Requirements checker

Do You Need an International Driving Permit?

Quick answer

If you are renting or driving abroad on a licence issued in another country, you almost certainly need an International Driving Permit. Over 150 countries require or expect one for foreign drivers, and major rental desks ask for it at the counter. Pick your destination to see its exact rule.

Written by Daniel MercerUpdated June 2026

Check your destination

Rental-company requirement vs legal requirement

There are two separate reasons you may need an IDP. Some countries — Italy, Japan, Greece, Thailand among them — require foreign drivers to carry one by law, and police can fine you at a roadside check without it. In many others the law is flexible but the rental desk is not: Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, Avis and Europcar counters routinely refuse to release a car to a foreign licence holder without an IDP, because their insurer demands it. Either way, the fix is the same document.

Which convention your destination uses

IDPs are issued in the format of the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Most destinations accept both; a handful are strict — Japan, for example, recognises only the 1949 Geneva format. Your permit is issued in the exact format your destination recognises, so select every country you plan to drive in when you apply.

Check by country

IDP requirements by destination

Europe

Asia

Middle East

United Arab Emirates · required Turkey · required Israel Bahrain · required Iran · required Iraq · required Jordan · required Kuwait · required Lebanon · required Oman · required Palestine · required Qatar · required Saudi Arabia · required Syria · required Yemen · required

North America

Mexico · required Canada United States Antigua and Barbuda · required Bahamas Barbados · required Cuba Dominica · required Dominican Republic Grenada · required Haiti · required Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis · required Saint Lucia · required Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · required Trinidad and Tobago

Central America

Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama

South America

Brazil · required Argentina · required Chile · required Peru · required Colombia · required Bolivia · required Ecuador · required Guyana · required Paraguay · required Suriname · required Uruguay · required Venezuela · required

Africa

South Africa · required Morocco · required Egypt · required Kenya · required Algeria · required Angola · required Benin · required Botswana Burkina Faso · required Burundi · required Cameroon · required Cape Verde Central African Republic · required Chad · required Comoros · required Democratic Republic of the Congo · required Republic of the Congo · required Djibouti · required Equatorial Guinea · required Eritrea · required Eswatini · required Ethiopia · required Gabon · required Gambia · required Ghana · required Guinea · required Guinea-Bissau · required Ivory Coast · required Lesotho · required Liberia · required Libya · required Madagascar · required Malawi · required Mali · required Mauritania · required Mauritius Mozambique · required Namibia Niger · required Nigeria · required Rwanda · required Sao Tome and Principe · required Senegal · required Seychelles Sierra Leone · required Somalia · required South Sudan · required Sudan · required Tanzania · required Togo · required Tunisia · required Uganda · required Zambia · required Zimbabwe · required

Oceania

Australia New Zealand Fiji Kiribati · required Marshall Islands · required Micronesia · required Nauru · required Palau Papua New Guinea · required Samoa · required Solomon Islands · required Tonga · required Tuvalu · required Vanuatu

Frequently asked

Common questions

01

Do I need an International Driving Permit to rent a car abroad?

In most countries, yes — major rental networks (Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, Avis, Europcar) ask for an IDP at the counter whenever your licence was issued outside the region, and many countries require one by law for foreign drivers.

02

Is the IDP a legal requirement or just a rental-company rule?

Both, depending on the destination. Countries like Italy, Japan and Greece require an IDP by law for foreign licences; elsewhere it is the rental desk or insurer that demands it. Our country pages state which applies.

03

Which convention does my destination use?

Most countries recognise the 1949 Geneva Convention format, many also the 1968 Vienna format. A few — like Japan — accept only the 1949 format. Use the checker above or open your destination's page to see exactly which format you need.

04

How fast can I get an IDP if my trip is soon?

Apply online in about five minutes and receive your digital permit booklet and QR ID card by email — as fast as 8 minutes with Express Processing, always within 2 hours.