<<I find it a little annoying and suspect that I must buy a renewal every year since it's purpose is only to provide a translation for my American license.>>

I have to agree. I suppose that any "official" document has to have some kind of expiration date - - but there is no reason that the IDP should expire before the driver's license itself does.

P_M, I'm not sure why you're asking about showing the IDP in Wales, which is an English speaking country. An IDP is not required for Americans in the UK.

And I also don't get why people are comparing archaic laws that haven't been enforced for years with a current requirement of having an IDP in some countries. Or how an IDP (which is required by law) is somehow like carrying traveler's cheques -- HUH?? That law is enforced and people are fined for not having one when or if they are stopped. I don't get the comparisons.

It's perfectly fine with me if a person doesn't want to get an IDP and would prefer to take his chances on being fined in case of an accident or being stopped. No problem there. What I object to is some posters telling other people they don't need something that is required by LAW. Would you also tell others it is perfectly fine to drive while intoxicated because you've done that too and there was never any problem?

Patrick...i was comparing the IDP "requirement" to other archaic relics because that is what it is. Italy has a lot of strange little rules that are progressively vanishing as the EU unifies things more and gets rid of provincial little regulations which have little or no use and complicate international travel or commerce.

Out of curiousity, i went to the US AAA site to see how the IDP is marketed and if you read it carefully, it is pretty funny. First, they recommend an IDP if travelling anywhere overseas even if you are not driving! They claim that it will help in the event that you need to identify yourself using your licence. This is flawed for so many reasons i don't even know where to begin. This whole thing is a borderline scam meant to mislead people into thinking their own licence is useless. Notice how they list countries that "honour" the IDP but give no indication of where it is required.

If you are carrying a licence from a non-EU country written in an obscure language or issued by a third world country, then I would say it is not a bad idea to carry one to avoid the inevitable hassle that travellers from certain regions unfairly must often bear. But a licence issued by the US and written in English (unofficial common language of the EU) will not cause you a problem, I can assure you. Funny, they can read my UK issued licence which is written in the same english as a US licence (except for the spelling of the word "licence").

Larry and Rex...the IDP is not a pseudo- official document. it expires annually to increase revenue for AAA.

LoveItaly...anyone who has seen my posts here knows that i always encourage the greatest respect for the laws, people, and customs of my host country. Do you register yourself with the police within three days of arrival in Italy? We all know that major hotels will take care of this but how about when you stay in a private home or agriturismo (as many of us do)? I can bet that if you walked into a police station to register your a short term stay they would look at you like you had 3 heads.

If you wish to argue that carrying one "can't hurt" then this is hard to argue against, however, the assertion was that someone not carrying an IDP is lawless and risking getting in trouble is not correct. You are just as much of a reckless criminal if you stay in an italian town for more than 3 days without registering yourself with the local police.

There have been no anecdotes at all on these boards related to registering during one's Italian visit, but several related to Italian police demanding to see the IDP, so I suppose we should respsect the policia's selection of which "archaic laws" to enforce.

walkinaround--AAA doesn't make any money on IDPs at $10 a pop. They don't set the price, and they did not set the one-year term.

It is an official document based on an international agreement among most of the nations of the world. Some require the IDP, some don't. Others require a certified translation of your driving license--a requirement that the IDP satisfies.

Whether or not an individual cop asks for your IDP is up to that cop. However, if one does and you don't have it and it is a legal requirement in that country, then you could be subject to a fine.

You are wrong in this case, walkinaround. Give it up.

Actually, my understanding has always been that when a hotel (in Italy and perhaps elsewhere) makes a copy of your passport that <b>is</b>a form of &quot;registering with the police.

Am I incorrect about that?

Have driven all over Europe, 3 to 4 times a year for the last 8 years. Only needed it once, but that's the kicker, I did need it once. It's worth the small amount of money to have piece of mind

It is correct that when to check in at a hotel in Italy they take your passport to fill out the legal required form that goes to the local police daily. As a side not the last time I was in Italy the police contacted me manager of the hotel I stayed at as it turned out that a wanted crimanal had stayed there a few nights before as so they were trying to trac him down.

And to answer the question regarding do I register when I stay at a private home when I am in Italy. The answer is yes. A friend of mine has always taken care of this for me. He has taken my passport, stopped by the police dept. to give them the information and brings my passport back to me at the end of the day.

yes, intrepid, please reread my post...i indicate just that and I limited the relevance to those staying in private homes, on farms or the many other formats of lodging where the host (if there is one) may not handle any registrations.

For example, the zillions of visitors that visit family members living in italy.

LI, is that for a short stay (week or two)? If yes, I would guess that you are in a very small minority who abide by this law.

Otherwise, I think that for longer term stays (couple months or more) it is much more common (and recommended) to register.

Walking around wrote: &quot;If you wish to argue that carrying one &quot;can't hurt&quot; then this is hard to argue against, however, the assertion was that someone not carrying an IDP is lawless and risking getting in trouble is not correct. You are just as much of a reckless criminal if you stay in an italian town for more than 3 days without registering yourself with the local police.&quot;

First off, the rule is you must register within 8 business days in Italy. If you are staying in a hotel or vacation rental then they register you with the police themselves.

As for the IDP, it is the law, they are cracking down and AAA does not have anything to do with the 1 year rule. If you would like to read the actual information from teh Police of Italy, I have a page all about this on my site http://www.expatsinitaly.com/driving/idp.htm

Cristina

Good grief, I promise to edit this post before I post it. Early morning and typing do not work well for me it appears, LOL.

Yes I stay quite awhile when I am in Italy. I am fortunate to be able to do that when I go to Italy. The last trip however I stayed in hotels as it sort of cut down on the confusion of organizing my days as I have several friends there.

Personally I just think it is easier to follow the laws. But if one wants to gamble and take a chance then one just has to live with the consequences if they have a problem.

This has gotten so silly.

How many visiting toursits have been fined in the last 10 years for NOT registering with the police? I'll bet NONE.

How many people have been fined in the last 10 years for NOT having a valid IDP. HUNDREDS, PERHAPS THOUSANDS.

There is no comparison in the answers to these two questions. How silly do you have to be to try to compare a non-enforced archaic rule with a current enforced one? Sort of like saying &quot;in Montpelier, New Hampshire it is illegal to whistle on the sidewalk, so I think I'll run the red lights there.&quot; Huh?? I rest my case.

Thanks, Bob C and Patrick. I knew it served as a translation, but I somehow I thought it had another purpose and it's required. If it's not necessary in an English speaking country, then I won't get one just yet.

I suspect there have been many sillier instances and situations compared on this board and I suspect the best course is to take the advice often offered by you, Patrick: if you don't like the post, ignore it.

Thanks for all the advice, and the laughs! I'm just now &quot;checking back in&quot; on the forum, and was shocked to see so many posts. I made the stupid mistake of searching for the topic AFTER posting, I now realize I should have done a search first. Oh well, live and learn. I did go to AAA online and printed out an application, so I will be prepared. Thanks again, Aim

Huh, Intrepid? What is your problem with me all of a sudden? It isn't the original post I find silly. It was a very valid and good question. It is some of the individual posts that tell people, &quot;don't follow the law; we didn't and didn't get caught&quot; that I find silly.

How do you ignore some answers to a valid question without reading through them? What does this have to do with someone opening a post saying &quot;should I take my pink jogging suit?&quot; and then complain about the silly post? Those are the threads where I ask people if they don't like the topic why don't they ignore it. Gee, I hope you can tell the difference between the two.

Patrick...I do think you are being a little hard on me and others who have raised doubts about this. I don't care if someone carries a IDP or not but I was just trying to raise the point that this is not very clear. For something that is supposedly the law, it is all a bit woolly, don't you think? this lack of clarity fuels the many scams and all the misunderstanding about what is needed. you shouldn't have to weed through years of threads to decide what you should do. &quot;official&quot; information on this is not readily available. also, i guess we all just assume that the people in question are carrying a US licence?

siena...your website indicates that the rules for IDP are the same of all of the EU. this is very untrue so the rest of the information is suspect This is either not from a reliable source or grossly out of date.

If people really want to respect the laws of the country they are visiting (and the lives of the locals and other visitors), it is much better to put your time and energy into learning the driving laws of the country you are visiting. How many people who are so careful to cross all their &quot;T&quot;s and have a &quot;better safe than sorry&quot; attitude about the permit bother to learn local driving laws and conventions? How many get everything in perfect order, research insurance selections, hire car models, etc and just jump into the car and go with no idea about the driving rules, signage, etc? ...all in an environment where there is far less margin of error for mistakes as compared to the US.

How many north americans who drive in europe know the very subtle signage that indicates two things:

1. your double track, two-way street is narrowing down to single track..for example, to go over a bridge or under a railway tunnel wide enough for just one car.
2. cars traveling in which direction must yield in this situation.

since this occurs regularly on 60 mph or very busy roads, i hope you know, especially if i'm coming the other way.

How many people who have never navigated a roundabout don't bother to learn the rules before driving in europe?

i'm not trying to change the subject, just to point out an inconsistency and a strange order of priorities for many foreign visitors to europe.

Why do I feel so obsessed to clear up what I'm saying?

I am not &quot;hard&quot; on those who don't understand. That's why some of us are here telling those who don't understand that it some countries it IS the law, since they didn't seem to understand that. And I've not been hard with anyone asking questions about the IDP.

I am not slamming those who choose not to get an IDP in countries where it is a law. That is their choice and I could care less whether they get one or not. Although I'd like to think I can help some of them know it is the law so they don't fail to get one simply because they didn't know it was a law.

I am very HARD on people who post here saying &quot;yes, I know it is a law, but it's a stupid outdated law so I won't obey it&quot;, or &quot;Yes, it's a law, but we weren't ask for it when we bought a slurpee at the market or rented a car, so even though we were never stopped by the police, I suggest you don't bother to get one. We didn't need it and you won't either.&quot; Sorry, I think that's horrible advice for anyone to be giving anyone else on a public travel forum.

What's more I don't think a law that clearly states &quot;all drivers are required to have both a valid driver's license and an IDP&quot; is at all unclear or &quot;wooly&quot;. Some countries have that law, some don't. If you go to the consulate site of any country that requires an IDP of foreign drivers, you will find that statement or one very, very similar. How much clearer can they make it? The fuzzy part is caused by people saying, &quot;no one asked us for ours, so we didn't NEED it.&quot;

Those are the only people I'm being hard on.
There. Now I feel better. Thank you.

Hello All,

Good grief. What a can of worms this turned out to be!

I'm a travel agent who's never advised her clients to get a IDP...stone me now! The bottom line is this has always been &quot;advised&quot; - loosely...but really never necessary. I drive on every trip to Europe and have never had one.

Now apparently, some official,somewhere, has decided to enforce it; primarily if you're speeding or in an accident.

Personally, I hate getting a speeding ticket at home, and I REALLY don't want to get into an accident - anywhere! But especially on vacation. In a foreign country.

My somewhat cynical nature believes that someone (again, that mysterious government official) has decided this could be a good revenue source. Whatever. The bottom line is apparently they're checking more now than they did before.

People -- it costs $10. Are you going to risk months of planning, dreaming and spending thousands of dollars on your vacation to risk it by having a potential scarey and horrible experience because you don't have the stupid thing? I think $10 is cheap for some peace of mind in the worst case scenario.

Just my $.02. :)

Melodie