Has anyone every needed or wished that they had an IDP? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Has anyone every needed or wished that they had an IDP?

Baggsy

Baggsy

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Insert International Driving Permit stories here . . .
 
Best one to have is your personal watercraft license, it's cheap and easy.
 
Would be curious what countries require one, I have never encountered an issue without one in my limited experience.
 
regder said:
Would be curious what countries require one, I have never encountered an issue without one in my limited experience.
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We've ridden through numerous countries that require an IDP:

International_drivers_licence.original.png
 
Was just looking at that same map. Out of the required countries on that map, I've rented a car in Mexico, Colombia, Portugal, and a bike in Thailand without one. Pulled over by the cops in Colombia. Haven't encountered an issue.
 
Rental agencies don't care about the IDP. They just care about the $$$. The one time we didn't have an IDP when we needed one was in India. The rental company shrugged their shoulders, took our money and told us not to get caught by police.

When we were in Chiang Mai, there are traffic stops that target farangs (tourists) on scooters looking for IDPs.

No IDPs means a 200 baht fine ($9 CDN), which goes immediately into the pocket of the cop who stopped you. They won't confiscate the scooter or tell you to stop riding, but they will remember you and stop you again the next time they see you to get their "tea money".

We were also stopped by a cop in Colombia, we just showed him our drivers license (we had the IDPs in the luggage) and he seemed okay with it. Poor enforcement doesn't mean you'll get lucky all the time if the law is in the books.
 
Good points. The place I rented my bike from in Chiang Mai gave me a route to bypass the checkpoints on my way to Pai so I didn't have to deal with them. The cop in Colombia lost interest once he realized I didn't speak a lick of Spanish and let me go.
 
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I needed one working in Ghana
DMV there would not accept my Ontario DL
but the handwritten and stamped IDP from CAA was acceptable
 
That map is basic. You'd have to take into consideration the origin of the traveller for many countries. There are alot of treaties out there.
 
Anywhere I have been in the world doesn't require one to drive. You need it to insulate against corruption.

It's $25 for Ontario drivers, drop into any CAA and they do it for you while you wait.
 
I needed and had my IDP when I moved to Canada from India. If I remember correctly, I was able to rent cars with the IDP (and not my Indian license).

Conversely, if/when I visit India next time, I would need an IDP to drive there, since I dont think my Ontario license is accepted there.
 
Baggsy said:
Insert International Driving Permit stories here . . .
Click to expand...

Needed one for Portugal. Getting it was a joke - Pay money to CAA, get a fancy looking paper booklet and that was it. They did ask for it when I rented a car though, so glad I had one. But when we rented a scooter? We were handed the keys and that was it...lol!


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Opps seems I have been driving places were I should have had this. Mexico and Spain... Maybe I should look into this.
 
That map is clearly inaccurate (at least for those holding a Canadian driver's license). In addition to the above, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland do not require anything more than a Canadian license yet the map says an IDP is required...
 
Yes, that map doesn't seem to apply to Canadian drivers licenses.

I tried searching for a listing that was applicable to us, but only found resources for US and UK drivers. Seems nobody bothered to compile a list/map specific to Canadians.

For the definitive word on whether or not you need an IDP for Canadian drivers/riders, you have to go to the Government of Canada website and click on their Travel tab:

Travel Advice and Advisories

Then select each country separately and check the "Laws & Culture" tab.

This is what it says for "Australia" (actually a link to the Oz gov website):
In Australia, laws and driving regulations differ from state to state. Some states require you to carry an International Licence with your current foreign licence. Other states request you carry your current foreign driver's licence together with a formal translation of your licence into English.

In most Australian states and territories (the exception is the Northern Territory), you are able to drive on a overseas licence as long as it is current. You can only drive vehicles which your overseas licence authorises you to drive and you must drive according to any conditions on your overseas licence.
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For Ireland:
You should carry an International Driving Permit.
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And India:
You must carry an international driving permit
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Strange... I drove in both the Northern Territory of Australia as well as Ireland, and I was even pulled over in Ireland last August and had my driver's license checked by the officer. Not a word of needing an international one...
 
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Xhumeka said:
Strange... I drove in both the Northern Territory of Australia as well as Ireland, and I was even pulled over in Ireland last August and had my driver's license checked by the officer. Not a word of needing an international one...
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As mentioned before, poor enforcement doesn't mean the laws aren't on the books.

I find in the more touristy areas the cops know what the IDP requirements are and will ask and ticket accordingly. A cop that doesn't normally stop foreign drivers may not be up to date on the IDP treaties/requirements for each foreign country.
 
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Lightcycle said:
As mentioned before, poor enforcement doesn't mean the laws aren't on the books.

I find in the more touristy areas the cops know what the IDP requirements are and will ask and ticket accordingly. A cop that doesn't normally stop foreign drivers may not be up to date on the IDP treaties/requirements for each foreign country.
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Was reminded of this thread a couple days ago. Got stopped in Bali for riding without a helmet, though there were a bunch of other scooters around me that also didn't have a helmet. Cop asked for my IDP, which not only I had, I had it on me surprisingly. Was able to squeeze out of it with a $15 bribe (vs $25 ticket) for just the helmet
 
For $25 at CAA? Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
 
It has been suggested that if you're going to ride through a country that doesn't follow the latin alphabet, an IDP will help translate your license into something close to the local language.

Officially, you need one to travel around even western Europe, but motorcycle and car rental places (at least in Spain, Germany, and Jamaica) didn't care that I was lacking one, nor did the Italian Carabinieri that demanded angrily in Italian to see all my documentation.

I stopped bothering with the IDP, unless I find myself close to a CAA office and I'm feeling like I have $25 to blow.
 
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