Where to get an International Driving Permit

Where you get an International Driving Permit depends less on where you're going than on which country issued your licence. Here's how that works, the authorised issuers in the US, the online alternative, and what to do if you're already abroad.

The rule: your licence decides

Under the road-traffic conventions, the IDP booklet is issued in the country that issued your national licence. A visitor generally can't walk into a licensing office in the country they're visiting and get one there — and a booklet from a third country isn't valid for your licence. So the first question is always: who issues IDPs where your licence comes from?

In the United States: AAA and AATA

The US Department of State authorises exactly two organisations to issue IDPs: the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). You can apply at an AAA branch or by post to either, with an application form, two passport photos, a copy of your licence and the fee. Anyone else selling a US "international driver's licence" is not one of the authorised issuers.

In other countries

Most countries issue IDPs through the national licensing authority or a motoring association it designates, and the issuer has changed over time in several countries. Rather than rely on a list that can go stale, check your own government's driving-licence pages — they name the current issuer, the fee and whether you can apply online or by post.

Online: a certified translation

Online services issue a certified translation of your licence that you carry with it. It isn't the convention booklet from your home issuer, but it is the thing a rental desk or officer is often asking for: a readable version of a licence in another language or script. It's the practical choice when you:

• are already abroad and your home issuer only posts domestically;
• are travelling within the week and can't wait for the post;
• hold a licence in a non-Latin script that rental desks struggle to read.

With International DL you apply on your phone, upload your licence, a headshot and a signature, confirm your details, and get a download link by email — same-day digital delivery, with an optional posted booklet.

If you are already abroad

Contact your home issuer first — some will post overseas for a fee and a delay. If that isn't workable, an online certified translation is delivered digitally wherever you are. Either way, check what your destination asks for on its country page before you collect a car: 14 of the countries we track list an IDP as required.

Where not to buy

Avoid anyone selling a "government" licence, a document that "replaces" your national licence, or "guaranteed acceptance everywhere". A genuine IDP or translation only ever accompanies the licence you already hold. Our guide Are online International Driving Permits real? lists the red flags in full.