Intl Permit??
 

Six of us are renting two cars through Autoeurope for a week's stay in the Dordogne. The agency assures us that no permit is needed. We have US licenses. Would we be very foolish to folow their advice? Does anyone have experience in actually needing the permit to show police? My inclination is to forget about it...I have read all the posts about how you are supposed to have one but have not read about anyone being in a situation where they were adversely impacted by the lack of one....

and you probably won't, at least in France i think. Have driven there for years - decades without one. Actually mu state has a reciprical agreement with France to honor each others license - maybe yours does to. The international license is merely a translation of your local license - i'd perhaps pay the $10 or so at AAA and get one if at all worried.

Bob that is what I wanted to hear! I am not worried so think I will skip the added errand...thanks.

This is our experience--On a 2002 trip to Germany, Austria, and Italy, my husband had a permit and Hertz did not ask to see it. So in 2003 on a trip to France wouldn't you know it--Europcar wanted to see it when we picked up our car at the Nice Airport and he had not gotten one. (they are only good for 1 year) They still rented us the car.

So in 2004 for a trip to Germany, Austria, and the Czech. R. he did get one and Hertz did not ask to see it.

In 2005 we traveled to Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice and he thought that it might be a good idea to have one, considering the countries we were visiting--once again, Hertz did not ask to see it.

2006--France and Italy. He decided to get one since France so far had been the only country asking to see it. Hertz (Montpellier airport) did not ask to see it.

We always reserve our car before we leave the states. Don't know if the person in France on that trip was just trying to be a pain?

I would like to read about other experiences with this.

Though i've never had an accident or ticket i have, like anyone who drives enough in France, been stopped at roadside checks... for licenses, to see if the vehicle tax for the year has been paid and for intoxicated drivers and showed my license many times this way and never an eyelash batted.

But perhaps others have and hopefully i'll hear from them and then maybe get the IDP, which i did dutifully get on my first driving trip in Europe long long ago.

I've never needed one in France, although I have only rented cars twice, and I've never been stopped by the police, of course. No car rental agency asked to see an IDP for me (I have US license), but I do speak French and was conversing with them in that language, and knew the area fairly well, which they probably figured out from the conversation, also. So, I don't know if that would make a difference, but obviously if it's just a translation, I could translate anything on mine if they asked (which they didn't). Personally, I don't think you are very foolish not to get one, as I don't, but I might if it weren't a lot of trouble. YOu don't seem worried about it, though, and I think that's okay.

Tyically, the IDP is needed if you have an encounter with the police. It is a translation of the information on your driver's license. Typically, the rental agency doesn't need to know if you have one or not. It is not a required document in all countries. However, I have rented a car twice in Italy, where it is a required document, and one agency asked to see it and the other didn't. I wouldn't worry about it as you are going to France. Have a fun trip!

Regardless of if they need it to rent a car, you need one in case of coming to attention of the police.

The question about needing one has NOTHING to do with other people's past experiences. The idea that someone didn't need one because they weren't stopped by the police won't do you much good if you are. Except for one thing. We are talking about France here. NO PERMIT IS REQUIRED IN FRANCE.

If we were talking about Italy it would be a whole different ballgame as Italian law DOES require an International Driver's Permit. So in Italy you won't NEED one if you never get stopped. You WILL NEED one if you do get stopped unless you really don't mind paying big fines.

But no, you do not NEED one for France. Pure and simple.

Thank you, Neo. That makes it even easier!

Neo is correct. France does NOT require an IDP.

Even in countries that do require an IDP (e.g., Austria and Italy) it would be highly unlikely that a car rental company would ask to see it--all they care about is your credit card and actual driving license.

It is even possible that if you are stopped by the police in a country that does require the IDP a particular cop won't ask to see it if he can read English pretty well--or you might get one who goes by the book (or who doesn't like your hairstyle) and will insist on it.

Someone seemed to think that it was a lot of trouble to get an IDP--unless I misread their message. The last time I got one it took about 10 minutes at AAA.

Hi ek,

France doesn't require an IDP, only a driver's license from home.

((I))

Thanks again...I guess I did not do my research about driving in France. It is a bit of a pain to have to get one here in NYC..my partner did get one for Italy or Spain earlier this year but he is not going along on this trip..anyway good to know there is one less thing I need to think about...