# International License - Worth it?



## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

Rick Steves on the IDP - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

VMcV3y said:


> It's amazing to me that Americans want to skirt the printed, clear-as-day rules on what to do. Just spend the $20-something and drive worry-free throughout all of Europe.


It's not $20. It's $20, getting photos, and going to the AAA office, or mailing an app. I sometimes park in a no parking zone, even though I know it's no parking. And the minor speeding infraction here or there.

I'm no angel - I look at risk vs reward. Personal choice, perhaps foolhardy.


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## Tanning machine (Feb 21, 2002)

nimsu said:


> Can you clarify?


It's not a license - it's a translation of your driver's license into a bunch of languages, basically saying "this person has a valid drivers license in [the United States]" and containing some basic biographical information, and restrictions (e.g., licensed for cars only).

I assume the previous poster's point is that using a smartphone allows one to translate the contents of your driver's license readily. Whether that's enough if you're pulled over in a small town by hostile police - that's your decision.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

I've driven over 20K km in Europe. Never had one, never been stopped. Got a couple of flashes on the autobahn and coming into small towns, but never got a demand for payments either from the authorities or the rental agencies. I have never been asked for one at Hertz, Budget, Avis, Sixt, Thrifty, Enterprise, except for a passport and USA drivers license.


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

Think about it this way: Do you want to deal with the hassle or cost or potential legal ramifications of not having one in the off chance you get pulled over in Austria or Italy? Each person should decide that for themselves, the Internet can not dictate the level of risk you should be comfortable with.


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## MSY-MSP (Aug 14, 2009)

Well i sent an email to the Austrian Embassy regarding the required documents for driving in Austria and this is the response that i got back from them.

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding the required documents for driving in Austria. Austria requires that you have either a International Driving Permit or carry a translation of your license in German. If your license is ISO 18013 then that license would meet the requirements of having a translation of your license in German."

So now it really is a state by state question on whether you are REQUIRED to have an IDP or not. (for at least Austria). The IDP will always be the safe bet, but it does look like there are other options coming online.


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

Dave 330i said:


> I've driven over 20K km in Europe. Never had one, never been stopped. Got a couple of flashes on the autobahn and coming into small towns, but never got a demand for payments either from the authorities or the rental agencies. I have never been asked for one at Hertz, Budget, Avis, Sixt, Thrifty, Enterprise, except for a passport and USA drivers license.


Amen. Been driving every winter in Europe for the past 35 years and never ever needed one. Even when stopped by cops on routine checks. A total non-English speaker could ascertain the particulars on an American DL without needing a translation. All the IDL does is translate "brown" to "braun" and "blue" to "blau".

And in my book, $27.00 isn't exactly throwaway cash.

Best advice - buy one and use it for the next 35 years. The info doesn't change.


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Dave 330i said:


> I've driven over 20K km in Europe. Never had one, never been stopped. Got a couple of flashes on the autobahn and coming into small towns, but never got a demand for payments either from the authorities or the rental agencies. I have never been asked for one at Hertz, Budget, Avis, Sixt, Thrifty, Enterprise, except for a passport and USA drivers license.


So there you go. It's impossible anyone will ever ask for it.


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## hedges1 (Feb 23, 2014)

Buddy of mine got pulled over in Italy and the lack of IDP cost him almost $300.... Payable on the spot. This was a year ago. I'm glad I got one, as I got randomly selected coming off the autostrada at a roadblock. They just wanted to review my documents and they did NOT speak English.


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## nimsu (Sep 24, 2014)

Some of you guys mentioned getting the forms from AAA. Do you need to be a Triple A member?


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## hedges1 (Feb 23, 2014)

nimsu said:


> Some of you guys mentioned getting the forms from AAA. Do you need to be a Triple A member?


Nope. Just walk in.


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## AggieKnight (Dec 26, 2008)

Dave 330i said:


> I've driven over 20K km in Europe. Never had one, never been stopped. Got a couple of flashes on the autobahn and coming into small towns, but never got a demand for payments either from the authorities or the rental agencies. I have never been asked for one at Hertz, Budget, Avis, Sixt, Thrifty, Enterprise, except for a passport and USA drivers license.


I'm glad you've gotten away without one, but it's a mistake to aggregate your experience to everyone. I suspect I've driven about 8k miles in Europe, and have actually been asked for it once (for the record, I had an IDP and didn't get a ticket for anything that day).

OP - you can probably get away without one, particularly if you drive sanely, but it is at a minimum an additional fine if a cop wants to be a prick should you get pulled over and are asked for it or an acceptable alternative.

For me, $25 and 15 minutes isn't worth the additional worry when I'm taking a multi-thousand dollar trip to pick up a luxury car.

What's important is that you understand the risk and make an educated decision for yourself. :thumbup:


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## sbalea (Mar 12, 2014)

I had one, since my route included Austria, but never had a need to use it. Got pulled over in Germany, and the officer was pretty happy with my NJ license.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

AggieKnight said:


> I'm glad you've gotten away without one, but it's a mistake to aggregate your experience to everyone. I suspect I've driven about 8k miles in Europe, and have actually been asked for it once (for the record, I had an IDP and didn't get a ticket for anything that day).
> 
> OP - you can probably get away without one, particularly if you drive sanely, but it is at a minimum an additional fine if a cop wants to be a prick should you get pulled over and are asked for it or an acceptable alternative.
> 
> ...


Driving in Germany with that piece of paper you call international drivers license is NOT a requirement. And, having over 14 Germans exchange students staying with our family, I know the Germans speak English better than some of the natives here in the USA. Certainly, the training to become a cop in Germany is much more rigorous than here. How do I know? Two students eventually became cops. It is not the $25 that I am avoiding, it is the fact that the piece of paper is worthless. You probably know that speed is not monitored by cops on the autobahn, but by cameras mounted to the overpasses. If you stay under +20km/hr, follow all signs you and everyone on the autobahn will be happy. You should be more concern about drinking and driving. I was in Stuttgart the last weekend of Cannstatter Volksfest Zeitung, Oct 11th, a carnival that rivals Oktoberfest. I was stopped twice after the closing at sobriety checkpoints. I was asked if I drank, no. Yes, the cops spoke perfect English.

Want to drive a M3/M4? There is a program at BMW Welt. You can rent a BMW for an hour or pay for 3 hours (165 euros), you get 8 hours, drive from 9:00 to 17:00 or 21:00 to 9:00, next day. www.bmw-on-demand.de The car in the video is only a Ford B-Max that topped out at 180km/hr. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muZTuYsrlfQ


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Now you're limiting it to Germany but that does not change the best advice is to get the IDP.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

Gary J said:


> Now you're limiting it to Germany but that does not change the best advice is to get the IDP.


I was wrong in this discussion. The question was whether the IDP was worth it, which is subjective vs whether it is required, which it is not.


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## 3ismagic# (Mar 17, 2011)

VMcV3y said:


> I worked in Germany for 75% of the time in 2006 through 2009...and intermittently since then. I drove rental cars and frequently used my weekends to travel throughout Europe. I always had a valid IDP.
> 
> Once when driving in Karlsruhe, Germany, I was stopped at a random in-city road-check. They were stopping about every 10th car. I was waved over. I showed them my Texas DL and the IDP. The polizei officer was friendly, spoke pretty decent English, and when he returned the IDP he said something like "Thank you for having this." The whole interaction lasted less than a minute or two.
> 
> ...


Seriously people.
Yes you need an IDP
Yes you need winter tires in winter
yes you need to pay your speeding tickets

Yes you need to use the search function at bimmerfest.


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## AggieKnight (Dec 26, 2008)

Dave 330i said:


> Driving in Germany with that piece of paper you call international drivers license is NOT a requirement.


But it _is_ in Italy.
Note:


nimsu said:


> Is it worth getting an international drivers license? Will mostly be driving in* Italy *and Germany. Maybe Switz.





Dave 330i said:


> I was wrong in this discussion. The question was whether the IDP was worth it, which is subjective vs whether it is required, which it is not.


Ha.


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## ZTR (May 31, 2014)

hedges1 said:


> Buddy of mine got pulled over in Italy and the lack of IDP cost him almost $300.... Payable on the spot. This was a year ago. I'm glad I got one, as I got randomly selected coming off the autostrada at a roadblock. They just wanted to review my documents and they did NOT speak English.


There you go.


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## Trinitony (Feb 10, 2010)

In Austria last fall I was a witness to a minor accident. The police were called and I was interviewed by a policeman. He did speak some English but made the most use of my IDP. I never did hear any more about the accident but I was very happy that I had gone to the trouble (albeit not much trouble) to obtain the IDP. Perhaps saved myself $300?


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

And some of you will go out and spend $30 on a Rick Steves guide book when all the info is available on the internet. A fool and his money are soon parted.


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## AggieKnight (Dec 26, 2008)

Gluhwein said:


> A fool and his money are soon parted.


Exactly...



hedges1 said:


> Buddy of mine got pulled over in Italy and the lack of IDP cost him almost $300.... Payable on the spot. This was a year ago. I'm glad I got one, as I got randomly selected coming off the autostrada at a roadblock. They just wanted to review my documents and they did NOT speak English.


That's another fun Italian idiosyncrasy - their cops can demand ticket payment on the spot for non-EU residents.


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## nimsu (Sep 24, 2014)

Gluhwein said:


> And some of you will go out and spend $30 on a Rick Steves guide book when all the info is available on the internet. A fool and his money are soon parted.


Ordered my Rick Steves guide book of Rome yesterday from Amazon. For $8 seems worth it.


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## secretanchitman (Jul 29, 2014)

We got ours done at AAA. Never know with the police in Europe so might as well be prepared for anything that may happen!


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## bruza (Sep 3, 2010)

My ED is scheduled for 12/1 and I'm now considering getting one. 

How long are IDP's good for?


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## GBPackerfan1963 (May 5, 2006)

bruza said:


> My ED is scheduled for 12/1 and I'm now considering getting one.
> 
> How long are IDP's good for?


IIRC one year.


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## hyperzulu (Jul 12, 2011)

They don't really change year to year, do they? I'll have to look a bit harder at mine, but if there is a translation in there for "expiration", I would assume your accompanying drivers license would prove it's valid. I guess that would stir up even more debate regarding whether renewing it is worth it vs just keeping your old one, even if ITS expiration is up. Meh... :dunno:


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## GBPackerfan1963 (May 5, 2006)

hyperzulu said:


> They don't really change year to year, do they? I'll have to look a bit harder at mine, but if there is a translation in there for "expiration", I would assume your accompanying drivers license would prove it's valid. I guess that would stir up even more debate regarding whether renewing it is worth it vs just keeping your old one, even if ITS expiration is up. Meh... :dunno:


IIRC, AAA is the one who told me they were good only for a year, otherwise I would have used our 2006 one. Of course, it could be just their way to get some $$$ from me.


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## MSY-MSP (Aug 14, 2009)

GBPackerfan1963 said:


> IIRC, AAA is the one who told me they were good only for a year, otherwise I would have used our 2006 one. Of course, it could be just their way to get some $$$ from me.


That is the scam part. There is no reason whatsoever that the IDP shouldn't be valid for at least the length of your license. All it is is a translation of your USA license in an internationally recognized format. That's it nothing more. Without your real license it is just a piece of paper. The Expiration date is a joke there.

It is part of the reason that the ISO standard was developed for licenses. It completely eliminates the need for the IDP and ensures the validity of the translation and the validity of the actually license. An ISO compliant license serves as its own translation. All of the relevant data is associated with a small number that tells the authorities what that line or entry represents.

What I find more interesting is that I have now walked into two local AAA offices and requested an IDP. Both offices said they no longer issue IDP's because WA is an ISO compliant license.... You would think they would want the $$$$, but i guess not. They said if i really wanted one i could order online from another state.:dunno:


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

So where is a list of ISO compliant licenses by state? I can not seem to find anything recent on it.


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## jpzeller (Nov 28, 2009)

Gluhwein said:


> Amen. Been driving every winter in Europe for the past 35 years and never ever needed one. Even when stopped by cops on routine checks. A total non-English speaker could ascertain the particulars on an American DL without needing a translation. All the IDL does is translate "brown" to "braun" and "blue" to "blau".
> 
> And in my book, $27.00 isn't exactly throwaway cash.
> 
> Best advice - buy one and use it for the next 35 years. The info doesn't change.


The IDP is good for only one year - it prominently carries an expiration date (as does your driving license).

And, yes, I realize your "best advice" is tongue-in-cheek.


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## jpzeller (Nov 28, 2009)

hedges1 said:


> Nope. Just walk in.


It takes longer to read this thread than to go to AAA to get the thing.

You'll pay a few dollars extra if you're not an AAA member, by the way, but it's well worth the small effort and expense.


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## jpzeller (Nov 28, 2009)

hyperzulu said:


> They don't really change year to year, do they? I'll have to look a bit harder at mine, but if there is a translation in there for "expiration", I would assume your accompanying drivers license would prove it's valid. I guess that would stir up even more debate regarding whether renewing it is worth it vs just keeping your old one, even if ITS expiration is up. Meh... :dunno:


They die after one year. Get a new one.


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

SJAPoc said:


> The bottom line is this: It costs $15 + $7 for the photos at costco. You have it, it looks official, makes for a *wonderful souvenir* and if you do get pulled over, you extend the courtesy to the Police Officer that I am certain will not be unnoticed.


Not really really something I pull out again to admire.

Has anyone ever actually used one from a prior year with no consequences when shown?


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## Heat Miser (Aug 3, 2014)

I'll be happy to pony-up the $$ to buy everyone here an IDL if we can agree to retire this f%*^£¥g theard. Seriously guys, I didn't bicker this much with my ex-wife.


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Here's an idea - unsubscribe


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## MSY-MSP (Aug 14, 2009)

Gary J said:


> So where is a list of ISO compliant licenses by state? I can not seem to find anything recent on it.


I haven't been able to find that information either. Been trying to find it.

You can tell if you have one if your license has in the corner your state name as well as USA indicating the country that issued it. It also needs to have the numbers preceding the data placed on each line ( 1 family name, 2 Given name, 3 Date of birth, 4a for issue date, 4b for expiration date, 4d license number, 8 address etc). Each of the numbers and sub numbers represent a very specific piece of information.

It is a complete hodgepodge of what states have it and what states don't. Most of the Enhanced DL's are ISO compliant. I know that WA regular license is ISO compliant. I know that there are more. I could grab my license book from the bar and then look to see which ones follow the format and which don't.

Oh and to add insult to injury, I have just heard from a friend traveling oversees that has a license that state "not valid for federal identification" refused the ability to rent a car even with an IDP. The rental counter said that the limitation there prohibited from being valid outside the issuing country.


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## nimsu (Sep 24, 2014)

Heat Miser said:


> I'll be happy to pony-up the $$ to buy everyone here an IDL if we can agree to retire this f%*^£¥g theard. Seriously guys, I didn't bicker this much with my ex-wife.


$22 via paypal and I'll delete the thread


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## Mark K (Jun 5, 2010)

Let's bump this baby up! Dead horse needs some more beating! 

I think spending $25 is total waste of money, especially when you consider you just spent north of $50,000 on average on the car and plan to spend anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 for European vacation - $25 is definitely a lot of money not to be thrown away when put into that perspective.

When we are at it, why fuel with 95 octane gasoline while in Europe? I mean ... *95!* I'm pretty sure if you spend some time in research and put in a little bit of effort in driving around, you'll be able to find 87 regular. Why waste money, right?

Yes, end sarcasm. Oh, and there is no 87 octane in Europe, no matter how hard you try


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

^^ tell it to the Judge.


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