An International Driving Permit (IDP) is an official document that translates your U.S. driver's license into multiple languages. It allows you to legally drive in over 170 countries worldwide when used in conjunction with a valid US driver's license.

It's important to note that an IDP is not a substitute for a valid driver's license. Travelers must carry both their original driver's license and the IDP when driving in a foreign country.

The US State Department has only granted two organizations the right to issue international driving permits: AAA and AATA. Any organization besides them that claims to issue IDPs is making a false claim and issuing illegitimate documents. Fast IDP works with AAA to obtain official IDPs that we can send to our customers faster than any other service.

Travelers who are planning to drive in most foreign companies should get an IDP. Even if the country does not explicitly state that an IDP is required, some rental car agencies will not allow cars to be rented without an IDP. Always check with the embassy in the country you will be visiting and the company you will be renting a vehicle from to understand their current policies regarding International Driving Permits.

AAA (American Automobile Association) is one of two authorized issuers of IDPs for holders of US driver's licenses.

Fast IDP is an expediter that works with AAA to get International Driving Permits for people quickly.

The vast majorities of countries in the world honor the International Driving Permit, based on a 1949 resolution passed by the United Nations. These are the countries where an IDP is honored:

• Afghanistan*

• Albania

• Algeria

• Andorra*

• Angola*

• Anguilla*/**

• Antigua*/**

• Argentina***

• Armenia*

• Aruba

• Australia

• Austria

• Azerbaijan*

• Bahamas Bahrain*

• Bangladesh Barbados**

• Belarus*

• Belgium

• Belize

• Benin

• Bhutan*

• Bolivia*/***

• Bosnia*

• Botswana

• Brazil (Inter-American Driving Permit Only)

• Brunei*

• Bulgaria

• Burkina Faso

• Cambodia

• Cameroon*

• Canada Cape Verde Islands*

• Cayman Islands*

• Central

• African Rep. Chad*

• Chile***

• Colombia*/***

• Comoros*

• Congo, Rep. of

• Congo, Dem. Rep. of

• Costa Rica*/***

• Cote d´Ivoire

• Croatia*

• Cuba

• Curacao

• Cyprus

• Czech Rep.

• Denmark

• Djibouti*

• Dominica*/**

• Dominican Rep.***

• Ecuador***

• Egypt El Salvador*/***

• Equatorial Guinea*

• Estonia*

• Fiji Finland

• France (including French overseas territories)

• French Polynesia

• Gabon*

• Gambia

• Georgia

• Germany*

• Ghana

• Gibraltar

• Greece

• Grenada**

• Guatemala***

• Guernsey Guinea*

• Guinea-Bissau*

• Guyana Haiti***

• Herzegovina*

• Honduras*/***

• Hong Kong

• Hungary

• Iceland

• India

• Indonesia*

• Iran*

• Ireland

• Israel

• Italy

• Jamaica

• Japan

• Jersey

• Jordan*

• Kazakhstan*

• Kenya*

• Korea (Rep.)

• Kuwait*

• Kyrgyzstan

• Laos

• Latvia*

• Lebanon

• Lesotho

• Liberia*

• Libya*

• Liechtenstein*

• Lithuania*

• Luxembourg

• Macao*

• Macedonia*

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Mali

• Malta

• Mauritania*

• Mauritius

• Mexico*/***

• Moldova*

• Monaco

• Montenegro

• Montserrat*/**

• Morocco

• Mozambique*

• Myanmar*

• Namibia

• Nepal*

• Netherlands

• Netherlands Antilles

• New Caledonia

• New Zealand

• Nicaragua*/***

• Niger

• Nigeria

• Norway

• Oman*

• Pakistan*

• Panama*

• Papua

• New Guinea

• Paraguay***

• Perú***

• Philippines

• Poland

• Portugal

• Qatar*

• Romania

• Russia

• Rwanda

• St. Kitts & Nevis*/**

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent & the Grenadines

• San Marino

• Sao Tome & Principe*

• Saudi Arabia*

• Senegal

• Serbia

• Seychelles

• Sierra Leone

• Singapore

• Slovakia

• Slovenia*

• South Africa

• Spain

• Sri Lanka

• Sudan*

• Suriname

• Swaziland

• Sweden

• Switzerland*

• Syria

• Taiwan

• Tajikistan*

• Tanzania

• Thailand

• Togo

• Trinidad & Tobago***

• Tunisia

• Turkey

• Turkmenistan***

• Uganda

• Ukraine***

• United Arab Emirates*

• United Kingdom

• Uruguay (Inter-American Driving Permit Only)

• Uzbekistan*

• Vatican City

• Venezuela***

• Vietnam*

• Western Samoa

• Yemen*

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

* Not party to 1949 Convention: International Driving Permit Honored. **U.S. driver’s license and International Driving Permit recognized on presentation to local police and payment of Special Registration Fee upon arrival. ***Geographical Areas Which Honor Inter-American Driving Permits (Convention on Regulation of Inter-American Motor Vehicle Traffic, Organization of American States, Washington, D.C. 1943) as of January, 2009. If you intend to drive in Brazil or Uruguay, an Inter-American Driving Permit is required.

Each country has a unique agency/agencies responsible for issuing International Driving Permits to people with drivers licenses from that country. Refer to this page on the official International Driving Permit website to see what organization(s) are authorized to administer IDPs in your country.

Put differently, each country is only allowed to issue IDPs to people with drivers licenses from that country. Thus, you can only get an IDP through AAA (or use a service like ours) if you have a US drivers license.

IDPs are valid for 1 year from the "permit effective date", which is any date chosen by the applicant that is within 6 months of when it is submitted to AAA. So, if you're planning ahead for a trip that starts a few months from now, you can have your IDP become valid at the same time your trip starts. If your IDP is getting close to expiring and you want to continue to be able to drive abroad, you'll need to go through the process again to get a new IDP and avoid a lapse in having a valid IDP.

An IDL (International Driver's License) is an unofficial and intentionally misleading term invented by fraudsters to trick misinformed travelers into giving away their money and personal information, while an IDP (International Driving Permit) is an official, UN-sanctioned document that works alongside your driver's license to allow you to drive in foreign countries.