How to Get an International Driving Permit with a U.S. Driver’s License9 min read

If you want to legally drive in foreign countries while you’re traveling, you might need to get an International Driving Permit, or an IDP. So, as an American with a US driver’s license, how can you get one?

In this article, we’re going to explain how to get an International Driving Permit as an American with a US driver’s license. 

We’ll also tell you how to get an IDP if you’re already abroad. For example, if your current IDP expires while you’re already overseas, since that just happened to us. 

What is an International Driving Permit?

To put it simply, an International Driving Permit is a physical document that is a multi-language translation of your national driver’s license that allows you to drive legally in foreign countries. 

More officially, it is a recognizable form of identification that can help you communicate with foreign authorities. The IDP provides an official translation of your U.S. driver’s license into 9 foreign languages and is acknowledged as valid identification in more than 150 countries around the world.

IDPs are not a replacement for your U.S. driver’s license, and should be used as a supplement to it. You need to carry both your US driver’s license and IDP with you when you are driving. 

Where do I need an International Driving Permit?

Not every country requires you to have an International Driving Permit. In some countries, your US driver’s license is enough for you to rent a car and drive legally. 

But many countries require travelers to carry both their valid national driver’s license and an IDP. You don’t want to make the mistake of not having an IDP if you are required to have one.

Not having one could mean that you won’t be allowed to rent a vehicle, or that if you are driving a vehicle and then get pulled over, you’ll have to pay a fine, or worse. 

Make sure to check official government sources from the countries you are visiting to find out if an IDP is required to drive a vehicle there.

 And don’t just do a Google search or consult AI. The AI blurbs Google spits out at the top of the page aren’t always up to date or accurate. 

“ChatGPT told me I didn’t need it” isn’t a valid excuse. Especially when you’re standing at the car rental counter in Spain, unable to legally rent your car to start your road trip.

Six Important Things to Know about IDPs for US drivers:

1. You must be at least 18 years old and hold a valid U.S. driver’s license to get an IDP in the U.S.
   
2. In the US, there are only two organizations that can legally issue official IDPs: AAA and AATA.  A legitimate IDP expediter, like Fast IDP, must obtain an IDP from one of these organizations for it to be valid.
   
3. Your US driver’s license must have a minimum of 6 months of validity remaining past your travel departure date.
   
4. Your IDP is only valid for one year. 
   
5. IDPs are not renewable, you have to apply for a new one every time yours expires.
   
6. IDPs are also not duplicatable, meaning that if you lose yours, you’ll also have to apply for a new one.
   

How to Get an International Driving Permit in the USA

Going into a AAA Office

Over the years, we’ve gone into a AAA office in person to get our IDPs in person. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a AAA member to get an IDP there. 

How to Get an IDP Quickly

If you need to get your IDP in 7 days or less, then your best bet is to go in person to a AAA office where they can issue it to you that same day. But not every AAA office issues IDPs, make sure you call ahead so you don’t waste your time. We’re speaking from experience here.  

Before you go into the office, make sure you have all the required documents and the right size passport photo. All the info about what you’ll need to bring in is listed on the AAA website. You can also fill out the documents and get your passport photo taken in the AAA office for an additional fee. 

How to get an IDP Less Quickly

If you’re not under a time crunch, you can apply for your IDP online through both AAA and AATA.

Both AAA and AATA have clear instructions on how to apply for your IDP online. They both charge $20 for an IDP. AAA charges a $10 passport photo fee, and AATA charges a $7 photo image processing fee. 

On top of that, you’ll have to pay a shipping and handling fee to have your IDP sent to you. AATA charges a flat fee for shipping and handling. Domestic shipping costs $14 for priority mail, 1-3 business days, and $37 for priority mail express, 1-2 business days. International shipping and handling is also a flat fee, $60 for standard international shipping, 6-10 business days, and $90 for priority international, 3-5 business days.

AAA’s shipping and handling costs vary on where you are in the world. You’ll need to fill in your driver’s license zip code and your current address, and then AAA will let you know how much it will cost to FedEx your package.

In even cooler news, if you’re already overseas, then both AAA and AATA can ship your IDP internationally. 

That’s what we just did, and we’ll share how it went! 

How to Get an International Driving Permit While Abroad

We got our previous IDPs when we were visiting the US in 2024. We went into our local AAA office and got them there within an hour. Easy-peasy.

The problem is, IDPs are only good for a year, and ours just expired about a week ago. Since we’re still abroad with no intentions of heading back to the US anytime soon, and we have upcoming trips where we’ll need to drive, we needed to figure out a plan. 

After spending a lot of time doing Google searches and reading through Reddit threads, I started getting targeted ads about IDPs. It turns out that there are many online companies that claim they can issue IDPs internationally. But after checking out Trustpilot reviews, many people said they had been screwed over by those companies.

Maybe those online IDPs work for people from other countries. But if you’re from the US then, again, the only two places that can legally issue official IDPs are AAA and AATA.

But great news! It turns out that AATA and AAA have options to apply for your IDP online. You can also use the third-party IDP expediter Fast IDP. They obtain official IDPs from AAA and process them more quickly than AAA’s website can. All three can send your IDP to wherever you are in the world.

Applying for an IDP While Abroad

AAA accepts IDP applications around the clock. However, AATA only accepts applications from 6am to 6pm pacific time Friday through Tuesday. That might mean waking up early or staying up late, depending on where you are in the world when you apply.

When ordering your new IDP, you have the option to choose your departure date. Your departure date is the day your IDP becomes active. So if your trip is a few months away, you can have your IDP start the day, or maybe the day before just to be on the safe side, of your trip. For example, I know I won’t be driving until early December, so my IDP is active as of December 1st.

Unfortunately, Jen’s driver’s license is set to expire within the next six months, so she can’t get an IDP. Thankfully, I renewed my driver’s license the last time we were in the US, so I was able to apply.

Ordering an IDP while Abroad with AATA

The AATA website isn’t very pretty, but the instructions are clear about the steps you need to take, like how to get a digital passport photo and scans of your US driver’s license. 

I went to a photography studio to make sure I got the right picture dimensions and quality AATA was looking for, and I went to a print shop where they scanned the front and back of my driver’s license. I filled in the simple form with our shipping address here in Ho Chi Minh City, paid $20 for the IDP, $7 for the photo processing fee, and the $60 international shipping costs, bringing the total cost to $87.

The next morning, I woke up to an email saying my IDP had shipped from Oregon via FedEx.

To our amazement, the package traveled 7500 miles from Oregon to our front door in Vietnam in just six days! 

AATA does state on their website that if you’re in Italy, the Philippines, or the Middle East, transit times can vary between 7–35 days, so you need to account for that if that’s where you are in the world. We’re not sure if that’s the same for AAA. 

Knowing that AATA charges $60 for international shipping, I wanted to find out what AAA would charge for comparison. I filled out the forms on AAA’s website and asked for the IDP to be shipped from California to HCMC. To get it FedExed within six to ten business days, AAA quoted me $137.88, and $159.96 for express shipping! Woof! Of course, shipping costs will differ depending on your location. But great googly moogly, I’m sure glad we went with AATA.

If you have any questions about getting your IDP, please leave a comment