"Great thread. Who will give up first?"

"You have convinced me to take the train.

The OP has apparently tossed in the towel. Good work, Fodorites.

Take the train? I just might stay home!


Janis can you please provide links to back up your Doomsday scenarios?

I am not getting a new IDP. It is not the cost. If one lives in a big city, getting this can take up a half day of traveling to the AAA office (I am a member and the IDP is NOT free for members), waiting on a line, etc. Who gets this money?
AAA??? Why??

maybe janis can also provide anything to back up her claim that not having an IDP could invalidate one's car insurance?

Jean OP is a Fodorgarch too - he got info he needed presumably (to get IDP regardless of whatevers).

Jeez, Pal, if you can read you can figure this out.

eksrunchy, your call but it's a risk.

Well again was that American living there permanently - thus needing a French license after x amount of time or not? You did not say and important point. Now I assume they were but were they?

You are saying he/she was fined simply for having expired IDP? and nothing else?

1. You may not name a pig Napoleon....

That's funny; the pig in Animal Farm is named Napoleon.

Well, 600 euros is well above the standard fine for "driving without a licence" in France. The police have quite a bit of latitude on this matter, but the "average" fine is 250-400 euros for this so I suspect that we are not getting the full story about the infraction. First of all, it was almost certainly not a random road check as is often done on rural roads, but the driver was stopped for some other violation, or else was clearly very DUI or whatever. The attitude of the person stopped is often the principal aggravating factor regarding the fine.

driving without a license - does that include driving without a IDP? As StCirq claims? Yes much more needed about that anecdotal 600 euro fine.

What's the difference whether it's a 600 or 100 fine? Or whether StCirq used a SWAG method to determine the costs. Who wants the hassle on a (too short) vacation. We all know the French don't like to bend "rules".

When I first saw the word "official" in front of "translation" - that convinced me. Down to AAA for the IDP.

Stu Dudley

Fce int driving permits

French Embassy in Oz says IDP is mandatory for Aussies to drive in France -no mention of authorized translation just IDP a must.

The salient point is to get one - whether or not you will be fined - it's a legal requirement (or official translation which seems more cumbersome and expensive to get.)

On the question of whether visiting foreigners who intend to drive in the U.S. need an IDP, the answer is vague. Some states yes, and some states no. The poor traveler is instructed to contact the motor vehicle department of each state they intend to visit. (That noise you hear in the background is U.S. citizens laughing hysterically.) Just get an IDP.

https://www.usa.gov/visitors-driving

That seems to include even persons from English-speaking countries - at least that's how Jean's link sounds!

Do Americans need one for UK?