Do You Need an International Driving Permit? Country Rules for 2026

Short answer: you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) if the country you're driving in asks for one, or if your rental company does. Canada and Mexico don't. Japan accepts only the 1949-treaty permit, the kind the US issues. France and Spain accept a US licence only if it's in their language or comes with an IDP or an official translation. In the US, a permit costs $20 from AAA. Every rule below was read on the government's or the issuer's own page on 9 November 2026.

Here's the part most guides skip. The permit you get in the US is one specific kind: the 1949 Geneva version. It isn't a universal pass. AAA's own list of places that honor it (dated August 2026) has 180 entries, and AAA marks 64 of them, Italy, Germany and Mexico among them, as not party to the 1949 treaty but accepting the permit anyway. Vietnam and mainland China aren't on the list. Brazil wants a different permit. So "do I need one?" has a second question hiding in it. Will mine work there?

Quick answers for popular destinations

Any country not in the table: look it up on AAA's list, then check the country's own driving rules or ask your rental company. Rules change, so check the official page before you go.

What an IDP actually is

It's a small booklet that translates your US licence into several languages, with your photo. That's it. A translation. It isn't a licence, it doesn't let you drive on its own, and if the officer who pulls you over on a mountain road outside Kyoto asks for your papers and you hand over the booklet without the plastic card from your state DMV, you haven't shown them a licence at all. USA.gov says to carry both every time you drive.

Three rules catch people out:

• It lasts one year from the day it's issued and can't be renewed. Next year, you apply again.
• AAA won't issue it more than six months before the date you want it to start.
• It has to come from the country that issued your licence. No other country can issue an IDP to go with a US licence, AAA says. Forgot it? You can't pick one up at the airport in Rome.

How to get one in the US

Only two organisations are authorised by the State Department to issue it, according to USA.gov:

• AAA. At a branch you bring the application form, two passport photos (most branches take them) and your licence, and pay $20, plus sales tax where it applies. By mail, send the form, two signed passport photos, a copy of both sides of your licence and the fee to your nearest AAA office. AAA notes that not every branch handles IDPs, so call ahead.
• AATA (American Automobile Touring Alliance). Online only: upload a passport photo and photos of both sides of your licence, then pick a shipping option. You need to be at least 18, a permanent US resident (citizenship isn't required), and your licence has to stay valid past the issue date.

Anything else? Skip it. A site selling an "international driver's license" online is, at best, an expensive translation with no legal standing. USA.gov warns that many such sites are fraudulent and may be after your money or your personal details. Instant digital permit? Close the tab.

If you're already abroad

You can still apply by mail. Send it to AAA/IDP, 1000 AAA Drive, Heathrow, FL 32746, Attn: Mail Stop #28, and allow 5 to 7 weeks for it to come back. For a two-week trip that's useless. Sort it before you fly.

If you need to ask a AAA branch something from abroad, or ring your rental company's US line, toll-free numbers often won't connect from a foreign SIM. A browser call over hotel Wi-Fi with CallTuv reaches US numbers, toll-free ones included, for $0.03 a minute. Our guide to calling 1-800 numbers from abroad explains why the toll-free ones fail.

Why there are three kinds of permit

Three treaties created driving permits: Paris in 1926, Geneva in 1949 and Vienna in 1968. Each country picks which ones it recognises. The UK government's own table, which tells British drivers which permit to buy, sorts countries into all three. Japan wants the 1949 one, so do Australia, Canada and South Korea; Thailand, Germany, Italy and Vietnam are listed under 1968; Mexico still sits under the 1926 treaty.

Confusing? For Americans it mostly works out, because the US issues the 1949 version and a long list of 1968 countries accept it anyway. That's what the asterisks on AAA's list mean: "not party to 1949 convention; International Driving Permit honored." It also explains Japan, whose police are strict about it in writing: a permit issued under any other treaty, including the 1968 one, is invalid in Japan even if the country that issued it signed the 1949 treaty too.

If you hold a UK licence

Different rules apply. GOV.UK says a UK photocard licence needs no IDP anywhere in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Outside Europe you may need one, and possibly more than one type if you cross borders. You buy it in person at shops with PayPoint. GOV.UK's country table shows which type each country takes, and Japan again wants the 1949 one.

The rental desk can still say no

Even where the law doesn't require a permit, the rental company might. Hertz is the example AAA gives. GOV.UK's table repeats the same line country after country: if you're hiring a car, check what the hire company wants. Twenty dollars is cheap. A cancelled booking at the counter, on the first morning of a road trip you planned for months, with the next available car three towns away and a family waiting in the arrivals hall, is not. And if something goes wrong on the road, the permit gives the police a version of your licence they can read.

If you're moving, not visiting

An IDP is for visitors. Once you live somewhere, local licensing law takes over, and many countries, AAA notes, want you to get a local licence once you start work or take up residence. Spain gives you six months from the day you become a resident before your foreign licence stops being valid. GOV.UK tells British drivers not to apply for an IDP at all if they're moving; they need to exchange their licence or get a new one locally.

Planning a longer stay? Our guide to how long Americans can stay in Mexico covers the entry rules, which work very differently from driving rules.

How we checked

Everything here was read on 9 November 2026 from these pages: USA.gov's International Driving Permit page (updated 14 April 2026); AAA's IDP page and its country list, dated August 2026; AATA's site; GOV.UK's driving abroad guide and its IDP country table; the Tokyo Metropolitan Police leaflet on valid permits in Japan; France's service-public.fr page on driving with a foreign licence; and the DGT's page on driving in Spain with a foreign licence. The State Department's own driving page couldn't be opened that day, so it isn't quoted. The count of 180 places is AAA's list as printed; it includes territories such as Hong Kong and Guernsey alongside countries. Not appearing on that list doesn't prove a country refuses the permit, only that AAA doesn't list it as honored, so check with the country before you drive.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an International Driving Permit to rent a car in Europe?
It depends on the country and the rental company. France and Spain want your licence in their language, so the permit is the easy fix, and some rental companies ask for it even where the law doesn't. At $20 it's worth having.

How much does an International Driving Permit cost?
AAA charges $20, plus sales tax where it applies. Passport photos and postage are extra.

How long is an International Driving Permit valid?
One year from the issue date, and it can't be renewed. AAA won't issue it more than six months before you want it to start.

Can I get an International Driving Permit online?
Yes, from AATA, one of the two issuers the State Department authorises. AAA takes applications in person or by mail. Other websites selling permits aren't authorised, and USA.gov warns many are scams.

Do I need an IDP for Japan?
Yes. Japan accepts only permits issued under the 1949 Geneva treaty, which is the kind AAA and AATA issue, and you must carry it with your US licence.

Do I need an IDP for Mexico or Canada?
No. USA.gov says US citizens visiting Canada and Mexico don't need one to drive.

Can I get an IDP after I've left the US?
Only by mail. AAA accepts applications sent from overseas and says to allow 5 to 7 weeks. No other country can issue one to go with a US licence.

Is an International Driving Permit the same as an international driver's license?
People use both names, but there's no such thing as an international licence. The permit is a translation of your real licence, and it's only valid when you carry both.