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I am considering two trips:

  • UAE
  • South Korea

I hold an Indian driving license. Both these countries require that I have an IDP (international driving permit), to rent a car.

I found a website that issues these for $49. But I am not sure it is legitimate and if their permits are actually accepted anywhere.

This is the website: https://internationaldriversassociation.com

Has anyone used this website? What has been your experience?

Vipul Swarup
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    I would check websites in India: usually the issuer of an international driving license is done by government or some companies approved by government. Check also on your government website, if they wrote something about who can issue them. – Giacomo Catenazzi Dec 06 '23 at 13:43
  • Yes I have checked, but it is painful to use the original government system. For some reason it doesn’t progress my application. Gives no reason. That’s why I am looking for alternatives. – Vipul Swarup Dec 06 '23 at 13:45
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    I would advise against driving in Korea as a tourist. Between signs that are not always bilingual (and even when they are, the English version is smaller), huge roads always packed solid, and very narrow side streets (the contrast is sharp...), nightmarish parking (and severe enforcement with CCTV) and very aggressive driving, you're much better off using public transportation, which is world class... – dda Dec 06 '23 at 15:08

1 Answers1

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No, as best as I can tell, this organization is not properly authorized to issue IDPs.

IDPs are regulated by treaty, which states:

Contracting Parties shall recognize … Any international permit conforming to the provisions of Annex 7 to this Convention; as valid for driving in their territories a vehicle coming within the categories covered by the permit, provided that the permit is still valid and that it was issued by another Contracting Party or subdivision thereof or by an association duly empowered thereto by such other Contracting Party.

This means that only governments or organizations formally authorized by governments may issue valid IDPs.

The AIT/FIA (an international association of national automobile clubs like AAA) maintains a directory of organizations that have been officially authorized by their respective governments to issue IDPs.

internationaldriversassociation.com says they are based in Singapore, and the AIT/FIA directory says the only authorized Singaporean IDP issuer is AA Singapore.

So yes, this website (and many others like it) will take your money and send you a booklet that looks a lot like a 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic IDP, but technically speaking, is not. It is no more valid than something you could make at home with your own printer.

Of course, this unofficial document looks "correct" and may pass a cursory glance by the disinterested rental car staffer or even a local cop, but if you ever ended up in court, you would almost certainly be found to be breaking the law — definitely that you don't have a valid IDP, and depending on how aggressive they want to be about it, you may even find yourself being prosecuted for using fraudulent documentation.

The directory says there are 4 organizations in India authorized to issue IDPs:

I'd imagine at least one of these organizations will be able to issue a proper IDP to you.

josh3736
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