nectarine Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Shortly to get a French licence but will be hiring a car in the States early next year (Florida) and now wondering if the USA will require an international driving licence, since the licence won't be written in English!Has anybody hired in the US on a French licence?Thanks for all replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 I got an international licence from the prefecture and took both that and my french licence with me. No problem at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Thanks Idun, but when you hired the car did the US rental agency actually ask to see the international driving licence? Or did they just accept the French one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 As soon as I got into various offices, as I have hired more than once, I usually show both without them asking. They only ever seemed most interested in the credit cards [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 thanks. Separately I emailed the hire company who said that, as long as the licence was written in roman script, they didn't need an IDL. Although of course you could get some grumpy smalltown employee who says differently, but I'll pass on the international one. Thanks for your reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 http://www.nerac.fr/vos-droits-a-demarches.html?id=F11534There is the link to your prefecture and it is free, so why not get one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 thanks ... well if it's free then I might as well thanks for that link Idun ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprogster Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Nectarine, as someone who travels to the USA several times a year II can tell you categorically that you do not need an international driving licence to rent a car in the USA.Early last year a law was introduced in Florida to require an international driving licence intended for visitors whose licences were not in Roman script, but after an outcry the law was swiftly repealed!In fact I would go as far as saying showing two driving licences in the USA to a rental car employee would more than likely just confuse, as they just want one licence number on the contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 With pedants hat on it's not an International Driving LICENCE, no such animal exists, it's proper name is International Driving PERMIT and in fact is nothing more than a multilingual translation of your actual licence.By itself it's of significantly less use than a piece of second hand toilet paper and it's pretty inconceivable that any car hire operative would confuse it for a second licence however low their IQ !As an aside an IDP must be applied for to the licencing authority which issued your actual driving licence so in the case of French resident UK licence holders that would be DVLA so I wonder, will they actually send one to somebody in France ?Anybody up to putting it to the test, I have a French licence now otherwise I would try it myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 International driving permits are not issued by the DVLA but can be got from the AA, RAC or the Post Office.regards. colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 But Nectarine has a french licence, like I did when I got my internation whatever. And because it is french, maybe it is not a bad idea to have an official form with translations on it[Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salty Sam Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 [quote user="AnOther"]As an aside an IDP must be applied for to the licencing authority which issued your actual driving licence so in the case of French resident UK licence holders that would be DVLA so I wonder, will they actually send one to somebody in France ?[/quote]Wrong!£5.50 from the Post Office, valid for 12 months.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 OK, perhaps not actually issued by the DVLA but applications are processed with reference to them hence the nominal 10 working days lead time, to infer that you can walk into a Post Office/The AA/RAC and walk out with an IDP is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I understand that you are the font of all knowledge but this time you are wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I'm afraid you'll have to do much much better than that to get under my skin [;-)]If not to refer to the DVLA to what do you ascribe the 10 working day lead time, or is it your contention that you do walk in and walk out with your IDP on the spot ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I have on more than once done just that, walked into AA identified myself (provided license) filled in form paid fee walked out with IDP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salty Sam Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 [quote user="Nelson"]I have on more than once done just that, walked into AA identified myself (provided license) filled in form paid fee walked out with IDP.[/quote]Same here, both via the AA and the Post Office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Supposedly IDP's are available over the counter from SELECTED PO's and AA port travel shops only, the reason being that those establishments are authorised to interrogate DVLA records to establish entitlement.[url]http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/motidp002.html[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salty Sam Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 [quote user="AnOther"]Supposedly IDP's are available over the counter from SELECTED PO's and AA port travel shops only, the reason being that those establishments are authorised to interrogate DVLA records to establish entitlement.[url]http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/motidp002.html[/url][/quote]"Supposedly: According to what is generally assumed or believed (often used to indicate that the speaker doubts the truth of the statement)."If you've no experience of obtaining an IDP, please be good enough to accept the experience of two on this forum who have gone through the process instead of trawling the internet looking for a get-out for your original claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Well, supposedly I got one over the counter, too. Anyone got a shovel for ANO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 It was some years ago now but a work colleague was going to have his day in court for drink driving a few weeks before a holiday in Florida. He went to an AA shop, got an international permit. He was banned for a year of course but just used the international permit to hire a car in Florida, no questions asked. It was a while back so things could have changed now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 No interrogation of DVLA records is necessary if you produce your UK license at the time of application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ceour de Lion II Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign-Visitors-Driving.shtmlPersonally, I never bothered when I visited the US. I think I put my licence number on the rental car agreement, but they never saw it. I did use my English licence, but it's still the old paper one. Still has my parents address on it even though they've been dead 15 years and the house long since sold.This was in New Jersey, so I don't know what the laws are in other states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprogster Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 If you look at the new French EU standard driving licence there is very little in French, other than the words driving licence and the republic of France, as it is all numerical and Roman letter based with shadow pictures of the class of vehicles authorised.No doubt to make it readable internationally without the need for any understanding of French! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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