International Driving Permit for US licence holders
How to get an International Driving Permit if your driving licence was issued in United States.
US licences are printed in English and use the Latin alphabet, so they are readable in much of Europe and Latin America. The friction shows up in Japan, Greece, Thailand and anywhere using a non-Latin script — and at rental desks whose contract simply requires a permit regardless of the law.
The official route from United States
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 States that is the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA), the two organisations authorised by the U.S. Department of State.
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 US 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 US 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 US 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.