International Driving Permit

Driver information

1968 convention (as amended in 2011)

The convention has been ratified by 83 countries/jurisdictions.

The main regulations about driving licences are in Annex 6 (domestic driving permit) and Annex 7 (International Driving Permit). The currently active version of those is in force in each contracting party since no later than 29 March 2011 (Article 43). According to the 1968 Vienna Convention, an IDP must have an expiration date of no more than three years from its issue date or until the expiration date of national driving permit, whichever is earlier, and it is valid for a period of one year upon the arrival in the foreign country.

Article 41 of the convention describes requirements for driving licences. Key of those are:

• every driver of a motor vehicle must hold a driving licence;
• driving permits can be issued only after passing theoretical and practical exams, which are regulated by each country or jurisdiction;
• Contracting parties shall recognize as valid for driving in their territories:
  • domestic driving permit conforming to the provisions of annex 6 to the convention;
  • International Driving Permit conforms to the provisions of annex 7 to the convention, on condition that it is presented with the corresponding domestic driving permit;
• driving permits issued by a contracting party shall be recognized in the territory of another contracting party until this territory becomes the place of normal residence of their holder;
• all of the above does not apply to learner-driver licences;
• the period of validity of an international driving permit shall be either no more than three years after the date of issue or until the date of expiry of the domestic driving licence, whichever is earlier;
• Contracting parties may refuse to recognize the validity of driving licences for persons under eighteen or, for categories C, D, CE and DE, under twenty-one;
• an international driving permit shall only be issued by the contracting party in whose territory the holder has their normal residence and that issued the domestic driving permit or that recognized the driving permit issued by another contracting party; it shall not be valid for use in that territory.

1968 convention (original)

The convention had amendments on 3 September 1993 and 28 March 2006. There is a European Agreement supplementing the Convention on Road Traffic (1968), which was concluded in Geneva, on 1 May 1971.

Note that before 29 March 2011 the convention demanded contracting parties to recognize as valid for driving in their territories:

• any domestic driver's permit drawn up in their national language or in one of their national languages, or, if not drawn up in such a language, accompanied by a certified translation;
• any domestic driver's permit conforming to the provisions of annex 6 to the convention; and
• any international driver permit conforming to the provisions of annex 7 to the convention.

Prior to 29 March 2011, annex 6 and annex 7 defined forms of driving licences that are different from those defined after that date. Driving licences issued before 29 March 2011 that match older edition of the annexes are valid until their expiration dates (article 43).

1949 convention

, there are 102 states that are party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic by ratification, accession or succession. The 1949 Convention's description of a driving permit and international driving permit are located in Annexes 9 and 10. Switzerland signed but did not ratify the convention. The 1949 Geneva Convention states that an IDP remains valid for one year from the date of issue, with a grace period of six months.

Article 24 of the convention describes requirements for drivers of motor vehicles in international traffic. Key of those are:

• Drivers with a valid driving permit are allowed to drive motor vehicles for which the permit has been issued.
• A Contracting state may require that the driver carries an international driving permit conforming to the model contained in Annex 10
  • especially if the domestic permit does not conform to the model contained in Annex 9, or if the driver comes from a country where a domestic driving permit is not required
• The right to use a domestic or international driving permit may be refused the conditions of issue are no longer fulfilled.

There is a European Agreement supplementing the 1949 Convention on Road Traffic, in addition to the 1949 Protocol on Road Signs and Signals, concluded in Geneva on 16 September 1950.

• "Permissible maximum weight" of a vehicle means the weight of the vehicle and its maximum load when the vehicle is ready for road.
• "Maximum load" means the weight of the load declared permissible by the competent authority of the country(or jurisdiction) of registration of the vehicle.
• "Light trailers" shall be those of permissible maximum weight not exceeding 750 kg.

1926 convention

The 1926 International Convention relative to Motor Traffic is the older IDP Convention. It is only required in Somalia. International Driving Permits according to the 1926 Convention on Motor Traffic might also still be valid in Liechtenstein and Mexico. However, both are parties of the above-mentioned later conventions, thus the most recent signed convention is the valid one. Mexico also recognizes the Inter-American Driving Permit according to the convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic 1943.

Validity

According to the 1968 Vienna Convention, an IDP must have an expiration date of no more than three years from its issue date or until the expiration date of national driving permit, whichever is earlier, and it is valid for a period of one year upon the arrival in the foreign country. The previous convention (1949 Geneva Convention) stated that an IDP remains valid for one year from the date of issue.

The IDP is not valid for driving in the country or jurisdiction where it was issued, it can only be used in foreign countries, and it must be shown with the carrier's original driving licence.

Countries and jurisdictions that recognize IDP

*** IDP must be exchanged for a local driving licence.

• In relations between the Contracting States, the 1949 Geneva Convention terminated and replaced the International Convention relative to Motor Traffic and the International Convention relative to Road Traffic signed at Paris on 24 April 1926, and the convention on the Regulation of Inter- American Automotive Traffic opened for signature at Washington on 15 December 1943.
• In relations between the Contracting States, the 1968 Vienna Convention terminated and replaced the International Convention relative to Motor Traffic and the International Convention relative to Road Traffic, signed at Paris on 24 April 1926, the convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic, opened for signature at Washington on 15 December 1943, and the Convention on Road Traffic, opened for signature at Geneva on 19 September 1949.

ISO compliant driving licence

ISO/IEC 18013 establishes guidelines for the design format and data content of an ISO-compliant driving licence (IDL). The design approach is to establish a secure domestic driving permit (DDP) and accompanying booklet for international use, instead of the international driving permit (IDP) paper document. The ISO standard specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic.

This standard however has no official mandate or recognition from the WP.1 of UNECE as a replacement for the current IDP standards as described in the 1949 and 1968 Conventions.

Card design

The requirements with regards to content and layout of the data elements is contained in Annex A of ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018. While the main ideology is a minimum acceptable set of requirements, sufficient freedom is afforded to the issuing authorities of driving licences to meet domestic needs such as existing standards, data contents and security elements.

Booklet layout

The specifications of the layout of the booklet is defined in Annex G of ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018. There are two options; a booklet with some personalization or a booklet with no personalization.

The booklet shall be marginally larger than an ID-1 size driving licence card, with an insert pocket for storage of the card, and for convenient carrying of the booklet. The front cover should include the logo of the UN or the issuing country and the words "Translation of Driving Licence" and Traduction du permis de conduire.

Implementation

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators' provides a standard for the design of driving permits and identification cards issued by its member jurisdictions, which include all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Canadian territories and provinces. The newest standard released is the 2025 AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard (CDS) which generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1 (ISO compliant driving licence).

References

References

1. "Convention on road traffic".
2. "How to Apply for an IDP".
3. "AAA IDP International Driving Permit".
4. "Internasjonalt førerkort".
5. "Beställ ditt internationella körkort av M Sverige!".
6. "The Officially Recognised IDP Directory".
7. "Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (2022) - Wikisource, the free online library".
8. (9 July 1985). "Agreement On The Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences Issued by ASEAN Countries". [[ASEAN]].
9. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
10. "1968 Convention on Road Traffic (2006 consolidated version) in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic".
11. {{cite Q. Q132860788
12. "Convention on Road Traffic of 1949".
13. [http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/normengrafiken/bgbl1_2012/j1394_0220.pdf List of contract-party-states in the current version of the german International Driving Permit according to the 1926 Convention on Motor Traffic]. (In german language.) Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz (Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer protection of the Federal Republic of Germany). Retrieved 18 March 2014.
14. link. (5 March 2016 . United Nations Treaty Collection. Retrieved 18 March 2014.)
15. link. (12 November 2014 . United Nations Treaty Collection. Retrieved 18 March 2014.)
16. [http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/anlage_8b_116.html Anlage 8b zu § 25b Absatz 2 der Verordnung über die Zulassung von Personen zum Straßenverkehr [Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung – FeV] vom 13. Dezember 2010 [BGBl. I S. 1980], die durch Artikel 2 der Verordnung vom 5. November 2013 [BGBl. I S. 3920] geändert worden ist: Muster eines Internationalen Führerscheins nach dem Internationalen Abkommen über Kraftfahrzeugverkehr vom 24. April 1926] {{Webarchive. link. (19 March 2014 . (Appendix 8b to Section 25b Paragraph 2 of the Driving Licence Ordinance [of the Federal Republic of Germany]: Sample of an International Driving Permit according to the International Convention of the 24. April 1926.) (In german language.) Retrieved 19 March 2014.)
17. (2023). "1968 Vienna and 1949 Geneva: Convention on Road Traffic".
18. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
19. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
20. "Brief Overview of International Driving Permits". Auto Driver Club.
21. "ANA | Permiso Internacional".
22. "ISO/IEC 18013-1:2018".
23. "Information Technology — Personal Identification — ISO Compliant Driving Licence — Part 1: Physical Characteristics and Basic Data Set".
24. (October 2020). "AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard - Personal Identification -AAMVA North American Standard".
25. (2020). "AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard".
26. "AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard (2025) - American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators - AAMVA".