French (or Italian or Spanish) police officer could easily figure out the info on my driver's license. I don't think they'd mistake my date of birth for my driver's license number, or my name or my address.

I always love these discussion and the slight smugness that goes with, "I have never had one or I have never been asked" etc. And most of those responses mean absolutely nothing. Single question --- Is it better to have it and not need it? OR To need it and not have it? The same question applies to carrying your passport, getting Euro early, etc.

The majority of foreign drivers in France will be from the rest of the EU so will have EU format licences, interchangeable between them and designed in such a way that means that they can be read in any of the EU's official languages. I think they are approaching 30. Name, address, class of vehicle are in the same format and same place with as few words as possible.

The only official bits on my licence in English are the words 'Driving Licence', 'United Kingdom' and an idiots guide to what the numbers mean.

If the licence is not in EU format and not in the language of the country you are going to an IDP is needed because it is an authorised translation. It may not be beyond the whit of the average gendarme, policier, caribinere, guardia civil, etc to work out what is on the licence, but it is not beyond the whit of the same to find a reason to lock you up if needs be in order to certify what the document says. The last bit is the value of the IDP.

A minor point, perhaps, but an IDP is not a translation of your driver license. It's a certificate stating in several languages that you are currently licensed in your home state. Any cop who can't find the necessary data on your DL probably doesn't know how to read at all.
In the two "official" encounters I've had with European gendarmes in several years of driving rental cars there, they've asked for my passport, but never my IDP. Anecdotal, I know.
Incidentally, the two passport photos required along with your IDP application may end up costing more than the IDP itself, unless your AAA office is one that'll shoot the photos free if you're a member.

"Any cop who can't find the necessary data on your DL probably doesn't know how to read at all." - that is totally unreasonable. There are a number of different problems with a foreign Driving Licence:
1) Language. The Licence is probably in a foreign language.
2) Is it a driving licence? It could be a dog licence.
3) What types of vehicle is it valid for? It could be a motor cycle licence and the person is driving a car?
4) Is it valid (dates etc.). Which date is which?
There are over 190 countries in the world, no policeman can be expected to know how to recognise a licence from each and every country. Hence an International Driving Permit as a certification that the original is genuine and valid.

I'll have to disagree with Chris F. I'm looking at my driver's license and my IDP right now, and the IDP looks to be basically useless if the person looking at the driver's license can't figure out the important info because of a language barrier. The IDP has my date of birth and place of birth, but not the date of validity of my license. It appears to have some kind of indication as to vehicle classes, but it's not even clear to me, so how will a non-English speaker understand it.

I think what Chris said is that the IDP is not a literal a translation of your state license but rather is proof that it is valid and active (not expired) because you have to show your valid state DL at AAA to get the IDP. It is used in conjunction with your actual DL when needed in a foreign country.

The codes on the IDP seem to roughly match the licence categories used on EU format driving licences. On none of the US licences I googled, only a few, was this clear, and I am a native English speaker. And if it was there, the weight categories are in US Imperial rather than metric. Not immediately clear to someone unfamiliar with the document.

At the very least, the IDP would say yes, this is a valid licence, and b what it is a licence for.

Chris is correct. The IDP isn't just a translation, it shows a foreign police officer or agency that your state drivers license is in fact a valid, legal drivers license. Some random police officer in rural France has no good way to know if your Ohio drivers license is in fact valid.

For example, Illinois used to just issue a sticker for renewal that was placed on the back side of the license. But looking at the printed front showed an old expiration date. The sticker didn't even give a date, just a duration of extension that then had to be calculated based on the original expiration. Imagine someone that barely speaks English trying to figure that out. My English rental car agent didn't even understand it and almost refused to rent me a car. An IDP would have shown the new expiration date.

I've picked up an IDP from AAA without being a member, I think I paid somewhat less than $20. It takes maybe 15 minutes. If you have extra passport photos, bring them. Otherwise, they'll charge you to take some. I'm a member now - maybe I get free passport photos or some other benefit? It's not a big deal because the IDP doesn't cost a lot.

Just to stir the pot a little more, does the clerk at AAA actually look at your US DL and verify that it's valid? I can't recall, but I'm betting they don't.

Doesn't really matter if AAA checks if it's valid. The IDP is a translation, not a license. The cop will look at both when you're dinged.

"..does the clerk at AAA actually look at your US DL and verify that it's valid?"

Yes.

"..does the clerk at AAA actually look at your US DL and verify that it's valid?"

The clerk at my AAA certainly did. It's what they're supposed to do. If you're home license is expired or if you didn't show it to them they wouldn't issue you an IDP.

We rented a car in Italy & a car in Scotland. Both offices asked to see our international drivers license.

Just to stir the pot a little more, does the clerk at AAA actually look at your US DL and verify that it's valid? I can't recall, but I'm betting they don't.

You would have bet wrong.

"Just to stir the pot a little more, does the clerk at AAA actually look at your US DL and verify that it's valid? I can't recall, but I'm betting they don't."

Yes, they do look at the home driver's license. They need to verify the terms of the license and restrictions (ie: corrective lenses), so that the details are included on the I.D.P.