International Driving Permit

Front Cover of a Canadian International Driving Permit issued by the Canadian Automobile Association on March 29th 2023 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

An International Driving Permit (IDP), often referred to as an international driving license, is a translation of a domestic driving license that allows the holder to drive a private motor vehicle in any country or jurisdiction that recognises the document. The term International Driving Permit was first mentioned in the document prescribed in the International Convention relative to Motor Traffic that was signed at Paris in 1926, and is a translation of the French 'permis de conduire international', or 'international driving license'. The Paris treaty, and all subsequent, use the word 'permit' exclusively in relation to all kinds of driving license.

International Driving Permits are governed by three international conventions: the 1926 Paris International Convention relative to Motor Traffic, the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, and the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. When a state is contracted to more than one convention, the newest one terminates and replaces previous ones.

The IDP, whose A6 size (148 × 105 mm) is slightly larger than a passport, has a grey cover and white inside pages. The outside and inside of the front cover shall be printed in (at least one of) the national language(s) of the issuing State. The last two inside pages shall be printed in French, and pages preceding those two pages shall repeat the first of them in several languages, which must include English, Russian and Spanish. IDPs are issued by a national government directly, or through a network of AIT/FIA organizations or by any association duly empowered thereto by such other Contracting Party.[1] For the latter case those issuing organizations are mostly automobile associations,[2] such as American Automobile Association[3] in the United States, Norwegian Automobile Federation[4] in Norway and Riksförbundet M Sverige[5] in Sweden. As there are many unofficial sellers on the internet, the AIT/FIA has created an approved directory to all IDP issuing organizations in the world.[6]

To be valid, the IDP must be accompanied by a valid Driver's license issued in the applicant's country of residence. An IDP is not required if the driver's domestic licence meets the requirements of the 1949 or 1968 convention; the domestic licence can be used directly in a foreign jurisdiction that is a party to that convention.[7] In addition, other arrangements eliminates the need of an IDP in some countries, such as the European driving licence valid within the European Economic Area (EEA) as well as member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with each other.[8]

  1. ^ https://unece.org/DAM/trans/conventn/crt1968e.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ "How to Apply for an IDP". International Driving Permit. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. ^ "AAA IDP International Driving Permit". www.aaa.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Internasjonalt førerkort". NAF (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Beställ ditt internationella körkort av M Sverige!". msverige.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  6. ^ "The Officially Recognised IDP Directory". International Driving Permit. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Driving with driving licences issued in non-EU/EEA countries". Statens vegvesen. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Agreement On The Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences Issued by ASEAN Countries" (PDF). agreement.asean.org. ASEAN. 9 July 1985. Retrieved 17 April 2024.