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-   -   The International Driving License (IDL) / International Driving Permit (IDP) Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/5765-international-driving-license-idl-international-driving-permit-idp-thread-16.html)

Hi Alphakilo,

In general, An IDP alone is not a valid document. It is valid only when carried with the original DL.

As far as my experience goes, Car Renting companies off-late are demanding for both IDP + Indian DL if you have arrived less than 6 months in Germany.

There are quite some lucky ones who get rented cars with just their Indian DL. But a couple of times, Im have seen that the rentals getting reject because they had not carried the IDP+DL original. To avoid such painful scenarios, it would be a better idea to carry both. It shoud not cost more than 40 Euros converted to INR :)

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2821970

And rightly said, car renting here in Germany in general is a costly affair. Nevertheless, one can check if there is any discount through their employers.

For my case, there are really lavish discounts through my employer, where I get to pay only ~ 50€ for the same car-class that costs ~140€ per day if booked as an individual. Plus, in my official contracts, I get (free of cost) good add-ons like unlimited kilometers, Loss-Damage Waiver with an upper limit of 500€, Free Navigation, etc...

So, if your employer has some tie-up with rental companies, one can actually have a fantastic road-trip experiences at Germany / Europe!

Absolutely right! In the Eurozone you need an IDP and your actual Indian DL in English.
Whenever you rent, it is well worth going for CDW collision damage waiver, EDW, Excess damage waiver, LDW Loss damage waiver and Peace of Mind Cover as these can help avoid paying out a massive excess damage consideration in the event of damage. I find Europcar to be excellent followed by Argus and Budget as well. Also, when renting one can usually get some excellent deals from local rent a car people but this works provided you are taking delivery from and returning it to the same location.

Very valid point. In my latest case last month, I rented a BMW X1 Automatic and to our hard luck, the car's rear tyre got busted within 50 kms. It was almost a brand-new car with only 6000+ kilometers on the odo.

Procedure was very clear, I called the customer-care from my mobile. He lodged the incident. The car"s computer displayed that the tyre is running low pressure, still I can drive not more than 80 kmph. He too confirmed that it is safe to drive in max 80 until their next rental unit which was luckily less than 20 kms from my position.

The car was good as they have mentioned - reached their unit in no time. The Customer care had already informed about the SOS and the unit had a replacement vehicle ready. Another pristine 4WD Automatic, it was the Nissan Qashqai +2. Equally brand new! Handed over the Bimmer's key and took the new Beast (this was just a 2 month old car, we even felt the "New" smell from inside!).

All these ended with no additional cost, all covered in the waiver. Only impact was a 1 hour delay from my schedule, it was understandable! (They charged me 24 Euros for refilling it for that 50 kms that I had used, in reality it must have been much less than 10 Euros :D)

So, it is always important to include all waivers in the contract to play safe while driving in the EuroZone!

I had forgotten, Tyre Damage waiver too is a good thing! Yes, as regards cost of refilling fuel, they always add a nice surcharge for inconvenience. These chaps really know how to bring revenue streams from thin air! And us poverty stricken low value currency wanderers get stuffed on their rates! But thats the way of the world my friend and if you and I want to swank around in their zones in those lovely Beemers and Audis it is because we are in a sense, fulfilling our own dreams and aspirations and for that I guess we need to play the game by those rules and pay those prices too!

Well said Shankar! When I look back now (after reaching "Gold" membership in a very short span with Sixt), I would have easily spent around 1 Lakh INR on rentals (excluding Fuel, Parking & Tolls) over a span of 2 years. But you are right, this is the best way to fulfill our dreams of driving varieties of Technically Advanced cars without owning one.

Plus, the safety (both in terms of infrastructure and road-user discipline) we get on the EuroZone roads is really unbeatable, especially when we drive these beasts. With all these, every Euro spent on such drives is worth and I always look forward for my next opportunity :D

Better not to "convert" such expenses back in INR, just keep revving whenever there is a chance! Priceless!!

I must also mention here: Big Thanks to the Tie-ups my employer has with the renting company, else the expense would have been atleast 2.5 times more than my actuals! :thumbs up

Yes. Better to rent an XC 60 or Q3 next time when I am abroad rather than try and buy, own and maintain one here! And absolutely right! Never convert. Go there, have fun, come back and be done. Once you start the conversion game, you will feel so guilty that you will want to just pack and leave!
My wife' s company has some deals on rentals like Hertz etc but I have always found much better ones by shopping around myself.

Just back from a fortnight in Greece. We hired a car in Santorini and I used my smart card Indian Driving licence without any issue whatsoever. I had no free time to get the international DP so specifically e-mailed the car-rental chaps and they confirmed the Indian driving licence is valid.

I just got my IDP issued through Western India Automobile Association, Pune.

Contrary to the South India counterpart's rule of issuing it only for life members, these guys issued one for me based on annual membership too.

Paid 300 as joining fees, 500 for annual membership and 800 for the IDP.

i will be travelling to California this month i have a Maharashtra driving license the booklet one not a smart card but its in english and ill be making a IDP too..will i be eligible to drive in California

I have a query here. I will be traveling to Brunei on September 27th. If I apply for an IDP by say Monday, 17th September, will I get it on time? All docs are in place and address matches on all ID's.

Cheers!
Rohan

I have seen quite a few messages around the net advising to get IDP from independent sources (some within USA, which provide IDP through internet). But, apparently this doesn't work very well with many govts.


Here is a advisory from US govt - http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign-Vi...-Driving.shtml

I might be travelling to Houston-Texas for a short duration. Looking forward to rent a motorcycle there.
HAve a few queries regarding the same.

1. Will the Indian driving license(in English with both motorcycle and car ticked) suffice for motorcycles. From google i see that US citizens need a "motorcycle endorsement".
2. Are motorcycles allowed on all public roads ?
3. Any cheap rentals. Most of the motorcycles seem to be liter class harleys with rentals upwards of 80 USD plus ?
4. How safe would be a parking at a motel or say a late night ride on a freeway.

Regards.

My passport lists my address in Bangalore and my DL lists my address in Chennai. How do I get an IDP?

Go and become a life member at Automobile Association Southern India on Mount Road. They will look after things for you in a seamless manner.

Go and become a member of Automobile Association Southern India on St Marks Road. They will give you your IDP across the table.
Sorry for back to back posting but I wanted to tell you this and I cannot multi quote you now that I have already posted the earlier post.