International Driving Permits

by Mary Voulgaris, Gilbert Freidman, and Joe Potts

The United States, Canada, and over 100 other countries are participants in the 1949 United Nations Convention on International Road Traffic. Under this Convention, participating countries will issue an International Driving Permit (IDP), which is a legal identification document that translates driver's license information into nearly a dozen foreign languages. The permit is valid for up to one year from the date of issue and must be accompanied by a valid driver’s license from the person’s country of origin. The driver must be at least 18 years of age or over and must hold a valid driver’s license.

Possession of the IDP is optional in some countries, including the United States, as long as other licensing requirements for those countries and the particular state or province are met. However, international travelers are encouraged to carry an IDP when traveling to other countries since the IDP also provides international travelers with backup identification and can help overcome language barriers. If a person breaks a law or becomes involved in a traffic accident while traveling in another country, the IDP can help minimize confusion and delays and can help communication with authorities.

There is no broadly applicable requirement that a foreign citizen obtain a U.S. driver’s license to drive in the United States unless the person establishes permanent residency.

An IDP is only valid in a foreign country and is not considered valid in the country of issuance. Therefore, foreign drivers cannot obtain an IDP from an authorized issuing agent inside the United States. The IDP must be obtained in the person’s home country before entry into the United States. It must contain the name of the driver, the date and place of birth, and a picture. The permit must have a gray cover with white pages and must be 105x148 mm in size. The license must be in one of the official languages of the United Nations. The IDP is valid for one year from date of issuance or until the expiration date of the license, if it expires in less than one year.

IDPs have been poorly regulated and monitored; fraud potential is great. Many Web sites advertise the sale of IDPs; however, consumers should be extremely cautious to avoid internet scams. Many scams attempt to convince the consumer that an international driver license can replace a license that has expired or has been revoked. This is not the case as an IDP is not itself a license.

Most information in this section was adapted from the Foreign Reciprocity Resource Guide (514kb ), published by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

Foreign Reciprocity

Each U.S. state has the ability to enter into driver license reciprocity agreements with foreign countries. The purpose of these agreements is to alleviate testing and/or documentary requirements, once areas of common standards have been established, in order to facilitate driver's license issuance. When an agreement is in place, foreign citizens may be issued a state license with many requirements waived. For example, the state of Kansas will issue a Kansas license with no test beyond their vision test to persons holding valid licenses from Germany, France, or Canada.

It is important to keep in mind that reciprocity may extend only to certain categories of licenses and may be limited by other restrictions such as age or residency. Check with the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state to learn of the reciprocity agreements your state has established. Agreements may develop or expire at any time; be sure your information is current.