International driving permit - required or not?
 

Hey folks,

Was having a discussion with someone who plans to do a bit of overland driving in South America, and they were adamant that an International Driving Permit was required to do so and that not to have one was foolish. I am of the opinion it's a "nice to have" thing - a little like a scarf on a cold day - but not much else. But was curious what the prevailing opinion/experiences was on Hubb from those who have actually done this more recently and/or more extensively?

Cheers.

Officially required, but in practice never asked for. I've been in every country in the region, stopped by police and military many time, and never once has anyone asked for the international permit. You do need valid non-expired driver permit, vehicle registration, passport, and insurance.

In prior years I carried the international permit since that was the official requirement, but now i only carry an expired international permit as i don't see the value in paying for a new one. As said, never once has anyone asked for or cared to see the international permit.

"Officially required", really? Do you have any source(s) to confirm this, would be interested to learn differently to what I've been told a few times (once from a lawyer with experience in the area)?

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Not that I'll believe everything found online... ;) ...but this confirms what I've been told in the past: http://www.worldlawdirect.com/articl...s-license.html

"Nice" to have mostly because it translates your licence into multiple languages.

7 years ago when I did my first trip to the region I researched the driving requirements for driving. I wrote down the results for each country. Some of the countries require an International Driving Permit, while others require a Inter-American Driving Permit.
I don't remember where i found the information or a link to it. You can search if you like.

DL
 

We just spent 20 month from Inuvik to Ushuaia. You do not need an IDL. We got them before we left in 2012. We were never asked for it. I never met anyone who was. Sara

Don't know what country you are in but according to the UK AA then this is the list of countries you should have one for however as members have said you may not need it

IDP requirements by country | AA

Wayne

I don't think very highly of the various lists put out by national automobile clubs--they say the same sorts of things about the need for carnets. They're often totally full of it....or at least sadly mistaken or woefully out-of-date.

Unlike others posting above, I've needed my IDP a couple of times--once in South America (I think it was Guyana), once in West Africa (probably Ghana), and once or twice more in other scattered places. I've also used them when engaged in the standard gambit of piling on document after document to stun local functionaries, but that's a different story. So the moral here is that you never need an IDP....until you need it.

Kind've like genuine registration or licensing documents--I've used photocopies and/or defunct documents all over Latin America, parts of Asia and Africa, plus the entirety of Europe. Everything goes fine for months or years, until finally someone demands the real thing when I've almost forgotten I'm using fakes. That happened to me in Eastern Europe--no problems whatsoever until I entered Ukraine for the second time. It also happened in Central America, although I've forgotten which country: Honduras, maybe?

It gets more likely you'll need an IDP if you ever want to rent a vehicle. That's worth keeping in mind.

Hope this is helpful.

Mark

I needed it twice. Once to rent a car in Buenos Aires. Second time to show to the corrupt police chap in Bolivia after he radared me doing 90kph on a 10km straight stretch of road with no traffic where the limit was 80kph.

For the hassle it takes to get an IDP (2 photos, £15 and a stamped return envelope) I think I'd rather go with than without, but of course different horses for different courses....

I'd rather give my IDF that cost me £5 from the AA than my £20 UK driving licence, to a bent cop, just in case they don't play ball and I don't get it back...

I travelled all the Américas and you don't need it


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Clearly its a case of YOU MIGHT need it, its only a fiver.....If you need it, great you have got it and if you don't...so what it was only a fiver and I agree with Fern :D

Wayne

I'm an Aussie riding around in the USA at present. I was stopped by a friendly highway patrol officer in California who said I didn't need one for Cal anyway.
I dosent hurt to have though. Never got stopped in Mexico so not sure?

International driving permit - required or not?
 

I bought two before I left for Central and South America. They expired before anyone ever asked to see them. They're still expired, and no one has yet asked.

Here's what I've found useful: make translations of your vehicle ownership and registration documents into Spanish. Do the same for your license. Carry the copies and hide your originals in a safe place.

Border agents often need help finding information on these documents to input into their computers if they can't read English.

Advice we give on these sorts of forums should be very strongly skewed towards the principle of "doing no harm".

Those who continue to offer advice on the false premise that since they didn't need to do XYZ, then nobody needs to do XYZ (or even worse, don't need to do ABC either) aren't doing people any favours.

Yes, but idle reflections are useful too.

Interesting difference between someone relating an experience for information, and someone advocating a course of action by others based on getting away with it..

Agreed. I was explicitly asked once in Dec 2012 by Chilean customs for an IDP, with heavy emphasis on 'international' - UK license would not cut it with him. Only once in two years, but once is enough to prove you might need to produce it.

So saying "I wasn't asked to show it, so you don't need one" is, as Tony points out, not very helpful - aka, not true!!

I personally would take an IDP with me. One never knows who will ask for it and if that officrr is a whimsical chap it would be a total spoiler. Although on my ride from India to UK on an Enfield no one asked for it.