International Driving Permit: who needs one, where to get it, what insurers say

An International Driving Permit, usually shortened to IDP, is a booklet that translates the details of your home driving licence into several languages. Police and rental desks abroad can read it even when they cannot read your licence. It has no force on its own: you carry it with the licence it translates, and the licence must still be valid.

The confusing part is that there is more than one kind of IDP, and countries accept different kinds. Every rule below carries the date we read it.

AAA, one of the two US issuers, describes the permit in one line: it is only a translation of the licence, not a licence to drive. It translates your driver information into 10 languages. That is also why it cannot be issued to someone without a licence, and why a foreign visitor cannot get a US one: AAA issues it only to holders of a valid US licence.

Two United Nations road-traffic conventions set the format. The Geneva Convention of 1949 entered into force on 26 March 1952 and has 103 parties, among them the United States (which ratified in 1950), the United Kingdom (1957) and Japan (which acceded in 1964). The Vienna Convention of 1968 entered into force on 21 May 1977 and has 91 parties, including the United Kingdom but not the United States or Japan. A permit follows one convention or the other, and the country you drive in decides which one it recognizes.

The practical reading is simple. A permit issued in a country that follows the 1949 convention only, as the US does, works where the 1949 format is accepted and may not work where only the 1968 format is. You cannot choose the format on a US permit: AAA cites the 1949 convention. UK drivers choose the version the destination requires.

You can only get the permit from the country that issued your licence, and usually only before you travel. Offices abroad do not sell them for you.

In the United States, the State Department has authorized two organizations: AAA and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). USA.gov says to beware of other websites that claim to issue international licenses, because many are fraudulent. AAA charges a $20 permit fee, plus $10 if you want digital passport photos with an online application, plus shipping and any sales tax. You apply online, at an AAA branch or by mail, with a completed form, two passport photos and a copy of your valid US licence. AAA says online orders take 5 business days plus shipping, a branch visit is the quickest route, and mail applications from overseas take 5 to 7 weeks. A permit cannot be issued more than 6 months before the date you want it to start.

The AAA information is on its IDP page, and USA.gov summarizes who may issue permits on its international driver's license page.

In the United Kingdom, the government moved sales out of Post Office branches. From 1 April 2024, permits have been sold only at participating PayPoint stores. You must live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, hold a full UK licence and be 18 or over. The fee is £5.50. If you still hold a paper licence, GOV.UK says to upgrade it to a photocard or get a permit before you travel. The details are on GOV.UK's IDP page.

Residents of other countries should ask their national motoring club or licensing authority, since the issuing body differs by country.

The table shows what each government source says for the countries readers ask about most. It reflects the pages read on 2 October 2026, and each row cites its own source, so check the source again before you book. A country can change its rule or its list of accepted licences without notice.

Japan

Japan has the narrowest rule of the five. The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) says a permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention is accepted, and permits issued under other treaties, such as the 1968 Vienna Convention, are not valid in Japan. A driver whose home country issues only 1968 permits therefore cannot use one. JAF names six places whose licence holders can drive with a Japanese translation of their own licence instead: Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan. The translation covers one year from the date of entry into Japan, and JAF accepts applications for it online only.

JAF sets out the rules on its driving with a foreign licence page. GOV.UK warns that you could be arrested and fined for driving in Japan without the correct documents, and adds that Japan's compulsory insurance on its own may be insufficient if you are found liable for an accident. For a rail-first trip that still needs a car for one valley, see our Shikoku itinerary.

Thailand and Vietnam

GOV.UK tells UK drivers to carry the 1968 version of the permit and their UK licence in Thailand and in Vietnam. For Thailand it adds two warnings that matter for rentals. Many hired motorcycles in tourist areas are unregistered and cannot legally be used on public roads, and operating a car or motorcycle without valid licensing will invalidate your travel insurance and remove any claim for accidents or injuries.

Vietnam needs more care. GOV.UK says it is illegal to drive without third-party insurance and that it is illegal for drivers and passengers to ride without a helmet. The US Embassy in Vietnam goes further for its citizens: it says foreign driver licenses, even with an international driving permit, are not valid in Vietnam, and advises getting a Vietnamese licence from the local traffic police to drive legally. A US-issued permit follows the 1949 convention, and the UK page points to the 1968 one, so the two governments' advice does not line up. We could not find a single Vietnamese government page that settles it for visitors. Until you have one, ask the rental company to show in writing how the hire is legal for a foreign licence, and read your insurance policy for a valid-licence clause.

If your trip runs by scooter or minivan rather than your own wheels, see how people get around in our Chiang Mai to Pai guide. Entry rules for both countries are in our Thailand and Vietnam guides.

Italy and the rest of Europe

Italy writes the rule into its road code. Article 135 says holders of a licence from a state outside the European Union must carry an international permit or an official Italian translation, as long as they have not been resident in Italy for more than a year. ACI, the Italian automobile club, publishes the article, and it sets a fine of €408 to €1,634 for driving without one. Italia.it, the national tourism site, repeats the requirement for non-EU visitors.

The text is on ACI's page for Article 135. GOV.UK adds that rental companies often impose stricter requirements than the law, including asking for an IDP. Other EU countries have their own rules, so look up the one you will drive in rather than assuming Italy's. For the Tuscan version of a driving trip, see our Tuscany itinerary.

Canada and Mexico

These two are the easy cases for US drivers: USA.gov says US citizens visiting Canada and Mexico do not need an IDP. GOV.UK says UK drivers can use a photocard licence in Mexico, and that holders of a paper licence may need the 1926 version of the permit.

A rental company can ask for more than the law does. GOV.UK says hire companies may require an IDP regardless of what the country itself demands, so read the terms for your pickup country before you book.

The insurance point is the one with money attached. A rental contract assumes a licence that is valid where you drive. Profeco, Mexico's consumer agency, tells renters to confirm the driver's licence is current because a valid licence keeps the insurance in effect after an accident. GOV.UK says the same about travel insurance for Thailand. Neither source says a permit solves every gap, only that the wrong papers can void the cover you are paying for.

Three questions are worth asking before you pay for a rental. Does the rental agreement say which licence and permit it requires in that country? Does your own travel insurance policy have a valid-licence or motorcycle exclusion? And if you will ride a scooter, does the policy cover two-wheelers at all? Our guide to renting a car abroad goes through the car insurance side in detail, and our travel insurance guides cover medical cover.

1. Check the country's rule on a government page, not a permit-selling site. For UK drivers that is GOV.UK's driving abroad guidance, and for everyone the embassy of the country you will drive in. 2. Match the convention. Ask which format the destination accepts, 1949 or 1968, and whether it accepts any format at all. 3. Apply to your own country's authorized issuer, and allow time for the post. A US permit cannot start more than 6 months ahead. 4. Carry the permit with your licence at all times while driving, since the permit has no force without it. 5. Read the rental terms and your insurance policy for the licence conditions before the day you pick up the car.

An IDP is cheap, so the risk is in the version. Confirm the convention your destination accepts, then buy the matching permit from the official issuer. Read the licence clause in your rental contract and your insurance policy, since a permit does not change what those documents exclude. Rules shift: Vietnam's position in particular needs a recheck close to your travel date, and the pages cited above carry the current wording.