Frequently Asked Questions

An International Driving Permit (IDP) is a government-authorized translation document created by an international treaty called the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. When used in conjunction with a valid driver’s license, an International Driving Permit allows a permit-holder to drive in 150+ foreign countries and territories for a limited term without needing to obtain a license in their destination country. Some popular destination countries that require IDPs include Japan, South Korea, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Romania. You can see a list of countries and territories that accept IDPs here.

There are dozens of scam websites on the internet selling fake International Driving Permits. All legitimate IDPs must adhere to the standards set by the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.
Here are four tell-tale signs that a website is a scam:

• It advertises validity periods of 3, 5, or 10 years. All legitimate IDPs issued in the United States are valid for 1 year.
• It advertises “International Driver’s Licenses.” The official document is called an International Driving Permit.
• It offers “instant” or “digital” IDPs. International Driving Permits are physical booklets that can only be printed by an authorized issuer (e.g., AAA).
• It claims to issue IDPs to drivers from any country. Your IDP must be issued in the same country as your Driver’s License.

PriorityIDP is a Seattle-based company that expedites AAA issued IDPs on behalf of U.S. license holders. If you have any questions, please get in touch!

This is a tricky question, though the answer is almost always no. We highly recommend carrying both your U.S. driver’s license and your International Driving Permit anytime you are planning on driving a car or motorcycle while abroad.

PriorityIDP can only expedite IDPs for U.S. license holders.
Your IDP must be issued in the same country as your driver’s license. For example, if your driver’s license was issued in Canada, you must obtain an IDP from the Canadian Automobile Association. If your driver’s license was issued in another country, you can try finding your country’s authorized issuer here.

You may only obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) if you are at least 18 years of age and have a valid U.S. driver’s license. If your driver’s license was issued in a country other than the U.S. and its Territories, you will you need to obtain your IDP from the issuing authority of that country. If your driver’s license was issued in another country, you can try finding your country’s authorized issuer here.

Please see our blog post detailing where International Driving Permits (IDPs) are accepted. There are 150+ countries and territories that signed the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. A handful of countries that didn’t sign the treaty still honor IDPs.