Getting an International Driving Permit By Levi Quinn At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

When driving abroad, it is important to be aware of the different expectations and demands placed on you as a driver. This applies to typical driving situations such as speed limits, alcohol limits (which are lower in mainland Europe than in the US and United Kingdom) and other rules of the road, which are often subtly different from country to country. It applies equally to the more technical requirements in terms of licenses and insurance, too. Although you do not need a new license in order to drive in another country, you will most likely require at the least an International Driving Permit. These are not difficult to get hold of – there is no new test to pass – but they are essential if you are planning to drive anywhere as part of your holiday.

It is worthwhile to renew your license before you apply for the International Driver’s Permit – if you have time. As long as the date on your license makes it valid for the dates of your trip there is no problem. You will also need to apply through a process not wholly dissimilar to applying for a passport. This means getting two up-to-date passport photographs taken at a studio or a drugstore – or anywhere that develops photographs.

Then you complete the application form. There are two sources and two sources only for an International Driving Permit. A Permit from any other body will not suffice and will in fact constitute a criminal act – as will driving under the fraudulent permit. These bodies are the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). You can download the forms or request them from your nearest office, and return them together with the current permit fee in order to secure your International Driving Permit. Take it along with you and visit the office if you want to secure your permit as soon as possible.

Once you have secured your permit you are officially legal to drive abroad, and covered by the issuing body. Sorting out international car insurance is also something you will need to pay attention to. With these matters sorted out, though, you will be able to rent and drive a car in another country just as you do in America. There are then only a few more things that you need to take notice of, and these are all just as important as having the correct documentation. They are the rules of the road when abroad.

At home, you may be a highly confident driver. Within boundaries there is nothing wrong with this, but when you are on foreign roads you should never assume that you are the one in the right. If there are twenty other angry drivers shaking their fists at you, you probably are not. So learn the rules of the road scrupulously and follow them to the letter – with the permit and your US license you have earned the legal right to drive in more than 150 countries, but also the responsibility of driving safely.

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