SPECIAL RESEARCH REPORT(excerpt)
By ROCIC Publications Specialist Sarah Ross © 2006 ROCIC
The International Driver’s Permit
The Internet is saturated with websites and advertisements marketing “international driver’s licenses” (IDLs). Law enforcement is now seeing IDLs in the field. Officers conducting traffic stops have seen both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals carrying IDLs as a license to drive and as a form of identification.
In reality, there is no such thing as an international driver’s license. Selling them is a scam.
The IDL should not be confused with a legal document called an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). An IDP is an official booklet which translates a driver’s license into several languages. In many countries (but not the U.S.), a visitor who wishes to drive is required to have an IDP.
Background of International Driver’s Permits
In 1949 and again in 1968, a treaty was established that gives legally-admitted visitors to a foreign country the right to drive, provided the visitor has a valid driver’s license issued by their home country.
Today, more than 200 countries participate in the treaty. The problem with the agreement was that law enforcement in one country cannot always read the language of another. Additionally, officers cannot be expected to identify a legal (or fraudulent) license from every country in the world.
A solution was needed to answer two basic questions:
Is this person licensed to operate a vehicle and what type of vehicle(s) can they operate? The solution to this barrier was the creation of the IDP, enabling law enforcement to interpret the license of a foreign visitor. Additionally, a person’s IDP and driver’s license are required to be issued from the same country. This confirms that the person holds a valid license from their home country and ensures the translations are truthful and accurate.
To obtain an IDP, a person must be 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Once issued, the IDP will be good for up to one year in all countries participating in the treaty except the country of issue. If the home-country license becomes suspended, revoked, or expired, the IDP is no longer valid. An IDP does not replace a driver’s license and cannot be used as a passport or sole proof of identity. An IDP must be accompanied by a homecountry license at all times, and the two documents must have been issued by the same country.
