International drivers license

If you happen to be stopped by the police, wouldn't you want them to be able to tell that your US license is valid? It may not be required, but it is certainly a good idea. It's a minor expense compared to the price of your trip.

Not to seem pedantic , what you will need is an IDP , or International Driver PERMIT . This is only available from Triple AAA . No question about having it . Frankly , I take one every trip , even if I have no plans to drive . After all , what if I change my mind at the last minute ?

It is an International Driver's Permit. You are required to carry an IDP along with your US licence in Spain. Do not be foolish and not acquire one. When the officer who stops you is one who blames your country for the ills of the world and you are also ignoring this legal requirement, you will regret not obtaining one. :-)

We just got ours and it was two passport pictures. One for the actual permit and the other for AAA internal paperwork. We didnt know about the second pic and we had to purchase two additional pictures.

Get an IDP. If you want an first hand description of what it is like to get caught without one, go to the Graffiti Wall and check out the driving in Europe section. There is an entry dated 01/06/2012 that tells what happened after a minor traffic infraction and it is not pretty. If you have an accident, it gets real ugly.

Trv, great reference. Impounding a rental car. That would cause a headache and a ruined vacation. Should keep that near the top. I surprised that this question has not generated the frequent response of, " I have driven in Europe for 20 years and never need it." That response has been fairly common to this question. Just supports my general idea on many things. Better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.

I just got my permit last week. The cost of an International Driver's Permit at AAA is $15 plus a picture. They can take your picture in the office, and the cost is $8 for members and $15 for non-members. You can go to their website and fill in the form online, print it out, and take it with you to save some time. You can find it under the Travel tab on the homepage. You will walk out with the permit in hand.
If you don't have a AAA office nearby, you can also get it by mail. You have to provide 2 pictures of passport type and postage, and you send off to the nearest office to you. You should call that office for the specific person to send it to. The instructions are all very clear on their site.

Thanks for all your responses. We are going to get one just to be safe.