International Drivers Permit needed?
 

Is an International Drivers Permit needed to drive in Crostia and Bosnia? Or is it just a good idea?

I've no idea of whether an IDP is <i>required</i> in Croatia or Bosnia, but I think it's always a good idea for any foreign country. Car rental offices may prefer you to have one. Rules can suddenly change. And you can sometimes leave an IDP as surety rather than your passport.

Law requires you to have IDP for Croatia. In practice they will rarely ask you to show it.

There is always a chance of being stopped by police (even at a basic check, as in US) or even of a minor accident, even if the car rental agent doesn't ask to see an IDP. Those are times when you want all your ts crossed. Try to obtain the pass before your trip if you will be driving. Why get involved in a problem you can avoid.

We were stopped by police for speeding (in October) and they told us they did not require an IDP. Thank goodness as we did not have one. However, we are going to get one for our next trip for peace of mind.

Have you guys ever looked at the International Drivers' Permit? It basically says nothing. It doesn't explain what restrictions are placed on your regular licence nor anything really relevant to where you're going in Europe. I've been duped twice (25 years apart) into buying one of these stupid ripoffs. The translation section doesn't even cover many of the areas of Europe where you are told you HAVE TO show an international licence. It's basically a generic booklet that tells you nothing. Any cop stopping you would gain nothing from it. He even the dumbest police officer should be able to look at your regular American licence and check to see if the picture matches your face. No translation is necessary for the licence number, hometown and expiration date. The international permit doesn't translate your eye and hair colors or your depict your weight and height in the metric system.

Yes, it's better to be safe than sorry, but for my upcoming European trip, I'm simply taking the silly thing I wasted $35 on last year, even though it'll be expired, and keeping it with my regular American licence.

In the US you can go through AAA to get the license, it is less than $15.00 for members. It took less than 15 mintutes. Also, you can look on the US State Department website and check on what is required for different countries, or on the web site for the country you're interested in. Not long ago there was a big thread on this, will see if I can locate it and respond again. Good luck.

Don't take a chance. If you get into an accident and don't have one there is a good chance that your insurance coverage will be invalidated.

Wow...this was my first post and what a terrific response. Thanks for all the input! I suspect we'll go ahead and get one.

Thanks again.

RMoore-- welcome to the forum, please post back on your experiences in Croatia and Bosnia ! Rock on! :-D

As far as the IDP, I get mine for free (including the pics) because I have a AAA+ membership. Have one with you because it translates the info in your driver license to about 6 different languages. It minimizes the need to interact with a police officer in an unfamiliar language, if that is something you would rather avoid. No need to renew though, if the info remains good year after year. An IDP has DEFINITELY gotten us out of a sticky spot more than once. I can give you details if you need to know.