International drivers license

[chuck 0]

Would an international drivers license be valid in US?

If so, for how long?

[kitkat1 5]

Would an international drivers license be valid in US?

If so, for how long?

Everything I have read on international driver's licenses is that they are not valid i.e.

What about international drivers permits or licenses?

There is no known legitimate "international driver's license". This is often confused with an international driver's permit.

There are international driver's permits. An international driver's permit does not give a person the right to drive, but provides a translation of the valid home country DL. One cannot get an international driving permit unless the home country DL is valid.

International driving permits are obtained in the driver's home country. When leaving the home country, a person should obtain a translation of the home country DL in the spoken language of the country to be visited. While lack of a translation does not invalidate a home country license, having one makes it easier for law enforcement to assess the home country DL's validity.

[Ladylethal 12]

Ok, so are foreign licenses accepted, and thus would I be fined for driving around with my license and an international driver's permit? (I have one)

[MaryandMian 1]

KitKat is correct in what she posted. The International Driver's license is only like a permit and was used for tourists to mainly drive while visiting in a country.

Most insurance agencies and the DMV give you 30 - 60 days to test or get a new driver's license from the state your going to reside in. I know when I worked for Farmer's Insurance they did not recognize the IDL since most of them were fake and illegals were using them to get auto insurance and then not pay the premiums and the insured disappeared or had given false addresses and or names. IDL are hard to verify too so it was being a big issue in our state.

Contact your local DMV and see what the requirements are concerning your area.

www.dmv.org is one site you can go to that should allow you to click on your state and get your local DMV office.

Mary

[substance 0]

Well, most driver licenses are valid for 1 month from the day of entry. International License is valid for 1 year from the issue date. I know this fact because you can go to a car rental and rent a car with your none american or international license.

Well My friend had a Turkish license, and he got pulled over several times. Each time the officer got mad at him , because he cant give him a ticket , even he does, its no good bc it wont have any afffect on the none American license. But after some talk they usually accept it, they say go get a State license asap (and you get away from the ticket) we have actually used this as advantage for so long. I would present my none -American license first and get away from the ticket if i can , if the officer insist on arresting me, I would my state license which i forgot it was in my wallet lol

ohh for the insurance. Most insurance companies didnt care. I told them I had 3 years old internatinal driving license(which i never had) back in my country and I can ask mother to fax it to you. They said okay and they deducted 3 points , I told them my mom has to go to the registery of motorvehicles in Istanbul and ask for record which may take about 1-3 months lol then the lady said okay we trust you, you dont need to fax it.

Well they just didnt want to lose a customer. If they didnt take that, i was going to go for another company. But i was going to get full+full premium for my car, maybe that helped as well.

But getting a state license is cheap and easy and fast. Easy questions on the writen test, and much easier job on the driving test. Make sure you take the test in a small town( no traffic , easy easy license)

[CJ&Jum 0]

Also, be careful of the internet international license sites, big rip off if you ask me, it's most likely not valid for much, although I would guess that many don't understand the rules about international driver's permits anyway.

C.J.

[MrMrsKnight 0]

My cousin's huband always goes to the US and Europe and drives there using his International Permit.

He has a Brazilian DL and, through that, he got that international permit that allows him to drive anywhere for a certain amount of time.

Here in Brazil, you get that permit at the same office you get your DL.

I'll look it up and see if I can find more information on this as I'm very interested as well!

[Ladylethal 12]

That international permit is what I got from the DL in Brasil. I haven't been pulled over yet so I dunno if it really works. It better work.

[Henia 11]

Hello

Interesting post...I have always just drievn with my US DL...never had any probs so far...

[Marilyn. 340]

I just did a quick search and this came up from the NYS DMV site...

International Driving Permit: An International Driving Permit is not a driver license. The permit only verifies that you hold a valid driver license in your home country. Your foreign driver license, not the International Driving Permit, allows you to drive in NYS. Contact the authorities in your home country to get an International Driving Permit. If you are not a resident of the US, you cannot apply for an International Driving Permit in the US.

You are not required to have an International Driving Permit to drive in NYS, but the permit has value. The permit verifies, in several languages, that you have a valid foreign driver license. A police officer who cannot read the language on your foreign driver license can read the permit.

and this from the California DMV site...

International Driving Permits

The State of California does not recognize an International Driving Permit (IDP) as a valid driver license. California does recognize a valid driver license that is issued by a foreign jurisdiction (country, state, territory) of which the license holder is a resident.

The IDP is only a translation of information contained on a person's foreign driver license and is not required to operate a motor vehicle in California. Citations issued to a person in California who has an IDP, but does not have a California driver license will be placed on the Department of Motor Vehicle database

Edited December 5, 2006 by MarilynP

[Ladylethal 12]

I wonder if Puerto Rico accepts it, or else I'll have to stop driving around until I get my driver's license.

[Jenn! 918]

As I understand it, you can drive on your foreign license for 1 year or until you become a permanent resident, whichever comes first.

I have not verified this, it is just my understanding of how the laws work, at least in MA.

[Nikita2Charles 31]

i have colleague from Asia who drive here with the international driver's licence, they are able to rent a car from the aiport for the time period they are here, which can be close to 3 months at a time. once they have moved in or decided to stay or want to buy a car at that point they need to go to DMV to get a california driver's license. I am not sure what's their insurance premium is at the rental but it's all paid for by the company anyway.