An International Driving Permit is a standardised translation of your national licence, and there is more than one kind. Two treaties are in live use: the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, with 102 contracting parties as of March 2025, and the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, with roughly 86. A country only has to accept the booklet issued under the convention it belongs to, which is why Japan refuses a 1968 permit outright and why Vietnam cannot use a 1949 one. The permit is never a licence in its own right, it never upgrades your entitlement, and it is worthless without the national licence it translates. This guide explains the two systems, who belongs to which, and the special cases that catch riders out.
What an IDP is and what it is not
An IDP is a multilingual booklet that restates the categories on your home licence in a fixed international format, so that a police officer or rental clerk who cannot read your licence can still see what you are entitled to ride. It is issued by an authorised body in the country that issued your licence — usually a national motoring organisation or the licensing authority itself — and never by the country you are visiting.
Three consequences follow. First, an IDP is only valid alongside the national licence, so both documents have to be carried together and losing the licence invalidates the permit. Second, an IDP cannot give you a category you do not already hold: if your licence covers 125 cc machines, the IDP will say so, and hiring anything larger puts you outside the law and outside the insurance. Third, an IDP expires when the underlying licence does, whatever date is printed in the booklet.
For motorcyclists that second point is the one that matters most. Rental shops in tourist areas are not always careful about categories, and a shop's willingness to hand you the keys is not evidence that you are legally entitled to ride the machine. If the categories on the permit do not cover the bike, every insurance layer attached to the hire is compromised — a problem covered in more detail in our guide to renting a motorcycle abroad.
The two conventions, side by side
| 1949 Geneva Convention | 1968 Vienna Convention | |
|---|---|---|
| Contracting parties | 102, as of March 2025 | About 86 |
| Permit validity | One year from date of issue | Up to three years, or until the national licence expires, whichever is sooner |
| Booklet wording | Names the Geneva Convention of 19 September 1949 | Names the Vienna Convention of 8 November 1968 |
| Notable parties | Japan, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Malta, Cyprus, Malaysia, United Kingdom | France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Romania, Türkiye, Morocco, Brazil, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, South Africa, United Kingdom |
| Precedence | Superseded between states that are party to both | Takes precedence where both states are parties |
| Practical role for riders | The booklet you need for Japan and for much of the English-speaking world | The booklet you need for most of continental Europe and for Vietnam |
The precedence rule in the last two rows is worth reading twice. Where both your country and the destination are party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, the Vienna rules replace the older Geneva ones between them. Where one of the two is not a Vienna party, the older convention still governs. That is why a rider from a country party to both — the United Kingdom ratified the Vienna Convention on 28 March 2018 and remains a Geneva party — may need to carry a different booklet depending on where they are going, and why some issuing bodies will sell you either type.
Special cases you have to plan around
Japan. The clearest and strictest case. Japanese authorities recognise only IDPs issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and Tokyo Metropolitan Police guidance states plainly that a permit issued under another treaty, including the Vienna Convention, is invalid in Japan even when the issuing country is itself a Geneva party. Riding on the wrong booklet is treated as riding unlicensed. If you are heading to Japan, check that the cover of your permit names the Geneva Convention of 19 September 1949 before you get on the plane.
Vietnam. The mirror image. Vietnam is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention and not to the 1949 Geneva Convention, so a Geneva permit does not do the job. Riders from countries that issue only the Geneva booklet — which includes several large English-speaking countries — cannot solve this with an IDP at all, and the practical route is a converted or locally issued Vietnamese licence. This catches out a great many riders on the Ha Giang Loop every year, and it is the reason travel insurance claims from Vietnam get refused.
Switzerland. Not what most riders assume. Switzerland ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention in 1991 and did not ratify the 1949 Geneva Convention, despite sitting outside the EU. Do not reason from a country's political alignment to its treaty membership — check the actual list.
Spain and Ireland. Both are absent from the Vienna Convention party list and operate under the 1949 Geneva Convention. For riders from other EU countries this rarely bites, because EU and EEA licences are mutually recognised for visitors without any permit at all, but it matters for riders arriving from outside Europe.
Mainland China. IDPs are not usable there in practice. Visitors who want to ride have to obtain a temporary Chinese driving permit through the local traffic authority, which is a separate process with its own paperwork and, for longer stays, a test. Hong Kong and Macau are separate jurisdictions with their own rules.
Somalia. A historical curiosity that still appears in the paperwork: the 1926 Paris Convention permit, the oldest of the three formats, is the one associated with Somalia. Almost nobody will ever need it, but it explains why some issuing bodies list three booklet types rather than two.
Getting one, and when
You apply in the country that issued your licence, before you travel. Most countries route this through a designated motoring organisation, and the process is normally same-day or a short postal turnaround: an application form, a passport photograph, your national licence and a fee. You cannot get an IDP abroad, you cannot get one online from a body that is not authorised in your country, and the many websites selling official-looking "international licences" are selling something that has no legal standing anywhere.
Timing is the part riders get wrong. A Geneva permit runs for one year from the date of issue, not from the date you first use it, so applying six months before a long trip throws away half of it. A Vienna permit runs up to three years but expires with your licence, so a licence renewal mid-trip quietly kills the permit as well. If your route crosses between convention blocs — a common shape for an overland trip east, or for the kind of multi-continent itinerary covered in our round-the-world planning guide — get both booklets and check the expiry dates against your carnet validity and your visa timeline at the same time.
Carrying it, and what else travels with it
At a roadside stop in most countries you will be asked for four things: the national licence, the IDP, the vehicle documents and proof of insurance. Keep them together and keep them dry, and keep photographs of every page somewhere you can reach without an internet connection, because a phone gallery works in a valley with no signal and a cloud folder does not. Riders who use a fully offline navigation and documents setup tend to have this covered already.
Insurance is the document most often forgotten. In and around Europe that means understanding the Green Card system and the minimum third-party requirements, which is an entirely separate question from your licence and is checked separately. A permit proves you may ride. It proves nothing about whether the bike is insured.
FAQ
Which IDP do I need, the 1949 or the 1968 one?
Whichever convention your destination belongs to. Where both your country and the destination are Vienna parties the 1968 permit applies, and otherwise the 1949 one does. Check each country on your route separately rather than assuming a whole region is consistent.
Can I use a 1968 Vienna permit in Japan?
No. Japanese authorities accept only permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and using another format is treated as driving without a licence. The convention name is printed on the cover of the booklet, so it is easy to check before you travel.
Does an IDP let me ride a bigger bike than my licence allows?
Never. The permit only restates the categories you already hold. Riding above your entitlement is an offence and voids the rental waiver, the compulsory local third-party cover and your travel insurance at the same time.
How long is an International Driving Permit valid?
A Geneva permit is valid for one year from the date of issue. A Vienna permit is valid for up to three years, or until your national licence expires if that comes first. Both die immediately if the underlying licence is suspended or expires.
Do I need an IDP to ride in the EU on an EU licence?
No. Licences issued by EU and EEA member states are recognised across the bloc for visitors without any additional permit. The question only arises for licences issued outside that area, and for a handful of countries with their own bilateral arrangements.
