Getting an International Driving Permit
It is foolhardy to assume that one's driving license will be accepted in other countries. As such, every traveler hoping to drive a rental vehicle or his or her own vehicles abroad should acquire an International driving Permit (IDP). The IDP is recognized by United Nations and is accepted in over 100 countries. US nationals may however travel 50 miles into the Canadian territory or 300 miles into Mexico without the need for the IDP. However, beyond the specified mileage, one must have the IDP. All other countries require one to have an international driving permit, if they do not have the valid driving licenses to be able to drive in the destination countries.
The application for the International driving License is easy to get since it can be done either in person or through mail. Among the things that one needs to present include a valid driving license from their respective country and two passport-size photographs. In order to qualify for the international driving permits however, one must have held a valid license in their home country for a minimum of six months. One must also be over 18 years of age. In the United States, the international driving license is issued by only two organisations, which are the American Automobile Touring Alliance and the American Automobile Association (AAA). One has to renew the permit annually if they wish to make constant trips abroad.
If applying through mail, one should include all the above stated requirements, in addition to the IDP application fee plus the postage fee to any of the two authorized IDP issuing organisations. The mailing charges that one sends to the issuing organisations are determined by how fast one wishes their permit to be mailed back to them. The mailing fee and the application fee should be paid to the issuing organisations through checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card or American Express. While expedited processing can be done within two days, ordinary processing usually takes at least 15 days. As such, one should apply for the permit in advance in order to avoid any disappointments.
While as one may think that the international driving permit will replace the driving license while traveling abroad, the opposite is actually true. As such, one will need to carry both their driving license and the IDP on their trips abroad. This is mainly because the international permit is only a translation of the information contained in one's driving license into different languages. The translation ensures that authorities in one's destination country get to understand the contents of one's driving license.
To ensure that one has a smooth drive in the destination country, one should not just stop at getting the international driving license. Rather, he or she should research about the driving laws and regulations in the country. Obtaining an IDP even when one does not intend to drive in the foreign country is also advisable since the permit can be used as an identification document. However, most countries do not allow their citizens to use the permits while in the countries.
