By the International Drivers Association editorial desk. Written from 20+ years of cross-border driving and rental-counter experience in 64 countries. Last updated: June 2026.
Travelers ask two different questions when they search for countries that require an IDP. Some want a country-by-country lookup for their next trip, a need served by our countries list. Others want a clear legal classification: where is the IDP actually mandated by law, and where is it merely expected by rental agencies or travel guides? This guide answers the second question and draws the line between statutory requirement and practical necessity.
Countries requiring an international driving permit number more than 75 worldwide, spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and parts of Europe. In these countries, foreign drivers must carry an IDP alongside their national license, and driving without one can mean fines, voided rental insurance, or vehicle impoundment. Many more countries do not require an IDP by statute but expect one in practice at the rental counter, especially for licenses printed in non-Latin scripts.
Requirement levels at a glance
Level | What it means | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
Strict legal requirement | National law lists the IDP as mandatory for foreign drivers, with defined penalties | Japan, Thailand, Egypt, Saudi Arabia |
Conditional requirement | IDP mandatory only for licenses in a non-recognized script or for longer stays | Much of the EU for non-Latin-script licenses |
Recommended in practice | The license alone is legally sufficient, but rental agencies and insurers expect an IDP | Most of Western Europe for US, UK, Canadian, and Australian licenses |
What is the difference between "legally required" and "recommended"?
A legally required IDP means national road-traffic law lists the IDP as a mandatory document for foreign drivers, with a defined penalty for non-compliance. A recommended IDP means national law accepts the foreign national license alone, but rental agencies, insurers, or police in practice expect to see an IDP and may deny service if it is absent.
The legal status changes when national legislation changes, not when travel guides update. A country that recommended an IDP last year can move to a strict legal requirement after a single legislative session, which is why this guide groups countries by the legal force of the rule rather than by region alone.
Which European countries require an IDP?
Most Western European countries do not legally require an IDP from US, UK, Canadian, Australian, or other Latin-script license holders for short visits. The IDP becomes a legal matter in Europe in three situations: stays exceeding roughly 6 months in a single country, licenses issued in non-Latin scripts (Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Thai, and others), and travel to a set of non-EU European countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, and Moldova, where the IDP is statutory.
In practice, rental agencies in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and elsewhere routinely request an IDP at the counter even when the license alone is legally sufficient. Note for Spain specifically: a digital IDP is not recognized there, so carry the printed booklet.
Which Asian countries require an IDP?
Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines legally require an International Driving Permit for foreign drivers, and Thailand and Indonesia recognize only the printed 1-year booklet, not a digital copy. Police checks on tourist drivers, particularly scooter and motorbike renters, are routine in Thailand and Indonesia, and driving without the required documents risks fines and voided travel insurance after an accident.
Japan and South Korea also legally require foreign drivers to carry an IDP, and both apply strict national rules about the permit's format and issuing channel. The IDA permit is currently not accepted in Japan or South Korea, so travelers to those two destinations should arrange their driving documentation through the channels those governments specify. Mainland China does not recognize foreign permits at all: visitors need a local Chinese license to drive legally. Vietnam requires a permit issued under the 1968 treaty framework, which is a different format from the 1949 Geneva Convention document.
Which Middle Eastern countries require an IDP?
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan all require an IDP for foreign drivers, with the UAE applying residency-based exceptions: short-term visitors holding licenses from certain countries may drive on the license alone, while most other license origins need an IDP. Saudi Arabia expects an IDP across the board for foreign visitors driving privately.
Two practical notes for the Gulf region: penalties for driving without required documents are among the strictest globally, and the UAE recognizes only the printed 1-year IDP booklet, not a digital copy.
Which countries do NOT recognize the International Driving Permit?
A small number of destinations do not recognize the IDP and require a local license or conversion process instead. Mainland China is the clearest case: travelers cannot drive on a foreign permit and need a local Chinese license (Hong Kong and Macau follow their own rules). Vietnam requires the 1968-framework permit rather than the 1949 Geneva format. And as noted above, Japan and South Korea legally require an IDP but restrict which permits they accept, and the IDA permit is currently not accepted in either.
For any destination in this category, arrange documentation through the destination's motor-vehicle authority before driving. An unrecognized permit carries no legal weight, and driving on it alone is treated as driving without a license.
How do I check the current legal requirement before I travel?
Check two sources within a few weeks of departure: the destination country's official transportation or road-traffic authority (or your government's country travel page), and the IDA countries list, which maintains country-by-country status including format limitations such as printed-booklet-only destinations. Cross-checking protects against outdated travel-guide information, since IDP rules change with national legislation.
When in doubt, carry the printed booklet. No destination that accepts the IDP objects to the physical format, while several reject the digital copy.
For drivers holding non-US licenses
The legal requirement applies to all foreign drivers, but the consequences differ by origin. UK drivers now face IDP requirements in some destinations that did not apply before Brexit, particularly for longer stays. Canadian drivers do not need an IDP in the US, but most overseas destinations treat Canadian licenses the same as US ones. EU license holders do not need an IDP within the EU, since member-state licenses are mutually recognized; the requirement applies when driving beyond it.
Whatever your license origin, the same dual rule applies everywhere: the IDP is carried alongside the original license, never instead of it, and the validity rules (printed term, license expiry, destination acceptance) work identically.
Key Takeaways
- More than 75 countries require an IDP for foreign drivers by law, and many more expect one at the rental counter.
- Three requirement levels exist: strict legal requirement, conditional requirement (non-Latin scripts or long stays), and recommended in practice.
- Thailand, Spain, the UAE, and Indonesia accept only the printed 1-year booklet, so carry the physical document there.
- Mainland China requires a local license, Vietnam uses the 1968 framework, and the IDA permit is currently not accepted in Japan or South Korea.
- IDP rules change with national legislation, so verify your destination's current requirement shortly before travel.
