Backpacking Diplomacy by Andy A blog dedicated to sharing world culture, travel tips and building community.
The first thing to understand about an International Driving Permit is that it is not actually a license. At least, not in the traditional license sense. It’s a translation of your existing driver’s license. That single fact clears up about half the confusion around these documents. To me, the IDP process is way more complicated then it needs to be. I would say that the system is limiting and potentially corrupted. Confusion also comes from there being more than one permit available, issued under more than one treaty, with different validity periods and different names depending on who’s talking. I’ve bought the permits before and walked out of a AAA branch holding two booklets without fully understanding why. I’ve also been scammed before into a digital ‘license’ in Armenia, which later affected another trip in South Korea. This guide is the explainer I wish I’d had. If you are confused about the international driver’s permit and the process around it, continue reading.
What an IDP actually is (and isn’t)
An IDP is a small booklet, slightly larger than a passport, that restates the information already on your home driver’s license in a set of widely spoken languages. It carries your name, your photo, and the categories of vehicle you’re allowed to drive. It does not contain any new details about you.
The permit exists so that a police officer or a rental clerk in a country whose language you don’t read can look at a standardized page and understand what your home license permits for you (i.e. standard, motorcycle, passenger transit, large vehicles, etc). That’s the whole purpose of the permit booklet. A few consequences follow from it, and they matter:
- An IDP is worthless on its own. It is only valid when carried alongside your physical home license. Lose the license, and the permit translates nothing.
- It grants you no driving privileges. If your home license doesn’t cover motorcycles, neither does your IDP. The permit can only mirror what you already hold.
- It carries no driving record. Citations abroad attach to the license behind it, not to the permit.
- You cannot get one for a license from another country. A US-issued IDP can only accompany a US license, and it can only be issued by two agencies in the USA. Likewise, if you have a UK license, you get your permit in the UK. This trips up a lot of people who arrive somewhere and try to buy one locally. You can’t.
- I actually had this issue in Armenia once, will explain below.
- It’s limited on time. A brand new IDP is typically time capped at a year. There are some for 3 years, but not the one issue from the United States.
Why it’s a permit and not a license
The reason the distinction is more than pedantry: a license is a grant of authority from the government that tested you. A permit, as defined in this context, is a recognition document. It is essentially a way for one country to honor the authority another country already granted. The international system that makes this work is a set of treaties, and the reason there are several competing booklets is that there are several competing treaties, layered up over a century.
The four conventions
Four international agreements have governed these permits, each one largely intended to supersede the last. Understanding which is which explains almost everything annoying about IDPs.
1. The 1926 Paris Convention (International Convention relative to Motor Traffic). The original. Largely obsolete now, since nearly every country that signed it later signed something newer. It clings on in a tiny number of places, and a few national issuers (the UK among them) still print a 1926-format booklet for the rare destination that needs it.
2. The 1943 Inter-American Convention (Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic, signed in Washington under what became the Organization of American States). This is the regional one, covering the Americas, and it produces a separate booklet called the Inter-American Driving Permit (IADP), distinct from the standard IDP. Hold this one in mind, it’s almost certainly the mystery second booklet, and we’ll come back to it.
3. The 1949 Geneva Convention (Convention on Road Traffic). This is the primary convention still in use today. It’s the convention the United States, Canada, Australia, and many others issue under. The resulting IDP is recognized by 150-plus countries. An IDP issued under the 1949 convention is valid for one year from the date of issue and cannot be renewed, when it lapses you apply fresh. Roughly 100-plus countries still adhere to it.
4. The 1968 Vienna Convention (Convention on Road Traffic). The newest and most modern. Most European nations follow this convention, and its IDP can be valid for up to three years (or until your home license expires, whichever comes first). Somewhere around 80 countries are party to it.
Why are there so many conventions?
I can’t be certain, but to guess, I would say that there were updates to road standards, vehicles and signage that merited a regathering. I assume that there were expectations to participate in these conventions which is why some countries opted not to accept them.
Basically what you need to know is that when a country is party to more than one of these conventions, the newest one it has signed replaces the older ones in its dealings with other countries. So a nation that has ratified both Geneva 1949 and Vienna 1968 operates under Vienna. This is why you can’t just ask “which convention does Greece follow”, you have to ask which is the newest one both your country and the destination share.
The validity-period table
| Convention | Booklet | Typical validity | Who issues under it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 Paris | IDP (1926 format) | 1 year | A few issuers, for rare destinations such as Somalia and Liechtenstein |
| 1943 Inter-American | IADP | 1 year | The Americas (incl. US via AAA/AATA) |
| 1949 Geneva | IDP (1949 format) | 1 year | US, Canada, Australia, NZ, much of the world |
| 1968 Vienna | IDP (1968 format) | up to 3 years | Most of Europe, and others |
IDP vs. IADP: the two-booklets, solved
As an American driver’s license holder, I visited a AAA branch to get my IDP. When I was there they asked me which countries I was planning to visit. Since I was planning to travel in both South America and Asia, I opted for both booklets. Each booklet was prices at $20.
When you visit AAA or an American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) office to get your permit, expect to be asked which booklet you want. Both booklets usually come from the same application form. It is a checkbox to select which permit you would like or both. Keep in mind, each will require its own picture. So bring extra passport sized copies of your picture or you will need to pay for them onsite (assuming they have the service).
The US issues under the 1949 Geneva Convention, so your main booklet is the standard IDP. The second is the Inter-American Driving Permit (IADP), issued under the 1943 convention, and it covers a short list of countries in the Americas that the standard IDP supposedly doesn’t.
Do you need them both?
In short, it’s hard to say. AAA’s own guidance says you need the IADP for Brazil (for stays of 180 days or longer) and lists Brazil and Uruguay as IADP destinations. But there’s a credible, well-documented argument that this is outdated. Both Brazil and Uruguay signed the 1968 Vienna Convention, which terminated and replaced the earlier 1943 agreement between signatory states, meaning that on a strict reading of the treaty hierarchy, those countries lawfully recognize the standard IDP and no longer issue the IADP at all. By that reading, the idea that Brazil and Uruguay recognize the IADP but not the IDP is a widespread misconception repeated on US federal and state government sites and by AAA.
So which is right?
On paper, the treaty-hierarchy argument is the stronger one. In practice, the thing that actually matters at a Brazilian police checkpoint or a rental counter is what the officer or clerk in front of you will accept. The US-issued IDPs are in the 1949 format that Brazil, strictly, doesn’t recognize. That mismatch is exactly why some travelers still carry the IADP for Brazil as belt-and-suspenders insurance, and why a certified Portuguese translation of your license is the other commonly accepted route there.
If you’re going to Brazil or Uruguay, this is the one case worth confirming directly with current official Brazilian guidance and your rental company before you travel, because the document everyone tells you to get and the document the treaty says you need don’t cleanly agree.
I’ve got some experience in Uruguay that I’ll share later.
Are the booklets identical?
The two booklets look similar, but are slightly different. The booklets are physically near-identical at a glance, grey covers, white inner pages, the format laid down in each treaty’s annex, which is part of why people don’t realize they’re holding two different documents, but if you look closely they are in fact different. Different notes and slightly different in size. At least mine are.
The naming mess: IDP vs. IADP vs. “international license”
Nearly everyone who I’ve ever met, refers to the IDP as an “international license”. As we’ve defined in this article, it isn’t a license, but a permit.
That being said, I find it really funny that the standard issue 1943 Convention booklet literally says “International Driving License” in English. The Spanish clearly says “Permiso Internacional para Conducir” which references permit, not license. At the bottom of the cover page it says “IMPORTANT – This license is not valid for driving in the United States” conveniently in English. The irony here is that it is issued by the United States from an official driver’s license. What gives.
Personally, I think this naming mishap is a bit of the reasoning why people oscillate between names for the permit and license.
Acronyms and naming
- IDP — International Driving Permit. The standard booklet, under the 1926, 1949, or 1968 conventions.
- IADP — Inter-American Driving Permit. The separate regional booklet under the 1943 convention.
- A “International Driver’s License” or “International License” is not technically a real document. It is a nickname at best, a scam at worst. If a site uses this phrase to sell you something, be skeptical.
Where to actually get one (and what it costs)
If you need an IDP, you should get your IDP in the country that issued your driver’s license, before you leave. In most cases, you cannot get a valid one after you arrive at your destination. There are some official agencies that might do online applications but that’s not a guarantee. The issuer for IDPs is almost always your country’s national automobile association or a government-authorized body.
United States
Two organizations, and only two, are authorized by the US Department of State:
- AAA (American Automobile Association) — You can apply online, by mail, or in person at a branch (in person, you can often walk out the same day). The permit fee is $20, plus a photo fee (around $10 if you need photos taken) and shipping if applying online. AAA issues both the IDP and the IADP.
- AATA (American Automobile Touring Alliance) — Online application, $20 permit fee plus a $9 photo-processing fee and shipping. Note their application portal keeps limited hours, so plan around that.
In the United States, only two organizations are authorized to issue an International Driving Permit. Apply directly through either one:
AAA
American Automobile Association
Apply with AAA
AATA
American Automobile Touring Alliance
Apply with AATA
Both issue a physical, serialized booklet. There is no legitimate digital IDP from either, so be wary of any site selling an “instant” or “online-only” permit.
Requirements
Both require you to be at least 18, hold a valid US license, and supply passport-style photos. Both produce a physical, serialized booklet, there is no legitimate digital IDP from either. Any “instant digital IDP” for a US license is fake.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom actually has a great website detailing if and when you need a license (sorry that’s licence for you Brits), you can find it here.
Since the Post Office stopped issuing them, UK IDPs come from PayPoint retail locations, in person, for £5.50, issued on the spot. The UK is unusual in issuing all three IDP types (1926, 1949, and 1968) depending on destination, so Britons genuinely have to pick the right booklet.
Canada
For Canadians, you must use the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), in person or by mail, valid one year.
Other countries
Check with your national auto club or an authorized government body, in person or by mail, before departure:
- Australia — the state member clubs of the Australian Automobile Association (NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAA, RAC, RACT), in person or online, valid 12 months.
- New Zealand — the AA New Zealand, in person or online, valid 12 months.
For any other country, search in your language for your national automobile association plus “international driving permit”. Be sure and confirm it’s a recognized AIT/FIA-affiliated issuer or a government body rather than a lookalike reseller.
Do you even need one? It depends
This is the question everyone actually wants answered, and the honest answer is that it depends on the interaction between two variables: the country that issued your license, and the country you’re driving in. Neither alone tells you what you need to know.
We’ve created a little widget to help you understand when and where you might need an IDP. The widget was built with the latest data sources but keep in mind that it could change, with say, another convention.
Driving Abroad
Do you need an International Driving Permit?
Pick the country that issued your license and where you’re driving. We’ll tell you which convention governs you, whether your IDP is recognized, and how long it’s valid.
For other country combinations
If you country or combination is not listed on the widget, here are some steps that you can take to verify whether you need an IDP or not:
- Find the newest convention your home country and your destination both belong to. That’s the framework that governs you. If you’re a US driver (1949 Geneva) going somewhere that’s also party to 1949, your standard IDP is recognized. If your destination is only party to 1968 Vienna and not 1949, your 1949-format IDP may not technically be recognized, the Brazil situation mentioned before, and Vietnam and Cambodia are other commonly examples.
- Check whether that destination actually requires an IDP, or merely recognizes one. Some countries legally require it; some honor your home license alone for short tourist stays; some honor your license but want a translation, which the IDP conveniently provides.
- Then check the rental company separately. This may be the kicker for you. Even where a government doesn’t require an IDP, some car rental companies do. Major chains frequently demand one regardless of local law, so the practical answer to “do I need one” is often “yes” purely because of the rental counter.
Outside of the tool that I developed above, there isn’t another single tool that takes both your license’s country and your destination, across all nationalities, and resolves the whole matrix. Until one does, the reliable method is the three-step check above: find the newest convention you and your destination share, confirm whether that destination requires or merely recognizes an IDP, and check your rental company separately.
Run your own specific pairing against current official sources, your national issuer and the destination’s official guidance, rather than trusting a generic yes/no.
Quick combinations guide
- US and Canadian licenses are valid for short tourist driving in each other’s countries and in Mexico, no IDP required by law. It’s unlikely but a rental company still might want one.
- UK photocard licenses don’t need an IDP to drive in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein. (Old paper UK licenses can be a different story.)
- Non-European licenses driving in Europe frequently do need one, and several European countries, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Greece are commonly enforce it.
In conclusion, answering the official question of ‘do you need one’ hinges on the home country license + destination pairing. The only reliable move is to check your specific combination against current official sources before you go, and then check your rental company on top of that.
Watch out for scams
Like most official applications, including passports, scams are abound. If you search online for “international driver’s license” you might even see an ad offering you a quick or instant license or permit. Any website selling you a standalone “international license,” especially a “digital” or “instant” one, is selling a worthless document at best. It can only come from your own country’s authorized issuer.
Pass-thru agencies
One common gray area scam is an agency that offers to get your IDP for you. In some cases, specifically for official authorized issuers that accept online applications, an agency could fill out your application for you. They’ll just charge you a surcharge for doing it. They also conveniently get all of your personal details. No matter what anyone tells you or how similar a website’s logo looks, only use official authorized issuers. The application process is not complicated enough to merit an agency. It takes less than five minutes in person.
My experience getting scammed in Armenia
In 2022, I was traveling through the Caucus region. I visited Armenia with a few friends and we decided that we wanted to rent a car and go on a road trip. When I arrived at the car rental place, the guy told me that I needed the IDP. Not only the IDP, but a specific one since Armenia did not accept the 1949 Convention. He directed me to a scam website called International Drivers Association. What did I do? Of course, I went through the process and paid the $49. The “organization” emailed me a PDF packet containing similar pages to what you do find on an IDP. We were able to rent the car and go on our road trip.
At that time, I had not purchased an official IDP before so I wasn’t sure what it looked like. In hindsight, I should have known that it wasn’t legitimate. My real and official IDP specifically Armenia was not party to the 1949 convention whereas this PDF says that Armenia was in it. Perhaps this guy had no idea, or perhaps he was in on the scam. I’ll never know.
How the online scam affected my South Korea trip
Although I was able to rent a car in Armenia with my fake IDP, I was in for a rude awakening when I visited Jeju island in South Korea. I arrived in Jeju after spending a few beautiful spring months in Japan. I was very excited to explore Jeju and read that a car was very helpful to getting around there. I rented and paid for the car upfront.
Upon arrival, I greeted the attendant, presented my credit card, US driver’s license and international PDF. She asked me for my IDP. I said the PDF was my IDP. She said, no it is not. It must be a booklet. This conversation went on for a while. Ultimately, I was not able to rent the car. Adding more insult to injury, I also had already paid for the car. They were not willing to refund me since it was ‘my fault’. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.
The moral of my story is: get your IDP from official and authorized sources only.
My Take and Experiences
In addition to the Armenia and South Korea stories I just mentioned, there are some other experiences as well as my opinions on the IDP process.
My take
In general, I personally believe the whole IDP process is a scam in of itself. If you care to hear my gripes, here continue reading.
As an American, looking at the license facts, a driver’s license:
- costs between $25-100 depending on the state
- is valid for 4-8 years
- allows you to drive in any state
An IDP permit:
- costs $20
- $10 for pictures if you don’t have them
- valid for only 1 year
- permits you to drive in a select number of countries
- cannot be used in the country it was issued in
- can only be issued by two organizations, both of which are privately held companies
My issues with this:
- If an IDP is based on your driver’s license (DL), then why only 1 year of validity?
- Since an IDP has to be renewed annually, over the 8 year period it would cost $160 (a whopping $240 with pictures). That means that just the translation of your license, not your license itself, would actually cost up to 6-8 times as much as the cost. That makes no sense whatsoever.
- How does it make sense that the IDP cannot be used in the country that it was issued in?
- If my driver’s license was the guiding document by which my IDP was issued, then in theory an IDP is representative of my driver’s license. Not that I or anyone would need it, but it just does not make much sense.
- Both AATA and AAA are privately held companies. I smell a lobbying corruption scheme. Lobbying is effectively legalized bribery in the US.
- AAA is listed as a private, not for profit company. Convenient given there are extreme tax benefits of obtaining that status. Online citations mention their revenue being in the billions.
- Also, the fact that only these two non-governmental companies can issue the IDP means that there is a degree of monopolization. You cannot technically call it a monopoly because there are two agencies, but it tracks.
As you can probably tell, I mostly think the IDP, at least from the United States, is one of the larger scams in the travel industry. Right up there with AirBnB’s cleaning fees. I can completely understand the need for translations of driver’s licenses and standardization, but if that’s the case, it should be issued by the same governmental body. In the United States, that would be the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Inconsistencies across US agencies
In addition to the gripes I have, another funny thing is that the US organizations don’t even share consistent information.
For example, the American Automobile Association (AAA) lists 10 languages being used in the IDP.
On the other hand, the AATA mentions that it is only 9. They forgot Portuguese.
In actuality, both should have the same 11 languages, including English of course. My booklet does and I got mine from AAA.
Both are official issuers, so the difference here is a useful reminder that even authorized sources don’t phrase every detail identically, even though they are issuing the same document.
Do countries actually check your international driver’s permit?
Yes and no. As of writing this, I’ve driving in probably about 20 countries or so. In most of those countries, the rental agency actually did not check. In fact, I was often able to directly use only my US driver’s license.
A few countries that did ask for it: Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea.
Uruguay
I read online that Uruguay required the IADP, however, I don’t remember them asking me for it. I believe that I just used my US driver’s license there. This is a contrast to official documentation.
Should you get one
In my opinion, you should probably get them. It will save you headache traveling and also open up your options for getting around. For around the world type trips, you might need both booklets unfortunately. Keep in mind, the 1 year limit is going to limit you on longer trips.
FAQ
No, and the second term isn’t a real document. An IDP is a translation of your existing license, not a license itself, and not a standalone permission to drive. Sites selling an “international driver’s license,” especially digital or instant ones, are best avoided.
One year from the effective date, or until your US license expires, whichever comes first. It’s not renewable, when it lapses, you apply for a new one. (IDPs issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention by other countries can run up to three years, but the US issues the one-year 1949 version.)
Almost certainly the standard IDP (1949 Geneva) plus the IADP (1943 Inter-American), which AAA recommends for a short list of countries in the Americas such as Brazil. They come from one application form but are two separate booklets. Note the genuine dispute, covered above, about whether the IADP is actually still necessary given that Brazil and Uruguay later joined the 1968 Vienna Convention.
Often yes, and several European countries enforce it for non-European licenses. Get the standard US IDP before you leave, and check your rental company’s policy, which may require one even where the country doesn’t.
No. It must be issued in the country that issued your license, before you travel. There’s no way to obtain a valid one abroad for a foreign license.
Not a legitimate one, at least not from the US issuers. AAA and AATA both produce physical, serialized booklets and explicitly state there is no electronic version. Treat “digital IDP” offers for a US license as a red flag.
Only if your home license does. The permit mirrors your existing categories, it can’t add a motorcycle entitlement you don’t already hold.
You don’t choose, your country chooses for you by which convention it issues under (the US issues 1949). The 1968 version’s main advantage is the longer validity (up to three years vs. one). What matters for any given trip is whether your destination recognizes the version your country issues.
If you count English, then the IDP booklet is in 11 languages. Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.
The 1943 Inter-American booklet is only translated into four languages: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
This is a living guide and we’ll keep it current as conventions and issuer rules change. Rules genuinely vary by your exact license-and-destination combination, so treat this as the map, not the territory, and confirm your specific case with the official issuer and your rental company before you travel. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
