Team-BHP - The International Driving License (IDL) / International Driving Permit (IDP) Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by straight6 (Post 1865545)

Guys,

My friend had to suddenly move to Melbourne, Australia for work because of which he went there without an IDP. In Australia, you can't ride on your Indian license but you can drive.

He wants me to send an IDP from here so he can rent a bike there. He said he will send me scanned copies of his license and passport from there. In this case, what should I do?

Original of passport/visa is required and also as mentioned by Jazz, IDP is issued only in person. I got the same last year, went through an agent and it just took me half a day. I had to visit the RTO office to show my passport and face along with a singature.

Hi,

I am travelling to France/Switzerland in July. I plan to rent a car in Switzerland and drive around. I have the following query:

My drivers license is from Gujarat (Baroda), passport address has the old Mumbai address and my current address is new (just have the buy-sell agreement and MTNL telephone bill in my name.

A. Do I need an IDL/IDP in the first place?
B. If I do, Andheri would be nearest RTO. Will the above different jurisdictions create a problem.
C. Does it make sense to get a Mumbai license and take a IDP on top of that?

Request guidance. Any agent references would be welcome too.please:

Guys, I may need to get an IDP tomorrow itself because tonight I was asked to go to the US early next week
- Is a confirmed air ticket required for getting an IDP ? I dont have a confirmed air ticket, only a couple of valid VISAs.
- Is the Pune RTO open on Saturday ? I may have to fly on Monday night or Tuesday night and have a full day of work on Monday. I believe I have to make an appearance in person to get one. Or can I just give an agent a bunch of currency notes and ask him to get everything done ? Given my time crunch, is it advisable to go through an agent instead of trying to pull it off on my own?

On my last visit to the US I was terribly inconvenienced because my company policy mandates an IDP if I have to get a rental, and had to fly on a short notice back then too.
The city of Memphis has no public transport and is not very pedestrian friendly too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajo (Post 2217782)

Funny policy your company has! One does not need an IDP to rent a car in most US states if your DL is in English.

A visa is enough for an IDP---that is how I'd got mine a year ago (a waste of time and money that i realised after reaching the US).

I'm not sure about Pune, but I had to make 2 visits to the RTA on the same day for my IDP at Hyderabad

Most US cities are like Memphis-they lack decent public transport. I am lucky to be in DC which is an exception. Driving in DC is a pain also--it has the densest traffic in the whole country. Driving over ice and snow is a challenge too, so I've been using public transport so far.

Best of luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 2217877)

A visa is enough for an IDP---that is how I'd got mine a year ago (a waste of time and money that i realised after reaching the US).

I'm not sure about Pune, but I had to make 2 visits to the RTA on the same day for my IDP at Hyderabad

Thanks vnabhi! As luck would have it, Pune RTO is closed today (4th Saturday). I did see some (mostly empty) buses in Memphis (run by MATA), but they dont really seem to go from any useful place to any other useful place and/or are occupied some characters you dont usually want to meet alone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajo (Post 2217782)

Be aware that USA does not recognize IDP in most states. You have to show your Indian Drivers License to drive there.
Some states like Nevada need a USA drivers license, they will not accept a foreign country drivers license.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajo (Post 2217782)

Guys, I may need to get an IDP tomorrow itself because tonight I was asked to go to the US early next week

Always carry both, your Indian licence and the IDP when driving in the States.

Quote:

Is a confirmed air ticket required for getting an IDP ? I dont have a confirmed air ticket, only a couple of valid VISAs.

Passport + valid visa + your Indian DL

Quote:

I believe I have to make an appearance in person to get one.

Engage the services of a competent broker. I applied in the morning, spent 15 minutes of my time at the RTO and came back to work. My IDP was delivered home the same evening.

Take a life membership of Automobile Association - AASI in South India.
They will issue a perfectly valid Int'l Driving Permit when you show them your Valid Indian DL and Passport + valid Visa.
The IDP will be of the same validity as your actual DL and is issued across the counter.
The IDP issued by the AASI is accepted in UK, Mainland Europe, ANZ, Singapore and a host of other countries. As far as I know it is even accepted in most places in America.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shankar.balan (Post 2219903)

My license was issued by RTO in Patiala, Punjab, but i am in Bangalore now. Will AASI still be able to get me an IDP?

Yes

Go over and see them - they are on St Marks Road. House of Lords, Room No 15 and 16. Phone: 22111486/ 22111561.
will cost you 3500 for life membership.
and another 1000 odd for the IDP

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 2219906)

My license was issued by RTO in Patiala, Punjab, but i am in Bangalore now. Will AASI still be able to get me an IDP?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2219105)

Actually, the IDP is mandatory in my case because my company wont give me a rental without it, as per their policy which they stick very rigidly to. Its either IDP or a US driving license.
Its another matter that we dont have a "US Driving for noobs" thread for people like me. :P Was always driven around by friends/colleagues previously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 2219885)

Engage the services of a competent broker. I applied in the morning, spent 15 minutes of my time at the RTO and came back to work. My IDP was delivered home the same evening.

Thats exactly what I did today morning! Only my case had to stand in the queue inspite of engaging an agent. Hopefully, will get that by today evening.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 2219906)

My license was issued by RTO in Patiala, Punjab, but i am in Bangalore now. Will AASI still be able to get me an IDP?

I think getting one from AASI will actually less hassle free than RTO because they will insist your license be from Bangalore (like your passport). Maybe you can try getting it from Patiala itself, by engaging the services of an agent.

Guys... I have a valid UAE driving license and an international driving permit valid for 1 year issued from Abu Dhabi, UAE. My queries are

1) Can i drive in India for a period of 1 month.
2) Can i convert my international driving permit into a permanent Indian Driving license without undergoing tests? If yes, then how long will it take?

Can any one help me as i will be visiting india next month and like a true petrol head iam eager to get behind the wheels?

HP