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I have a Russian relative who will be visiting the U.S. for a short time (less than a month) and I would like him to be able to drive my car while he's here.

Will he need an International Driving Permit, or will his license be valid by itself?

(I would appreciate authoritative answers with links to government websites on these points, as my searches didn't turn up anything authoritative. It seems like the license is valid but an IDP is recommended, but it's not clear.)

This is about California specifically if it varies at the state level.

Wildcard
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  • @choster, updated with state tag (for California). – Wildcard Apr 29 '19 at 20:26
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    For California, see Do I need an International Driving Permit to drive in California? – choster Apr 29 '19 at 20:27
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    You asked for authoritative government sources but I don't have any. I do know someone from Russia who rented multiple cars in the US using only his license, and no IDP. The current license is in Vienna Convention format anyway, so it's recognizable as a license in many countries (except in the US which doesn't follow the Vienna Convention). Remember that the IDP is just a translation of the licence into multiple different languages. Even without that, it's pretty obvious what it is when you look at the back. Your bigger issue will be making sure that your insurance covers him. – Michael Hampton Apr 30 '19 at 00:54
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    It does, however, have the proper barcode on the back which a US police officer should be able to scan. I don't have a government source for that either, but I recognize the type of barcode as the same as is used on US driver licenses. – Michael Hampton Apr 30 '19 at 01:01

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