Guide

The international driving permit: what it is, who really issues it

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

An International Driving Permit translates your driver's licence — AAA, one of only two organizations authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue IDPs, describes it as valid identification in 150 countries, carrying your name, photo and driver information in ten languages. It costs $20 plus a $10 photo fee, takes about five business days plus shipping, exists only as a physical printed document — and it accompanies your licence, never replaces it.

What an IDP is, per its issuer

The IDP is a translation-and-identity companion to your real licence. AAA — which states it is one of two official organizations authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue IDPs — describes the document plainly: valid identification in 150 countries, containing your name, photo and driver information, translated into ten languages. The mechanics from the same page: $20 permit fee plus a $10 passport-photo fee, around five business days' processing plus shipping, and — the detail that catches last-minute planners — IDPs are physically printed and mailed; digital versions do not exist. AAA also runs a route for applicants already overseas.

The two-issuers fact doubles as a scam filter: websites selling instant "international driver's licences" or digital IDPs are selling paper the treaty system does not recognise.

Source: AAA, international driving permit (authorized issuer), read 5 September 2026.

Where it fits in Europe — visits, not residence

The IDP's natural habitat is the visit: the rental counter and the roadside stop, where an officer wants your licence's content in a language they read. European countries generally recommend or require one alongside a US licence for tourists — rental agencies often ask regardless. What the IDP does not do is survive your becoming a resident: once you move, each country's licence-exchange clocks start running, and those are national rules with real deadlines — our driving-in-Europe guide carries the framework, with the France and Netherlands pages walking two very different national answers.

Spain deserves its own honest note: its exchange rules for US licences run through bilateral arrangements whose official list we have not yet been able to read on a stable government page — the one part of this topic where we point you to the DGT itself rather than summarise.

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The order for a real move

For a move rather than a trip: get the IDP before flying (it is a same-week errand at home and an awkward one from abroad, even with AAA's overseas route), drive on licence-plus-IDP during the visit window, and start the exchange or new-licence process on the destination's clock once resident. The moving checklist keeps it in sequence with the rest of the arrival file:

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Common questions

Do I need an international driving permit in Europe?

For visits, most European countries recommend or require one alongside a US licence, and rental agencies often ask for it. It is a translation companion to your licence — valid identification in 150 countries per its authorized issuer — not a licence itself.

How do I get an IDP in the US and what does it cost?

Through one of the two organizations authorized by the State Department — AAA being one. Per AAA: $20 permit fee, $10 photo fee, about five business days plus shipping, physical document only; digital IDPs do not exist.

Does an IDP work once I become a resident?

No — residence starts each country's licence-exchange clocks, which are national rules with deadlines. The IDP covers the visit phase; the exchange process covers the life.