The United States is a party to a United Nations treaty that gives residents of one country the right to drive in other countries using the driver's license issued by the government where they live. This treaty created the International Driving Permit (IDP) to make this arrangement easier.
An IDP translates your state-issued driver's license into 10 languages so you can show it to officials in foreign countries to help them interpret your driver's license.
If you're a U.S. resident, an IDP is useless within the U.S. IDPs are not intended to replace state-issued driver's licenses and should be used only as a supplement to a valid license when traveling in a foreign country.
In addition, IDPs are not proof of identity.
The U.S. Department of State has authorized only two organizations to issue IDPs to U.S. residents. The organizations:
- The American Automobile Association (AAA)
- The American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA)
They are permitted to sell IDPs only to people who are at least 18 years old and only to those who have a valid driver's license issued by a U.S. state or territory.
The AAA and the AATA charge $10 for each IDP.
How Does an IDP Differ from a State-issued Driver's License?
An IDP is a supplement which translates a State-Issued Driver's License.
Therefore, a driver's license is
- A card that lets you drive a motor vehicle legally.
- It is issued by the state where you live, but allows you to drive anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
- A driver's license also serves as valid proof of your identity to law enforcement officials.
- States require that you pass a series of exams to get your first license:
- a written exam on the "rules of the road,"
- an eye test,
- and a road test.
- States also require that you provide proof of your identity, such as a passport, a valid driver's license from another state, or a birth certificate.
- The fee for a license varies by state.
Other Resources:
Click here to PRINT YOUR IDP APPLICATION:
http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpapplc.html
FREE IDP & PASSPORT PHOTOS for AAA-Plus Members:
http://www.ipiu.org/forums/showthread.php?t=8610
AAMVA's Driver's License/Identification Security Framework
REAL ID ACT (H.R. 418)
www.ag.state.mn.us
Although the IDP was authorized in 1949 when the UnitedStates signed the United Nations Convention on International Road Traffic, it is not valid by itself and mustbe presented with a valid driver’slicense issued from the driver’s country of residence.The IDP looks similar to a passport. It is multi-paged and contains two (2) passport photos. It is also printed in nearly a dozen languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. You cannot use an IDP whileyou are in your own country. Further-more, because you do not get a new or separate driving record with an IDP, it cannot be used to hide speeding tickets or other traffic violations.