International Drivers Permit required for rentals?
 

Hello

I'm leaving the US tomorrow and flying to Zurich where I'll be renting a car from Hertz. We'll be driving through France, Switzerland and Germany. After researching countries requiring International Drivers Permits I thought I wouldn't need one.
Now I'm seeing various opinions about this. I know its probably a good idea if I have to deal with the police, but do I NEED one in France?

I'm going to post this same message in German and Swiss forums

Thanks

No need to post more than once -- all threads are on the same 'Europe Forum' - there is no special forum for each country.

For France an IDP is certainly a good idea but it is NOT required.

Where did you read it is not required?? I've researched this a few times since Covid, and a translated drivers license is required. An IDP satisfies this requirement, and so does something translated by a notary or lawyer in France. Naturally, a $30 AAA IDP is more practical for US citizens.

I googled it
https://www.google.com/search?client...ired+in+france

Stu Dudley

Since you leave tomorrow, the question is kind of moot, I think.

Yes, you are SUPPOSED to have one.
Yes, you SHOULD have one in case you get in an accident.
Yes, you MIGHT be asked to show one when renting your car. (I have never been asked to show this, despite having rented many cars, mostly in Italy and Spain. I have also read a tiny number of online reports where the lack of an IDP resulted in the reserved rental being denied.)

Do I always get an IDP (again, we rent in Italy and Spain, far less often in France)??

I used to skip the IDPs, more from personal annoyance that it is good only for one year, despite the fact that my USA license is good for much more than that...so why the need to take the time and spend the money to get a new one almost every time we visit Europe? As I said, for me it is a big annoyance and despite what some people will say here, for some of us, visiting the AAA office and going through the process can take at least half of a day. For some its less t hat but I speak only for myself.

In dozens of visits to Europe and dozens of car rentals, I have NOT ONCE been asked to show this document.

BUT, I have not been in an accident.
So nowadays I usually get one, despite the time waste.
There are people who have been known to change the dates on their IDPS...not me, but it's pretty common to do that.

Yes, I already know that there are certain posters who are going to jump on me for my comments.

In the end, despite the gimmick of the AAA and all, it's probably worth having one in hand for the very rare possibility that you might get asked to produce it in case of an accident. Personally I would not be too worried..I doubt if you will end up in jail on a remote island for failing to producer an IDP. (anyone care to offer personal experience if you did NOT have one??)

But I tend to be more cavalier about some things than others on this forum.....

In the end, it's too late for you since you are leaving soon, so do not worry...just drive carefully and next time, weigh your options!!!
Bottom line, what's the worst that could happen??/. I don't know.....I'm leaving this week and did get one to be safe in the slim-next-to-none-chance that I will need to show it for the two car rentals I have lined up.

An IDP is recommended but is not required as long as the driver's license is in regular Roman text (i.e. not something like Arabic, Greek, Russian or Chinese)

From the official France Tourism Board (emphasis mine) :

"If you are staying in France for less than 90 days, you can drive with your valid US driver's license. It's also generally recommended to get an International Driving Permit, which provides a translation of your license. These are available from the American Automobile Association."

Here is the link if you want ro verify the above . . . https://www.france.fr/en/

In 2022 it took us weeks to get an IDP. The AAA offices in the greater San Francisco Bay Area were all "sold out" of blank IDP forms. We called several, and it was common knowledge that all the AAA offices didn't have them. So I sent pictures and info filled out, to a friend in San Diego. She took the info to her local AAA, got the IDP, and overnighted it back to us. In 2023, we went to our local AAA & were out in about 1 hour even with the agent totally screwing it up the first try, and had to do a do-over - picture and all.

I've never been asked for an IDP in France either. We spent 2 or months there every year.

Note - when picking up a car in France (or wherever), make sure you give the rental agent a credit card with the same name as the person whose name is on the reservation.

Stu Dudley

Depending on what time you are leaving tomorrow and how close to an AAA office you are, you may be able to get one before going to the airport. They only take a few minutes to take your pic and fill out the IDP.

Last year I got one after reading on this board that it's advisable. When we picked up the car in Paris, nobody at Europcar wanted to see it, nor did anyone else.

But I've always had 2 travel rules:

1. Better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it.

2. When it comes to questions about France, ALWAYS listen to Stu Dudley.

That's my normal MO too - I'm usually a belts and braces type. And my initial post did say its a good idea. But since the OP travels tomorrow and the IDP isn't mandated, whether he gets one IMO would depend on other factors like whether they are packed and ready, their flight time, if there is a nearby AAA office etc.. (At my local AAA one needs to make an appointment for IDP or face 45-60 minute wait times)

If they'd asked last week -- absolutely, get an IDP. Flying out tomorrow -- maybe not so much.

Yeah, I realize it's probably too late for the OP. I posted in case others are following this thread.

""the IDP isn't mandated,""

It pretty much is, in France for US visitors. If anyone does not have a drivers license that has been translated into French by some France authority, or an IDP - they are in violation of French laws. At least that's my understanding, and the link I provided above in #3 seems to indicate that a translation or an IDP is required. And the IDP seems to be the only practical option for someone from the USA. Technically you may be correct, but practically I don't think you are.

We will need a "something" in September. If you can provide a link to some authority that says I can use something other than an IDP or a translation (by someone authorized in France) - I would appreciate it!!

Stu Dudley

OP is going to France, Switzerland, and Germany. May need an IDP if pulled over for any reason.

Autoeurope.com, well-respected and often recommended here, says an IDP is not required for France.

But in typical corporate CYA-speak it also says: "IDP enforcement may vary based upon car rental supplier as well as renting country."

The AAA.com website says: "Keep in mind, however, that while a certain country’s government may not require an IDP, car rental companies located in that country, such as Hertz, may require an IDP to rent a car. "

https://www.autoeurope.com/internati...ng-permit-faq/

https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.ht...cd=PC#overseas

So, an IDP may not be required in France to drive a car, but it might be required to RENT a car.

I rented a car in France last year and the rental car company didn't ask for it. But if they had, at least I was prepared.

Be careful. France does not require an IDP. But it does require a French translated driver's license that was performed by an authority in France. How many Americans are going to get their license re-written in France by a notary???? France will accept an AAA IDP as a translated license. No brainer!!

Stu Dudley

You don't need an IDP to rent a car. You may need an IDP to drive it though, depending on the country, and you could have a problem if stopped by the police for any reason.
Chances are small but is it worth the risk for the price of an IDP?

i know Spain is not the topic here but I was asked for my IDP when renting in Burgos.

Thanks everyone, I found the website I consulted eight months ago when I made my reservation and decided I didn’t need one. From the Auto Europe rental car website.

COUNTRIES THAT REQUIRE AMERICANS TO OBTAIN AN IDP TO DRIVE OVERSEAS

International Driving Permits are Required*in the following countries for US Licensed Drivers: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, and Thailand.

Driving a car rented in Switzerland to France? I'm resident of France. FYI, many French cities are in France's Low Emissions Zones which require a French Crit'Air sticker to legally enter. See map here -- https://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/zones...-mobilite.html. Only "REGISTERED CAR OWNER" can PRE-ORDER this sticker, it is not sold on the spot and not available to cars rented outside France. Each zone is the big city + good number of surrounding towns. For example, I have home in 2 Low Emissions Zones -- Paris Region Low Emissions Zone is Paris + 97 surrounding towns, Eurometropolis of Strasbourg Low Emissions Zone is Strasbourg + 32 surrounding towns.

I'm not disagreeing with you Stu. If nothing else, it was worth it for the peace of mind, IMO.

Again - from the link I provided above:

Who Needs an International Driving Permit in France?

In France, an IDP is called Permis de Conduire International (PCI). The main purpose is that it serves as a translated driver’s license for some time. If you intend to drive in France, you will need Permis de Conduire International as a tourist or resident if:

• Your driver’s license isn’t in French.
  
• Your driver’s license wasn’t issued by an EU member state, the United Kingdom or Switzerland.

In this case, you will need to get a certified translation of your license or a Permis de Conduire International.

Me again.
I would choose the Permis de Conduire/IDP. I certainly don't want to spend my first few days in France trying to find someone who can issue me a certified translation.

I've rented close to 50 cars from Autoeurope, and I think their statement is perhaps correct, but misleading. You don't have to have an IDP. But if you don't have one, then you need the certified translation.

Stu Dudley

What matters is what happens. Has an American ever (since the dawn of human history) been refused a rental car, or had an issue with the police or insurance claim, for not carrying an IDP in France? NO!!!

Does anything else matter? NO!!!

As an aside: Most US states now use the Vienna Convention numbers on their licenses so they “self-translate.” Unfortunately California and New York don’t use the Vienna Convention numbers.

Adding to above:

Here's an EU license

Here's one of the US states that also has the Vienna Convention numbers

There's nothing to translate.

I don't know why some of the states have not yet adopted the international format, which is accepted everywhere in the world.

I was stationed in Germany for years and everyone had the opportunity to get their international driver's licenses. Surprisingly, whenever I rented cars in Europe no one asked for an international driver's license. Every country I visited said my California driver's license was fine. It would be a good idea to have it prepared before you travel to Germany and Switzerland.

"It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

The rental companies don't care if you break the law. In Italy they've started requesting an IDP more often because the insurance companies have been denying coverage to drivers without an IDP. That means in case of an accident the rental company would need to sue the renter.

I thought an IDP has always been required in Italy. At least that's what I've always heard. (Not always asked for of course but mandatory to have).

The mandate for Australia is the one that's always made me laugh. Since an IDP is merely a translation of ones license and presumably most police in OZ can read English (or maybe not >) LOL)

The change is the insurance companies walking away and refusing to cover drivers without an IDP.

The translation isn't the language is things like the drivers class. In the EU it's A and B mainly with various subclasses. Anybody using a roman alphabet should be able to handle A and B but will they know what A or B means? Or A1,A2, B1 etc

Since the IDP basically serves as a translation of your license, I'm puzzled about Australia requiring it for US drivers.
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I would speculate that they might think that a country with 51 different drivers licences is too much trouble, particularly in terms of spotting fakes.

We have probably rented cars over 20 times in Europe and have never had a road accident or been pulled over by the police or asked to see our IDP by a rental company. We still get them just in case.

When leasing a car we were required to have an IDP. Nobody ever asked to see it. We too get one every time. I’m a little bit distrustful of insurance companies as I think they may and try get out of any claim for any reason if they could. For a cost of $20 ( Aussie) at least we are covered. Seems silly to me when people are spending thousands of dollars to skimp on this.

tom_nm just because you are American it doesn’t mean you are exempt from meeting any requirements.

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When I first arrived in Italy in 1998, the IDP was already required for Italy. I got one before arriving. It took more than a year to get my Italian license, so I still didn't have it when the IDP expired. I asked the local marshall of the carabinieri, who was a friend of my husband, whether I could drive for a few months with an expired IDP, given that my US license was still valid and that the IDP would still be a valid translation. He said that I would be breaking the law if I drove without a valid IDP. Since I was applying for Italian citizenship, I didn't want any blot on my escutcheon, so I gave up driving for a few months.
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In the 25 years ago I've been driving in Italy, I've been pulled over a few times for document identification.

Why do people post unsubstantiated things like this? Has this ever happened anywhere in the world??? NO!!!!

I have been laughed at once for presenting an IDP to a rental counter in France. I don't intend to ever repeat that MISTAKE.

Your experience is not everyone's experience. Some rental offices in both France and Italy have asked to see our IDPs. I can't remember which companies but likely at least Avis and Hertz. We've also been stopped for documentation checks in France and Italy and possibly Spain (at/near northern border). In most instances, the official asked to see everything, including the IDPs, and in one case the car rental agreement. I don't know what, if anything, would have happened if we couldn't present IDPs.

I just can't get that worked up over this debate. If we intend to rent a car, we get IDPs. It's like many other little things we do/bring on a trip that may never be needed.

I couldn't agree more. We have driven our own car and many rental cars in Europe over five decades and have always had IDPs. They have been required occasionally. What I never want to happen is to have to deal with a situation that steals my time and attention from the enjoyment of my trip.
Let's hope that in the near future the requirement for the IDP or approved translation of U.S. states' licenses that are in the common international format will be dropped. As for now, an IDP should not expire until the license expires. I think AAA is being shamelessly greedy in that regard.

It's not "my" experience, it's the (native English speaking) world's experience. I frequently repeat web searches (in English) for any possible instances in France, TripAdvisor, all the main forums, general googling-- nothing ever comes up. It's inconceivable in this age, when every hors d'oeuvres served cold gets posted, that nothing ever is posted as having happened in France yet it is actually somehow a dire situation there if you don't have an IDP, hundreds have suffered and been penalized, somehow this is all happening in the shadows. Your somewhat nebulous "somewhere in France we were asked" is the first report I have ever read, and it isn't that credible frankly. France and Italy are different animals when it comes to IDPs and tourists.

Everytime this topic comes up, this debate ensues. No matter if the OP is going to France or Italy or anywhere else.

Why? I do not see the reason for the disdain and yelling (all caps). Get it and not need it vs. Don't get it and will need it vs. Don't get it and not need it. Your choice.

Geez. Chill. I don't broadcast online every experience I have. And AFAIK, there are still things that happen in the world that don't come up in a google search. When I describe what I have personally experienced, I do it in the hope my experience can help someone else, not to stir the debate. People can take it or leave it. The fact that I didn't cite the specific locations we've been asked to show documents just means I'm too lazy to look through a few dozen travel diaries to satisfy your skepticism. And what difference does knowing the locations make?