Getting caught without an International Drivers License?
 

The doesn't seem to be a definitive answer on whether you truly need an IDL when driving in Italy.<BR><BR>Whether you do or don't, my question is:<BR><BR>Has anyone been pulled over in Italy without one? If so, what happened? I am interested in actual experiences.<BR><BR>Thanks!

There is a definitive answer; you need one. What opinions people have do not count. Just because some people have never needed to show theirs does not mean they are not needed. I didn't show my California license in the last 10 years that I lived in California and drove there but I still needed to have it. <BR><BR>BTW, I have been pulled over here for normal police checks (they do it all the time) and the first thing they asked when they saw my American DL was for my IDP. I had it of course. I do know of someone who was here illegally. Had been here for 2 years teaching and living and having fun. When the cops stopped him he showed his Arizona license. Cops asked for the IDP, he didn't have it so the cops asked for a passport (since that is international ID) and noted that the entry stamp was from 2 years prior. Asked for a permesso di soggiono (a permit to stay) and he didn't have it. He was taken to the police station and they checked to verify that he really did enter 2 years earlier and didn't just not get stamped. When all was confirmed, he was deported. He is not allowed back in the EU (not just Italy) for 5 years and to come back he needs permission from the minister of the interior. Now if he only had his IDP, none of that would have happened.

Just to show that it is a law and not an opinion:<BR><BR>From the State Police Site http://www.poliziadistato.it/pds/faq/stradale/10.html<BR>From their FAQ:<BR>Sono un cittadino statunitense. Per condurre un'auto in Italia posso utilizzare la patente dello Stato di New York, USA, o e' d'obbligo la patente internazionale? Risposta E' necessario disporre della patente internazionale o, in alternativa, della patente americana accompagnata da una traduzione ufficiale in lingua italiana. Poich&eacute; le stesse disposizioni valgono anche per gli altri Paesi dell'Unione Europea, pare opportuno suggerire di chiedere il rilascio della patente internazionale con la quale &egrave; possibile condurre veicoli anche nel resto dell'Europa ed evitare di avere al seguito la traduzione della patente americana nelle diverse lingue europee. <BR><BR>From the FAQ:<BR>I am an American citizen. To drive an auto in Italy, may I use my NY State license or do I need an International License?<BR>It is necessary to have an international license or your American state license accompanied by an official translation in Italian. Because this same rule is valid for the entire EU, we suggest applying for an international license so that you can drive throughout Europe and avoid having to carry multiple translations of your American license. <BR><BR><BR><BR>From the ACI site (department of motor vehicles in Italy):<BR><BR>I conducenti con patente o permesso internazionale rilasciati da uno Stato estero non appartenente alla CE possono guidare in Italia veicoli per i quali &egrave; valida la loro patente (o il permesso) purch&eacute; non siano residenti in Italia da oltre un anno. Se la patente, o il permesso, non sono conformi a modelli stabiliti in convenzioni internazionali cui abbia aderito anche l'Italia, devono essere accompagnati da una traduzione ufficiale in lingua italiana o da documento equivalente. <BR>Drivers with licenses or international permits from a foreign state not of the EU may drive a vehicle for as long as their home license is valid as long as they have not been residents of Italy for more than a year. If the license or permit does not conform to the international conventions as does Italy, you must have an official translation into Italian or an equivalent document (IDP)<BR><BR><BR>

Thanks! That is the first "official" information I have seen. Most things I have read on travel/tourism sites and from travel agents is it is not required, but HIGHLY reccomended. Guess a trip to AAA is in order.

Glad to have been of help.

Not having a date of entry stamp in a passport is quite easy to accomplish. I unwittingly did it last year. I don't think it would have been a big deal had I not flown home on September 21 from Munich. The Germans were checking everything!<BR><BR>Here is the sequence of events as I recall them. <BR>I arrived in Munich via Paris on a flight from Philadelphia. I had to change planes in Paris, and French officials never stamped my passport.<BR>After that passports were not checked again until I came home.<BR><BR>Had I not had my boarding pass from the inbound flight, I might have had a problem with the German official.<BR>As it was, he spoke decent English and accepted my explanation. He mumbled something about the French and let me go on through. <BR><BR>Also an international license is required for Austria as well.<BR>

Check with AAA. I know an IDL is required in Austria, but not sure about the rest of the European countries. I know it is not required in Germany & France, but AAA can give you all the scoop & poop.

Read my reply with the text from the state police site. An IDL is required.

Just for your information, some IDL are valid only for one year (the one I get in Canada)....<BR>So an expired IDL may not have helped in your example of the "illegal visitor" ??

The funny part about an Iternational Drivers Permit is that is is valid for one year while your passport is valid for 10 years.<BR>I really don't understand why I can't use the same IDP year after year as long as I have a valid driver's license to go along with it.<BR>After all, the picture on the IDP is more recent than that on my passport.<BR>Futhermore, there are only 4 lines filled out above your picture on the IDP that a police officer reads:<BR>1. Last Name<BR>2. First Name<BR>3. Place of Birth<BR>4. City,State.Country you live in.<BR>Now why have to spend $10 to $17 dollars for one every year?

Why are you getting yourself in such a twist Cristina? We know it's the law but 50% of us choose to ignore this and live dangerously. What I want to know is why everyone gets so upset about it. Big deal, in this day and age it's my protest statement.

Oh, and here is why you have to get one every year . . . because they make money off of it. Who do you think makes up the one year rule expiration rule. It's not the Italian government, it's the ones who issue it and charge $10.

I had an IDL the first time I went to Europe in the 80s and never renewed as seemed worthless.<BR><BR>I've had to show my NYState (used to be Calif) license maybe 5 times over the years (Itally 2x, France 1X, Portugal, 1X and Germany 1X). Not once did police officers ever asked for an IDL (a carabiniari told me they would be so easy to forge it's not even funny). The most serious occasion was in Italy. However, all that being said and as has been said many times of this board, $10 buys a lot of security blanket for those who need it. (And, yes, I'm sure this is a handsome revenue stream to the AAA)

How can a private company like AAA issue anything "official", like an International Driver's License? Did the U.N. or the E.U. designate AAA as the issuer of International Driver's Licenses? Cristina's quote says an American license accompanied by an "official translation" is sufficient. There must be other things that qualify as official translations, something you could get without having to pay AAA $10. Maybe your local Italian consulate would furnish you with an "official translation" as a goodwill gesture. Wouldn't that satisy the requirements, Cristina?

The Italian consulate won't offer official or unofficial translations for free, don't kid yourself. An official translation is one that is notarized, with the translator swearing that it is a faithful and accurate rendition of language of the source document. It would cost you a lot more to obtain an official translation than to pay the measly $10 to AAA.<BR><BR>And to Carolyn: IF you are pulled over by the Italian police and cannot produce an IDL (and assuming everything else like your passport is in order), you will be fined, on the spot.

Thank you StCirq for actually answering my original question! <BR><BR>I really didn't want this to become a debate, just wanted to find out what happens to those who choose to live dangerously and get caught!

I'm so happy I logged on to Fodors.com and read these threads. We're leaving tomorrow for Paris and have a reservations for a rental car. I called the AAA Club and sure enough, they said we can't rent a car without an international license, nor can we drive a car without one. And, now, my husand has the license, which took no time at all to get, and we have all the bases covered... thanks to this forum!

Wait a minute, Sandy: You do NOT need an IDL in France.<BR><BR>Are you taking the car into Italy? THEN you'll need one.

To StCirq <BR>Do you know what the fine is?<BR>Suppose I produced my last year's IDP that showed all the pertinent infomation?<BR>Would I be lead off in handcuffs?

I have just decided to open up an insurance agency to pay fines for those of you that travel to Italy without an IDL.<BR>Please send along $1.00 plus postage.<BR>I am fully committed to pay all fines associated with non compliance to the IDL law in Italy.<BR>Sincerely, Raul- from France.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR ><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR >

You can rent a car in France without a IDL, I just did.

My experience was many years ago - the first time I drove in Italy (I had no clue there even was anything like an IDL). I got pulled over at one of those random stops the Italian police like to make in the middle of nowhere and was asked for the IDL. I didn't have one. Had to show my passport. No problem. Fine - 10,000 lire on the spot. I'm sure it's a lot more these days.<BR><BR>And Bob, no one ever needs an IDL to RENT a car - the rental agents won't even mention the topic in all likelihood. You need the IDL to DRIVE the car - but NOT in France.

I've rented cars all over Europe, including Italy, and have never had an IDL, nor have I ever been asked for one. I've spend 5 years stationed in Europe and never required an IDL. It's an "I want your money" AAA scheme. Don't go for it.

Mike: You just don't get it, do you? If you don't want to get the IDL, fine. BUT if you get pulled over in Italy and you don't have it, or a notarized translation of your US license, you ARE going to pay a fine. And random stops by police in Italy, especially of rental vehicles, aren't unusual.<BR><BR>If you're comfortable with that, great.

Mike: You just don't get it, do you? If you don't want to get the IDL, fine. BUT if you get pulled over in Italy and you don't have it, or a notarized translation of your US license, you ARE going to pay a fine. And random stops by police in Italy, especially of rental vehicles, aren't unusual.<BR><BR>If you're comfortable with that, great.

I've had to show my drivers license quite a few times in Italy over the years and have NEVER been fined, this ranges from random traffic checks to accidents. I suppose it depends on the cop? I've also never been asked to show any more than my license and passport (and once or twice the rental papers) in any country in Europe. 10000 lira is less than 5 euro if my luck runs out!

That was 10,000 euro more than 20 years ago - I expect you would pay a lot more these days. Also, payment of a fine on the spot is not, I suspect, the only remedy available to an Italian cop.

My husband now has the IDL and we both have peace of mind. I don't understand why the AAA Club would say an IDL is required to drive if it wasn't true. And, don't say they have some sort of scam going. The AAA Club couldn't afford to scam it's members. I'll probably post when I return to let everyone know if we needed it.

Sandy: The AAA club isn't scamming you in all likelihood - they just don''t know the rules - like 99% of people on this thread. You definitely do NOT need an IDL in France. Take my word for it - I live there several months out of the year and if I needed it, I'd have it. You DO need it for Italy. If you plan to take the car to Italy, you'll need it AND extra insurance, for theft, which IS something the rental outfit will mention to you, UNLIKE the requirement for the IDL, which they ignore because if you arrive without it and they tell you you need it, they can't rent the car to you. So why should they concern themselves with a requirement that's your responsibility and deprive themselves of your business?<BR><BR>This is all so much simpler than this thread would indicate.<BR><BR>You DO need an IDL in Italy. You do NOT in France. <BR><BR>It's never a bad idea to have one, anyway, as in any country if you are stopped by the police it is possible they will want to confiscate your license. In that case, hand them your IDL and keep your US license. You've only lost $10.00, not a valuable ID and driving permit.

Christina's FAQ from the Italian State Police Site stated that the requirement of an IDL is for all countries in the EU.<BR><BR>Last year I read three guidebooks that stated an IDL is not required in France.<BR><BR>Again we have fact and fiction.<BR><BR>As an aside, my drivers license says I can drive class 5 and 6 vehicles (in English only).<BR><BR>Would a French police officer have a problem with me driving a motorcycle, or a British policeman have a problem with me driving an 18 wheeler?<BR><BR>What does 5 and 6 mean to an officer from out of province?<BR><BR>Does that picture even look like me?

Carolyn;<BR>No matter what the law supposedly says;<BR>I have been stopped 3 times in the last 2 years on trips to Italy.<BR>Two years ago I was stopped on a routine police check outside of Castellabate below the Amalfi coast. <BR>I showed my State drivers license and passport...no problem.<BR>Then last year not only was I stopped on the way to Merano in Northern Italy<BR>but I was also asked for my passport and license at a border crossing from Switzerland into Italy.<BR>Both times I showed my drivers license and passport with no problem. <BR> Also, if you're still worried that the law says you need a translation of your drivers license,what's the problem.<BR>Just take your own copy and use you <BR>phrase book, dictionary, Italian speaking friens, etc. and make the easy translations for name , address, city,<BR>state, height, weight, eye color, hair, color, etc. and write them next to the perinent English words

I just had a flashback (ouch).<BR><BR>This whole IDL with a picture thing started back when licenses were scraps of paper with a name typed on it.<BR><BR>Now we have laminated photo id's with embedded holograms.

StCirq - I love that name - has got it right on the IDL. You're traveling to Europe and spending thousands of dollars - why worry about spending another $10 to avoid possible hassles?

I have not had an IDL since 1967 or possibly 1975 (but I don't think I had one then) when I drove in Czechoslovakia and Hungary in a rented car. At any rate, I have never been told by the rental agencies that I needed an IDL, whether the rental was for France, Germany or Italy. But if you worry about it, get one.

We will be renting a car in Austria, and have been told by my travel agent, Avis, 2 guidebooks, and AAA that an IDL is REQUIRED in Austria. For $15 bucks, I'll get one! I'm with the others... why take a chance on something that simple to get?<BR><BR>Anne

The thing is, probably 8 times out of 10 the cop will just wave you on but what if you are one of the unlucky 2 that the cop decided to use as an example. The law is the law. <BR>

Gino,<BR><BR>I get myself in a twist because people state their opinions as fact. If you want to disobey the law that is fine but it is not fine for you or anyone else to tell people not to bother because of a protest statement you want to make. Tell people it is the law (most people say it is not law) and let them decide if they want to obey it or not.<BR><BR>As I said ealier, I hope everyone who recommends not getting an IDL gets stopped and fined. <BR>

Is it possible to get an IDL while in Europe? Must you get it before you leave? I have friends who are expats and they would like to get an IDL in Europe, but no one knows how.<BR>

Well in Italy you get it at ACI but if they are in Italy and have been here for more than a year, they must have an Italian license to drive. The IDL in Italy is only valid if you have been in Italy for less than a year.<BR><BR>Sorry I cannot give more information as I don't know where in Europe your frinends are.

At the first of this in the post by Cristina the following is stated: "If the license or permit does not conform to the international conventions as does Italy, you must have an official translation into Italian or an equivalent document (IDP)."<BR>Now a drivers license from the USA confroms with the international conventions so we do not need a IDL.