International Driving Permit for UK licence holders
How to get an International Driving Permit if your driving licence was issued in United Kingdom.
Since leaving the EU, UK licence holders face different rules across Europe than they used to. Most EU countries still accept a UK photocard for short visits, but individual rental companies increasingly ask for a permit anyway — and outside Europe it is routinely required.
The official route from United Kingdom
Under the UN Road Traffic Conventions, an officially issued International Driving Permit can only be obtained in the country that issued your national licence, from a body that country's government has authorised. In United Kingdom that is PayPoint outlets across the UK, which took over issuing from the Post Office in 2019.
Use that route if you have been told specifically that you need a government-recognised IDP, or if you are dealing with a licensing authority. It is the document with formal standing under the Conventions.
What we provide instead
Our service is a certified translation of your existing UK licence into 12 languages, laid out in the format described by the Conventions and carried alongside the original. It is not a licence, it is not government-issued, and it does not replace your UK licence.
What it does solve is the everyday problem: a rental agent or traffic officer who cannot read your licence can read the translation. It arrives digitally within minutes and you can order it from anywhere, including after you have already travelled.
What you need
- Your valid UK driving licence — expired licences cannot be translated.
- A recent passport-style photograph on a plain background.
- To be 18 or older. No driving test is required.
- Your travel dates, so you can choose a sensible validity period.