Just trying to rent a car in Scotland for 5 days. There is a bunch of jumbled info stating "TWO PART LICENCE HOLDERS MUST PRODUCE BOTH PARTS. INTERNATIONAL DRIVER'S PERMIT REQUIRED WITH ALL NON- EUROPEAN LICENCES"
Does that mean I have to get an international drivers permit??
HOW?!

You can get an international driver's permit from AAA.

get em at AAA offices.

what does it entail? A test?

If the rental company say you've got to have one it would be silly to ignore their advice & find you can't hire your car.

I have NEVER been asked for it when renting a car (Italy, France, Spain, Ireland) but if you are stopped by the police, they will probabaly expect you to have it. I strongly suggest you get one from AAA; it takes just a few minutes. Bring two passport photos with you.

No test. Just $20(?), your DL and two photos.

< what does it entail? A test? >

If handing over money is a test, then it's a test

And also to get one i believe your regular license has to be valid for a set time afterward.

An international driving permit is just a standard transposition of the information on a national drivers license. Almost nobody requires such a thing these days. Back when I used to work at Avis in France, we even had a decoding handbook to decipher the necessary information from Japanese and Korean licences, which had absolutely nothing in the Roman alphabet on them.

this forum is invaluable!
Thanks for your quick replies.
So they just want my money....hmmmm.

our drivers license does need to be current and covers the entire time you'll be in europe.

My IDL was $12 at AAA. I looked up the local AAA office, called, went in and had my picture taken and the license made. It took about 20 minutes.

If your rental company calls for it - you will need it. No IDL - no car

I think that there is a test for this license. It's a two part test: it checks your hearing and also for your eyes.

This is how this works:
They ask you for twenty Dollars. If you pull two tens out of your billfold, you'll pass. You've heard the amount and you saw how many bills were needed from your billford.

Sorry, this is a lame joke. Yet, this is all that was needed when I received their license.

I only used my International License once. It was in Sweden and I offered this to the Swedish policeman. He gave it back to me and asked for my Canadian license. So much for this use!

I've used just a normal license all over the world. In Korea I had coworkers who insisted to have this license. When I rented the car I offered my normal license and it was accepted.

But, it only a few Dollars so why take a chance.

Blackduff

weird thing...
I found the rental through expedia which was a rental from Enterprise.
I was going to just rent through enterprise to avoid the middleman...and theres where I saw the thing about the international drivers lisence.
So went back to expedia and no such requirement is on their rental agreement! It says "ALL DRIVERS MUST HAVE A VALID UK EUROPEAN OR FOREIGN
DRIVERS LICENSE HELD FOR A MINIMUM OF 12 MONTHS TO BE
PRODUCED AT TIME OF RENTAL. ALL UK RENTERS MUST
PRODUCE 2 ADDITIONAL FORMS OF PROOF OF ADDRESS AND
PHOTO ID. ALL OVERSEAS RENTERS REQUIRE PASSPORT AND
VALID DRIVERS LICENSE. "

But if you are renting from Enterprise, I would trust them rather than what Expedia says on their website. Expedia doesn't regular Enterprise rentals, so what the company says when you get there is what matters. Given how many various services Expedia sells, it wouldn't surprise me that they can't have accurate detailed information on the policies of every company.

When my husband went to AAA to get his, they took 2 pictures of him, because we didn't have 2 passport sized photos (just the one on his passport), and it cost a total of $20.00 (for the pics and license). No test.... easy easy..........

UK law most certainly doesn't require short-term visitors from most developed countries (including the US) to have anything other than a vaild national driving licence. UK police won't require an IDP should you be stopped.

BUT, of course, Enterprise may have some insurance requirement of their own (and actually, requiring an IDP would be a clever way of stopping long-term foreign residents from illegally driving here under their domestic licences). If getting an IDP is tricky, why not email Enterprise UK?

Just to settle it, this is what the UK government says

http://www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/Dr...nLicence/fs/en

< You may drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and with up to eight passenger seats, provided your full licence or driving permit remains valid for up to 12 months from the date of coming to GB. However, you may only drive large vehicles which have been registered outside GB and which you have driven into the country.>

Hi S,

All the info you need about an IDP is at www.aaasouth.com/travel_drivers.asp#idp

Wow there is a lot of strange information (much of it clearly wrong) on this thread.

First of all I'm sorry I'm not sure what they mean by a "Two part license holder", but if you have a regular US driver's license there is NO reason to get an International Driver's Permit which has NO function other than translating your own license information into other languages. The last time I checked Scotland speaks English, and there is no reason to get a translation of an English written driver's license to go there.

As to other countries, several REQUIRE that you have such a translation. The comment that "nobody asked me for one" just because the writer never got stopped by the police and asked for it, is about as meaningless as saying, "I don't need any auto insurance because I've never needed it as I've never had an accident."