drivers permit

being aaa plus members we found out i can get a drivers permit for $15 so why not! thanks :):)

We have been informed through recent discussions of this that Italian law requires it. Your rental car company probably will not check, it is not a requirement of theirs. Being stopped at random police checks is fairly common in Italy, they don't need probable cause, and travelers have reported that it seemed to make the Italian police officers somewhat less grumpy that they have a translation of your American license into Italian, which is what the IDP is. You also need to bring your US driver license.

But you don't need to be a AAA member. Anyone can go in and get one.

Kent - Can you dig up the thread from last summer where Norm and I argued about this issue and I finally conceded that it's a good idea to get one? This, too, will be a frequent question during the spring trip planning season.

You definitely need one or they won't let you rent the car even if you have reservation. Easy to apply - just get two passport type photos, personal info, & $15 check to AAA (members or non-members pay same price). It arrives fairly quickly, we got ours in less than 3 weeks. The International driving permit, a passport sized white booklet, is kind of cheesy and unprofessional looking with hand written name etc on it but it works and is necessary to rent car in Italy.
happy travels,
Kim

I've never been asked for anything but m passport & US license when picking up a car.But,after reading all this, I'll get one for next trip. If you have not done so already, rent your car before you go.Rates are cheaper & I've never had a problem on pickup.Standard transmission is the cheapest & easiest to get.

That's the one, Kent! Thanks!

i picked up one today at our local aaa ofice. $15 and it only took about 15 min to get it taken care of. it's good for 1 year. thanks for all of the reply's :):)

Regarding the "need" to get an IDP in order to rent a car. It has been our experience that the rental car agencies require only your regular driver's license (and a credit card of course) in order to actually rent the car. We have never been asked for the IDP at the rental car desk, including this past summer in Italy. If you want to know whether you need to show it to rent a car, you should contact your rental car agency and ask them. It may be that different agencies require different forms of ID in order to rent or that policies have changed from the last time you rented.

This is a different questions from do you need one to drive in Italy. Recent online info says that one is required to drive in Italy. Personally speaking - we have not gotten one these past 4 years, again, including the last time in Italy.