Why this guide: about 135,000 people a month search Google for “international driving permit” (US, DataForSEO Labs, September 2026). This is the answer we would give a client, written to be booked from.
The short answer
- What it isA UN-convention translation of your existing licence, valid only with the licence, issued by your home country's motoring authority — not a licence in itself
- Cost and whereUS: AAA or AATA, $20, in person or by mail; Canada: CAA, CA$25; UK: Post Office, £5.50; one year (1949) or three years (1968)
- Required inJapan, Italy, Spain, Austria, Greece, Portugal (recommended), Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand, Indonesia (Bali), Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Brazil, and many more — and any rental company can demand it
What it is and is not
The IDP is a grey booklet the size of a passport that reproduces your licence details in ten languages under the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. It is not a licence: it is valid only alongside your national licence, it does not extend or replace it, and it cannot be obtained abroad — only your home country's designated authority issues it. Anything sold online as an 'international driver's licence' by a company that is not AAA, AATA, CAA or the Post Office is worthless and often a scam.
Who needs one and where
Countries that legally require an IDP for foreign-licence holders include Japan (a 1949-convention IDP; Japan also rejects IDPs from some countries and requires a certified translation for Swiss, German, French, Belgian, Taiwanese and Monegasque licences), Italy, Spain, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia (for non-EU), Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Egypt, Morocco (recommended), Israel (recommended) and most of Asia and Africa. Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand accept an English-language licence for tourists without one — but rental companies in any of them may still ask. Police at a roadside stop in Italy or Spain issue on-the-spot fines for driving without one.
How to get it
In the US: AAA (any branch, or by mail) or the American Automobile Touring Alliance — $20, two passport photos, a photocopy of your licence, a filled form; takes 15 minutes in person, two to four weeks by mail. In Canada: CAA, CA$25, in person or online with photos, one week. In the UK: selected Post Office branches, £5.50, the same day, with a passport photo and your photocard licence; choose the 1949 or 1968 convention version according to the country (the Post Office site lists which). Australia: state motoring clubs (NRMA, RACV), A$49. The 1949 IDP lasts one year; the 1968 version three years, or until the licence expires. Get it before you leave — it cannot be issued abroad.
Renting with and without it
Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt and Enterprise terms of hire in Italy, Spain, Japan and the others state the IDP as a condition; a counter may not check, but an accident or a police stop without one can void the insurance and leave you liable for the car. In Japan, no IDP means no car, full stop — and Japan requires the 1949 version specifically. Carry the IDP, your licence and your passport together; some countries (Spain, Greece) fine for the missing passport too. See our renting-a-car-in-Italy and Iceland guides for the country specifics.
Booking it
The engine's car rental page books Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt and local suppliers in 99 destinations; the supplier's terms show the IDP requirement under 'driver requirements' — read it before you fly. If the trip is a city-to-city one where driving is not the point, the chauffeur booker on this page removes the question entirely. See our one-way rental and renting-abroad guides.
Three things to get right
- Japan, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Thailand: get it before you fly, no exceptions.
- Only AAA/AATA (US), CAA (Canada), the Post Office (UK) issue real ones — everything else is a scam.
- Japan needs the 1949 version specifically.
