Drivers License - ????

I can't comment on Italy, but your state driver's license is all you need in Germany and France.

Vickie, You need to get an International Driver's License. You can obtain one through AAA. While in Italy, my husband and I rented a car. They asked for a drivers license and he showed his international, when all they wanted was his state side license (although he showed his German drivers license). The rental car company may be fine with a state side license, but if you get pulled over, they require an international license. Same thing for France. A General that my husband works with, his wife came into this same situation in France. She was given a 500 euro fine for not having an International Drivers License. Same thing for here in Germany, you can get a fine for driving without an International Drivers License.

Thank you all for the quick reply. My 26 yr old son will be traveling with my 17 yr old daughter and they will be starting in Rome and finishing in Paris. He would like the freedom of driving, but is still weighing his options. His thought is to rent a car as they leave Rome and return it in Paris. Any thoughts on this?

Again, thank you for taking the time to respond!
Have a great weekend!

They are not International Driver Licenses. They are International Driver Permits. All they do is translate your state license into multiple languages. They do not convey any driving privileges on their own and they must be accompanied by your state license.

Italy requires an IDP to drive. France does not. Rental car agencies usually don't care. Police do.

While you can drive freely across borders, if you rent a car in one country and drop it off in another you will have to pay a hefty fee. It's often cheaper to drop the first car near a border, take public transportation across, and pick up a second car on the other side.

Vickie - we were planning on driving to Paris from Rome, making stops along the way, a few years ago... until we were told there was an $800 drop-off fee in Paris... we then got on the train!

Verify the drop off fee - we tried autoeurope and they tried to set us up with Hertz and Avis. Mind you, that has probably been 3-4 years ago, so check out the current "drop-off" situation.

Ciao from (beautiful and sunny today!) Rome,
Ron

License, Permit, it doesn't matter, all that matters is its highly suggested that you get one so that your children do not encounter any high fines for not having one. I never understood why people believe you do not need one. Has your 26 yr old son ever driven in Europe before? If not, I highly suggest that he finds as much information as possible on the driving conditions and is prepared for how Italians drive. When driving in Italy, you need to have complete concentration or you risk being driven off the road by another car. It seems that inside a city, the signal lights do not mean anything, but rather a suggestion as to what to do. The lines dividing the lanes are considered lanes (by motorcycles and scooters). I would look at the cost of a train, you do not have the freedoms of driving, but you are safer and can enjoy the scenery instead of fearing for your life :)!

I have one additional point to make on the subject of the IDP. We were in Italy in June and again this April. We noticed more and more stops of cars along the road by various law enforcement agencies. In June, we, ourselves, were stopped by the Guardia di Finanza in the Dolomites. They, however, were only interested in the car registration. We think maybe they were looking for stolen cars since we were close to the eastern border. This year we saw several stops made by the carabinieri. They are posted along the road and flag down a car every so often. Since this is happening, I don't think it is sensible to risk trouble with the law to save $15.

Amanda - with all respect, it does matter whether it is called a "Permit" or a "License". Many people who come to this site think that an IDP is the equivalent of their state's drivers license. They think it's the necessary authorization to operate a motor vehicle in Europe. It isn't. It's merely a translation. And it's useless - to police and to car rental agencies - without a state issued drivers license.

Just adding my 2 cents, but also remember that most rental cars are manual (ie: Stick shift). So if you're not familiar with driving manual, you should triple check that you will get an automatic transmission.

Just to stir the pot, it is absolutely correct that for the countries listed above that the IDP is required in addition to your State or National (if that applies) drivers license. It is however more than just a translation. The IDP is a direct result of the UN Convention on Road Safety (1949) which helped establish reprocity of driving priveledges between countries. In that respect, the IDP functions as acknowledgement that the license you hold is valid, but still as a supplementary document. This is why IDPs have to be issued by authorized agencies. As an example, if I were to handwrite a translation of my license...wouldn't work; If something more professional were to be done, still wouldn't work. You need the IDP, or in a pinch an Embassy can provide a letter with the needed translation and acknowledgement as a proxy. Now certainly, many will tell you that the guy at the rental counter will laugh at you if you present the IDP, they really have not cared in the past whether you have it. Many others will tell you they never needed it (Didn't need any insurance either because I didn't need it) Even Police may pull you over and not request it...but bottom line is, you still need it and evidence suggests that more and more countries are enforcing it.

With the low cost and small inconvenience of getting an Int. Driver's Permit, I can't think of any good reasons to risk driving in a country that requires them without it. Get one, even if you never need it you can paste it in your journal as a momento.

Over the weekend we were at Auto Club and got my husband his International Driver's permit. You will need a 2x2 photo (ie: passport size), so if you don't have one, expect to add +$8 for a photo taken at AAA.

If you don't have time to wait at AAA, you can get a form from the front desk. If you mail in, you'll need a copy of the front/back of your driver's license, the two 2x2 photos, the application, and a check.

If you're mailing as Michelle suggests above... make sure you sign the back of your passport photos. That is required and how we renew from overseas....

Ciao,
Ron

Oh, yes, thanks Ron!!

You can also print the application online

click here