For Auto Europe, International Drivers Permit (IDP) not required.

The IDP is in case you are stopped by non-English-reading police.

Some car rental agencies ask; some don't. There's no telling what will happen at the rental desk. It's actually to provide info to law enforcement a translation in the event you are stopped or have an encounter.

It doesnt matter what AutoEurope says (and they are incorrect, by the way). What matters is the law of the country in which you will be driving. Corsica belongs to France. France requires either an IDP, or a notarized translation of your license into French. The person at the rental counter may or may not require you to show the IDP. (And need i point out that AutoEurope is not a rental company; only a 3rd party reseller). BUT if you are asked for it by police and fail to provide it, you're in for a very expensive and unpleasant surprise. And not fer nuthin, I've been asked for the IDP in both France and Italy.

"The IDP is in case you are stopped by non-English-reading police." - That can't be the only reason. Brits aren't required to carry an IDP in Italy.

CJean, holders of an Ontario driver's licence do not require an IDP to drive in France; your licence is in English and French.

Gunderson, while it is true that 3 provinces in Canada issue bilingual DLs, I was not living in one of them at the time. Hence the need for an IDP on that particular trip to France.

Thanks for the responses. You are all correct of course. In my particular circumstance, I went to the airport in Rome and went to the car rental counter to pick up my car (reservation confirmed that morning by text), without my IDP, was told that it was being washed and would be out in a few minutes. Then, I was summoned back to the counter and told that my reservation had been canceled and they could not tell me why since it was confidential. (They did not ask for an IDP, so that was not the issue.) So I looked around and saw that at every counter there was a sign that the IDP was needed to rent a car. So, I went back to my hotel and got my IDP, made a reservation via Auto Europe at Termini (Hertz) and got my car. I asked the person at the counter if I needed an IDP, she said no. On my return to the US I called the rental car company and asked them to look at my account. They said that nothing was out of order. I have asked them to cover the increased cost of the rental

I agree that an IDP is needed in Europe. But we have been in an accident, my spouse was driving, and she was not asked for an IDP. Once again, an interesting discussion. I enjoy going to my local AAA office and getting one. You need to be prepared, and an IDP is a reasonable solution. For what it is worth, I would like too add that I now rent cars with an automatic transmission, It was only about $20 more for a four day rental in Corsica, which is where this all started.

Whoever told you it wasn't required doesn't know their own laws. In both Italy and France, you are required to either have a translation by a certified government approved translator or an IDP. If a license is issued in French a translation isn't needed in France. I don't know if Italy would accept a French translation. I do know that it's the law in both France and Italy. It has nothing to do with AutoEurope, which has never asked for an IDP when reserving. If you are asked for an IDP, it would be at the local rental counter, and even then not always. But it is your legal responsibility to have a translated license or IDP.

Why do we always argue this question? Just get it. It is cheap. And prevents the problem of needing it and not having it. Sort of the same question about carrying the passport. Remember the posting here a couple of years back when someone had minor scratched fender but the police were involved and threaten to impound the vehicle because he was not authorized to drive without the IDP in addition to his license. It was a mess.

I agree with Frank. While a rental agency may not require an IDP, if stopped by the police, it will be of value. We have been stopped on several occasions in Italy, Spain and Portugal.

At one stop, in Italy, we were stopped on a remote back road, by a policeman who looked young enough to be a new officer. He spoke no English, but my DL in English and the IDP satisfied him.

So pay the nominal cost and get one.

It is not the task of a rental car company (Auto Europe is not even that, just a broker) to check if you have everything that is needed for national driving permission by law. The driver is alone fully responsible.

Without valid driving permission drivers can expect

• to pay a high fine for driving without valid permission which is not the same like forgetting your papers in the hotel. The police will likely hinder the caught from driving on and wait for a driver with valid driving permission.
• to lose insurance coverage in case of accident. This can become very expensive.

I read about a special worst case: if a traveler has a driving ban for another EU country and is caught driving a car in France the penalty is up to 4,500 EUR and an entry into the register of searched persons.

So, take care.