traveling to italy in june. i will be renting a car. do i need to obtain an<BR>italian/international driver's license?<BR>if so, how do i go about it?<BR>thanks in advance.

You do not need or require any thing but your bloody driver permit from the country,province,state that issued it.this was set up in 1947 by accord.

Rip is not totaly correct, Italy wants a copy of your license in Italian. See the following: <BR>Driving License Regulations<BR>Italy recognises driving licenses and other traffic documents that are valid in other countries. U.S. and Canadian driving licenses are valid in Italy but the license must be accompanied by a translation. For motorists not in possession of an International Driving license, the ACI (Automobile Club Italiano) will issue a declaration upon presentation of a U.S. or a Canadian license. The declaration is obtainable at any ACI frontier or Provincial office for a small fee. Seat belts are compulsory in Italy.<BR>

I don't know what happens if you get a ticket, but when renting AVIS only wants to see your US license, not an international permit.

Italy is different! You need it..go to AAA office with your US license, they will take your picture and issue the IDL for $16.00 total., (10.00 lic, 6.00 pic..if you have passport size pic take it with you then no pic charge)<BR>Better to have it than not! Other EU countries , no big deal, but Italy required.<BR><BR>Worth it for the peace of mind.<BR><BR>If yopu are not sure where office are check ww.aaa.com

We've driven in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Austria and have never had an international driver's license. We were stopped in Italy (rerouted due to a parade) and there was not an issue about an international license--our US license was sufficent. Spend the $$ on a nice glass of wine and some cheese.

An IDP is required BY LAW to drive in Italy. (Not to rent) <BR><BR>Here is the link http://slowtrav.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a...85&m=784601979 to the following that I wrote:<BR><BR>Well after being blasted over at Fodor's for daring to state that an IDL is required for driving in Italy, I did a bit of research and found the following:<BR><BR>From the State Police Site Polizia dello Stato<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? <BR>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>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 country 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>

Dave--- during a visit to Italy in 1994, my husband & I got talking with a policeman and asked that question. He told us that an IDL is always a good idea because they are instructed to take the IDL (driver license info is translated in about six languages) instead of your home driver license if you are stopped on a traffic violation and they see the need to take your permit away. In Paris we handed over the IDL when we were stopped by police for driving the wrong way (for about 50 ft!). No questions asked; apparently the policeman got all the info he needed from the IDL because he let us go with the advice to be more careful. In Spain we were stopped during a routine traffic check. Same thing, handed over the IDL, they got all the info, and we were on our way. We found European traffic policemen to be very familiar with the format of the IDL and we were glad to have one available. Also, if it would save a visit to DMV to replace my driver license, then the more worth to have one.

Can I use my last year's International drivers permit for this year? After all, the translation is there in all languages and my driver's license is still valid.

Now, Joe, that's a really good question. Makes sense to me. Why should the IDD need to be valid as long as it matches a valid US license? I find it annoying to get a new IDD every year and they won't do them for longer than that.

we used the same one for a period of three years. After that, we thought to update the photo ID, no better reason.