International Driver's permit - Italy

I agree with Steve. It's better to spend the $15 and not need the permit than to not have it & need it. I got mine at AAA & it only took about 20 minutes. Your daughter should get one too just in case she needs to do some driving. My husband was the primary driver but I got one just in case something happened & I needed to drive. Have a great trip.

It's the Italian law. You must have an international driver's permit. You do not want to risk not having one for the small price you pay. That said, we never had to show ours when we rented a car a few weeks ago. I have no idea what people do who rent a car for a day or two, because they are certainly able to do so. It might be a loosie goosie law, but do you really want to chance it??

As indicated above, this is an oft-asked question here. More reasons why you should have one for Italy - beyond the fact that they are required an you can be fined on-the-spot for the lack of one.

IDPs assist a police officer in understanding your American license - put yourself in his/her position. With little English skills and a different calender numbering system, which line is your birthdate and which is your license expiration date. If you are stopped, you want the carbinieri's job to be easy, not irritating.

Second, you are more likely to be stopped in Italy. There are more photo-radars than there used to be. Also, Italy uses random traffic stops for a variety of purposes.

OK - here's my story. I bought the IDP dutifully at the AAA a week before we left. It was all of $15 and that was fine. Then in the packing flurry, it was left behind. I realized it at the airport - way too late - and figured we wouldn't be able to get the rental car (for only 1 day, so we could switch to train without too much hassle) so I was most annoyed with myself. When we got to the rental car counter, I offered my US license and credit card. No problem. I wasn't stopped by the police during the 24 hours I was driving, which may have become a problem. I don't know if all rental car agencies don't ask for one. It may be only if called to produce it by the police when you get into trouble without one.

While I wished I'd had mine with me, it didn't blow that segment of the trip when I didn't. For $15, I think it's worth the peace of mind -- provided it ends up in your luggage!

Need it, get it.

I've rented cars in Italy many times. I always have an IDP but I've never needed it to rent a car. I usually offer the IDP at the rental counter, but they've always preferred to see my U.S. license.

It'd be interesting to see a post from someone who's actually been stopped by a police officer in Italy. I've seen many many helpline posts on IDP's in Italy, but never one from someone who's actually been stopped. Just out of curiosity, I wonder what happens.

That being said, there's no reason not to have an IDP. They're inexpensive and easy to get.

The car rental agency in Siena would not give us a car without it. It's inexpensive and easy to get at the AAA if you are a member.

I was stopped at a roadblock outside of Siena in 2002. My husband, I was with him, was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in Cortona in 2007.(there was construction and we didn't know any other way to get where we needed to be). Not only were we not asked for an IDP, we weren't even asked for a drivers license.

And I left out that neither of us got a ticket or had to pay a fine or anything.

Just because you did not have a problem not having the IDP, you cannot assume or propose that your experience is the norm. You may have just been very lucky.

I didn't say that a person doesn't need an IDP. A previous poster said that he would like to hear from people who have been stopped so I replied, that's all.

We had to produce an IDP after a minor traffic accident in Italy. Of course, we also had to produce our regular license. The police officer spoke almost no English, so the IDP was a real help. The end result was he looked over our IDP, thanked us and then called someone else to come help us sort things out with the other party. (no ticket or anything) The person who came was a "road assistant" who spoke English, Italian, and German (the other people were from Germany) It was pretty tense for a few minutes after the accident and I have always been glad we could hand the office the IDP when he asked. For the record, we have driven many times in Europe and Africa and always with an IDP. We have never needed it before this last trip. We also never needed the car insurance we always buy before this trip, but once you need them, you are really glad you have them. The problem with anecdotal evidence is that everyone's experience is different. They are required in Italy and if you could pulled over and asked for it, it won't matter what happened to other people. (Saying no one thought I needed it on the helpline won't get you very far) You will just have to weigh the risk and decide for yourself. My own experience is that 95% of the time I did not need it. 5% of the time I did, 100% of the time, I had it (I save my risk taking for adventure sports.) I will watch this thread with interest to see if anyone posts who needed it and did not have it and what the outcome was.

I've NEVER had an IDP in all of my trips to Italy/EU, but this time I went out and got one.

We got pulled over in a road block last year in France (yes, I know it is not needed in France.) I have just narrowly missed being caught in road blocks in Italy; so I figured that my luck was running low.

I was not going to take any more chances. Yes, no one asked me for it when I picked up my rental car this year, and yes, it is only a translation of your drivers license, and yes, it is only good for one year, but it is THE LAW.

This year hubby got one for the first time. We mailed in the app and had the IDP back within a week. $15 is worth it - for that rare chance that it might be needed!

(I'll be sure it gets packed!)

rachele,

Use of an I.D.P. is compulsory in Italy, and failure to produce one if requested can result in fines on the spot! Failure to pay the fines will result in the car being impounded (regardless of whether or not it's a rental).

Whether many travellers have never taken an I.D.P. and never been asked for it is not the issue. If you ARE asked for it, it would be a really good idea to have one! The small $15 charge (plus the cost of Passport photos) is well worth the cost.

Happy travels!

Last time I got an IDP, the guy at my local AAA office told me that the IDP is more than just a translation, it's also considered as proof that you have a valid license in your home country.

My AAA office won't issue an IDP if your home drivers license is within 6 months of expiration (which is a little inconsistent with the fact that the IDP is good for 12 months).

Same guy told me that if it were just a translation, it would never have to expire.

Just throwing this out for what it's worth.

A thought to ponder: if the IDP is just a translation, why does it expire?

For $15 and a half hour it's worth it to not have the extra hassle if needed while travelling. Get it and have peace of mind.

Ron