jeairas

My girlfriend and I are taking a motorcycle trip through Europe, April-May 2012. Is an international driver license required by law or is it just recommended?

Here's our (tentative) route:

Ostersund (Sweden) - Stockholm - Copenhagen (Denmark) - Cologne (Germany) - Rheims (France) - Paris - Bordeaux - Valencia (Spain) - Barcelona - French Riviera - Florence (Italy) - Siena - Rome - Amalfi Coast - Sicily - Brindisi - Corfu (Greece) via ferry - Dubrovnik (Croatia) - Fussen (Germany) - Wurtzburg - Prague (Czech Republic) - Gmina Osweicim (Poland) - Berlin - Copenhagen - Gothenburg - Preikestolen (Norway) - Geiranger - Ostersund

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Michael

It is required for Italy.

kerouac

Italy and Austria require it. Don't even bother showing it in other countries, where authorities only want to see the real license.

spaarne

There is no such thing as an *International Driver License*. What you need is an International Driving Permit. See http://tinyurl.com/3bc2ax for information on the IDP, and on many other features of driving in Europe. You will need your IDP validated for driving a motorcycle.

WomBatt

Yes, it is a Permit - and your government advises it - http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/...fety_1179.html ignore if you want and possibly spend hours in a police station, in the middle of nowhere, with a translator, at your expense.

caroline_edinburgh

Within the EU, it is required for those who don't have an EU driving licence.

Judy

It is required in Greece as well.

alanRow

<i>Within the EU, it is required for those who don't have an EU driving licence.</i>

No it isn't - Neither France nor Germany require one.

ira

Hi J,

Some countries require that you have an International Driver's Permit.
See http://www.aaasouth.com/home.aspx

28 venues in 60 days. Are you planning on doing anything on this expedition other than roar along the super-highways?

caroline_edinburgh

OK Alan, I'll stand corrected and stick to what I know rather than what I thought I knew !

Within *Italy*, it is required for those who don't have an EU driving licence.

Robert2533

Besides the IDP, which you can pick up at any AAA office in San Diego, you'll need proof of insurance and approved motorcycle helmets.

You may also want to rethink your itinerary. As Ira mentioned, you're trying to cover a lot of ground in 60 days, and unless you're going to stick to the major highways, it will be difficult to get any rest along the way.

Drivers in some countries tend to be a little more aggressive than what your used to. There are fewer police cars on the roads, but European countries use more radar and photo speed traps, so you'll need to be alert. A speeding ticket in France can set you back €500.

mscleo

I can only speak to my personal experience. I was also told that I needed an IDP when I went to Italy for a month this past September. I got one, and when I went to Hertz to pick up my rental card in Chiusi, not only did the representative tell me that I didn't need it, he wouldn't take it. He did take and record my passport and US driver's license, but he did not even look at the IDP.

That said - get one. Despite my experience at Hertz, I carried that IDP everywhere I went so that if I were stopped or questioned I could present it, and it is better to be safe than sorry.

As stated above, you can get one at AAA. The process doesn't take long at all, and you can receive it same day.

mscleo

Sorry, I meant to say rental car, not rental card...

StCirq

mscleo, for the most part rental agencies don't give a hoot whether you have the IDP or not and will rarely, if ever, ask you for it or even mention that it's required by law in those places where it is. Rental agencies are not in the policing business. And they are required to record your "real" license, not an IDP, so it's not at all surprising you had that experience.

To the OP, yes you'll need one for Italy, Austria, and Greece. I'd check into any special requirements as well, especially any special ones for motorcycle riding. For example, in France you must have emergency equipment such as flares when renting a car (the rental agencies usually provide that). Same in Spain, as well as an extra pair of glasses if you wear prescription lenses. I have no idea about what's required for motorcycles, but you can be certain various countries will have rules/laws in place that you will be expected to know and honor.

jose0

don't for get high visibility jackets when in Spain, even for bikes. Also speeding fines are high in Spian. And never discuss why you have been fined. Just pay and get a receipt.

mscleo

Ahhh..thanks, St.Cirq, for the clarification. I have to admit, I was a little stunned when the rental agency didn't look at it. There was no way, however, that I was going to travel around without it, no matter what the agency rep said. Like I said in my previous post - better safe than sorry.

Christina

sure, better safe than sorry. I've never gotten one because I've only rented a car in France and I speak French, so no purpose to it at all (although probably not any purpose even if you don't, as France doesn't require it). Driver's licenses are fairly standard and obvious ID cards, and words for name, address, etc. are pretty easy to figure out for those who speak Romance languages, anyway. I'm sure French police can figure it out, even if in English.

nytraveler

A few countries require it - but it's always better to have it. Not a license - just really an official confirmation that what you are showing the cop (in a small town in wherever) is a real license - and not a library card or a national park permit. (Translates into multiple languages.)

kerouac

It is not "always better" to have one. What it is in the countries that do not require it is "usually useless." I worked for Avis in Paris 35 years ago (OMG) and even back then we had a decoding book for "weird" licences. Back then, this meant things like Japanese, Korean or Thai licences. Anything using the Roman alphabet was not considered a problem. French police had the same book. No French policeman would ever pass the police test if he could not decipher a license in English. I confess that I am rather annoyed by the insinuatons that European policemen are imbeciles who will drag you to the station if you do not have an IDP.

Michael

<i>I confess that I am rather annoyed by the insinuatons that European policemen are imbeciles who will drag you to the station if you do not have an IDP.</i>

Not an imbecile in Italy, just going by the book.