What is an International Driving Permit?

Why you need an IDP

When you drive abroad, local police and car-rental desks need to read your licence, but a licence printed only in English (or any single language) is hard for them to verify. An IDP solves this by translating your licence details into the languages recognised under the United Nations road-traffic conventions.

• Car rental: Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, Budget, Sixt, Avis, Europcar and Localiza often require an IDP at the counter.
• Legal compliance: many countries require foreign drivers to carry an IDP by law.
• Peace of mind: it removes any doubt at police checkpoints and after an accident.

The legal basis: Article 24 and Article 41

The IDP is defined in Article 24 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and Article 41 of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Those articles set the booklet format, the particulars it must contain, and its validity — up to 1 year under the 1949 convention and up to 3 years under the 1968 convention. Our permits are prepared in exactly those formats.

What this document is — and what it isn't

Honesty matters in this industry, so let's be precise. The document we issue is an IDP-style multilingual translation of your national driving licence, prepared in the booklet format described by the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions. It is not a driver's licence and grants no driving privileges on its own — it works only alongside your original, valid licence.

In the United States, official government-recognized IDPs are issued only by AAA (the American Automobile Association) and AATA, and other countries designate their own authorized issuers. We are an independent private company with no affiliation to AAA, AATA, or any government. If your destination legally requires an official government-issued IDP, our translation is not a substitute for it — check your destination's rules in our country directory or with the relevant authority.

Why choose us, then? Speed and convenience. Official issuers typically require a mail-in or in-person application; we deliver a convention-format translation digitally in as fast as 8 minutes, with a printable booklet and QR-verifiable card — useful for rental desks and roadside readability where a translation is what's needed. Every order is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. Worried about fraudulent operators in this space? Read our guide on how to avoid IDP scams.

Always carry both documents

Your IDP and your original national driving licence work together — bring both when driving abroad and you are fully covered at rental desks and checkpoints worldwide.