The International Driving License (IDL) / International Driving Permit (IDP) Thread

RJK · 12th July 2005, 01:21

Can anyone advise how to go about in Bombay about the intl driving license? Also, is Indian license valid in Philadelphia ? Going on F1 too
Thanks.

X-Machine · 12th July 2005, 01:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJK

Can anyone advise how to go about in Bombay about the intl driving license? Also, is Indian license valid in Philadelphia ? Going on F1 too
Thanks.

Well,go to the Tardeo RTO personally along with you original Passport and two photocopies of the same,you Indian DL,4 passport size photographs and fill up a form.The charges are 1000rs and it takes around a week for the entire procedure.
And if you want to save on time and all that headache,then just go to the nearest driving school.They'll take care of the rest.This is much simpler as they have contacts and you can get you work done much quicker.

And also,the Indian license is valid in Philadelphia but only for 2months.But confirm it with other Indians staying there,as i am talking about pre-9/11.

X

Ajay · 12th July 2005, 12:03

Freakz,

As Aah78 said, maybe some states in the US do not let people drive on IDP / Indian license.
Forgot this point! Sorry.You may want to double check on that.But I have driven around in Illinois,Wisconsin,CA,UT on my IDP.
But sadly though for me in esp. in Illinois, Enterprise always insisted on the IDP.
Maybe Am wrong

But guys, dont you need your flight tickets to get the IDP?

Cheers

ritik123 · 12th July 2005, 15:56

From this site you can get ur IDL at ur doorstep. I got mine from here..they are reliable.

http://iadc-usa.com/

You may or maynot require a IDL , but whats the harm in having one and being on the safer side.

Abhay · 13th July 2005, 03:17

You only need a valid visa and your Indian license and of course some medical certificate when you go to the RTO (which I didnt know but there are those doctors outside who do it for 50Rs !) And btw you get the IDP on the same day itself in the evenings (atleast in Pune)

tsk1979 · 25th April 2006, 12:08

Hi,
Where do I get an international driving permit in Noida? My indian license is issued in Ludhiana(Punjab). I am not a member of AA so dont have their "assistance". Any noida based tbhpians know something?

mohit · 25th April 2006, 12:12

Ideally any RTO in india should issue you a IDP if you can show that you are residing at that place. Both me and my brother got our IDPs from Delhi though our licences are from Haryana.
Try to get hold of some agent. The problem is that as soon as you mention the world international, the rates go northwards.

tsk1979 · 25th April 2006, 12:23

Whats the approx cost? With agent and without agent, any ideas?

mohit · 25th April 2006, 12:41

Without agent I think it should not be more that Rs.500. With, varied from 1500 - 4000. Depends purely on your bargaining power. This is the Delhi rate I am talking about. They quote high citing increased focus on security etc.... basically all bull to make you pay more money. UP should be cheaper.

mohit · 25th April 2006, 12:47

If you intend to travel to US, check for local DMV rules. Some states don't require you to have an IDP. I know for sure that California doesn't. I rented a car on the basis on my indian licence. There would be others with similar rules.

amitoj · 25th April 2006, 13:27

Thats right to some extent, Mohit. Actually, its not state dependent at all. All states in US are required to recognize the indian driver's license as valid for an initial period (i dont remember if its 3 months or 6). But, your license should be in English.
US and India (among many other countries) are signatories to a treaty that allows people from one country to drive in another country using their native license for some period.

Remember that even if you have an IDL, you will still need to carry your original DL alongwith it, otherwise your IDL is useless.

Cheers
Amitoj

tsk1979 · 25th April 2006, 13:34

I may be going for approx 3-4 months. Any idea about the duration for which I can use my Indian license. Its in english. so no issues there.

amitoj · 25th April 2006, 13:52

Woops... i actually take back what i said. Mohit is indeed right that it varies from state to state. While Mass and NYS say you dont need an IDP, New Jersey says you must have an IDP!! And the duration also varies... in Mass its one year, and in NYS, its the duration of ur temporary stay!!
So.. where u going?

tsk1979 · 25th April 2006, 13:54

San jose. I was wondering how much time does it take to get IDP

amitoj · 25th April 2006, 14:03

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#international

How much time it will take to get an IDP will depend on ur contacts. I got mine from Patiala within 5 days (including time for courier etc) ... it does help when ur parents have been teachers in the same city for ages!

12th July 2005, 01:21	#31
RJK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,140 Thanked: 701 Times	Can anyone advise how to go about in Bombay about the intl driving license? Also, is Indian license valid in Philadelphia ? Going on F1 too Thanks. Last edited by RJK : 12th July 2005 at 01:22.
	() Thanks

12th July 2005, 12:03	#33
Ajay BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: B'lore Posts: 147 Thanked: 5 Times	Freakz, As Aah78 said, maybe some states in the US do not let people drive on IDP / Indian license. Forgot this point! Sorry.You may want to double check on that.But I have driven around in Illinois,Wisconsin,CA,UT on my IDP. But sadly though for me in esp. in Illinois, Enterprise always insisted on the IDP. Maybe Am wrong But guys, dont you need your flight tickets to get the IDP? Cheers
	() Thanks

12th July 2005, 15:56	#34
ritik123 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United States Posts: 123 Thanked: 4 Times	From this site you can get ur IDL at ur doorstep. I got mine from here..they are reliable. http://iadc-usa.com/ You may or maynot require a IDL , but whats the harm in having one and being on the safer side.
	() Thanks

13th July 2005, 03:17	#35
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	You only need a valid visa and your Indian license and of course some medical certificate when you go to the RTO (which I didnt know but there are those doctors outside who do it for 50Rs !) And btw you get the IDP on the same day itself in the evenings (atleast in Pune)
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 12:08	#36
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,826 Times View My Garage	International Driving Permit (IDP) Hi, Where do I get an international driving permit in Noida? My indian license is issued in Ludhiana(Punjab). I am not a member of AA so dont have their "assistance". Any noida based tbhpians know something? Last edited by aah78 : 9th July 2008 at 20:40. Reason: Thread merged with existing. All IDL / IDP Threads consolidated into one.
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 12:12	#37
mohit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto / Kurukshetra Posts: 677 Thanked: 168 Times	Ideally any RTO in india should issue you a IDP if you can show that you are residing at that place. Both me and my brother got our IDPs from Delhi though our licences are from Haryana. Try to get hold of some agent. The problem is that as soon as you mention the world international, the rates go northwards.
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 12:23	#38
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,826 Times View My Garage	Whats the approx cost? With agent and without agent, any ideas?
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 12:41	#39
mohit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto / Kurukshetra Posts: 677 Thanked: 168 Times	Without agent I think it should not be more that Rs.500. With, varied from 1500 - 4000. Depends purely on your bargaining power. This is the Delhi rate I am talking about. They quote high citing increased focus on security etc.... basically all bull to make you pay more money. UP should be cheaper.
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 12:47	#40
mohit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto / Kurukshetra Posts: 677 Thanked: 168 Times	If you intend to travel to US, check for local DMV rules. Some states don't require you to have an IDP. I know for sure that California doesn't. I rented a car on the basis on my indian licence. There would be others with similar rules.
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 13:27	#41
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,105 Times View My Garage	Thats right to some extent, Mohit. Actually, its not state dependent at all. All states in US are required to recognize the indian driver's license as valid for an initial period (i dont remember if its 3 months or 6). But, your license should be in English. US and India (among many other countries) are signatories to a treaty that allows people from one country to drive in another country using their native license for some period. Remember that even if you have an IDL, you will still need to carry your original DL alongwith it, otherwise your IDL is useless. Cheers Amitoj
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 13:34	#42
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,826 Times View My Garage	I may be going for approx 3-4 months. Any idea about the duration for which I can use my Indian license. Its in english. so no issues there.
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 13:52	#43
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,105 Times View My Garage	Woops... i actually take back what i said. Mohit is indeed right that it varies from state to state. While Mass and NYS say you dont need an IDP, New Jersey says you must have an IDP!! And the duration also varies... in Mass its one year, and in NYS, its the duration of ur temporary stay!! So.. where u going?
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 13:54	#44
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,826 Times View My Garage	San jose. I was wondering how much time does it take to get IDP
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 14:03	#45
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,105 Times View My Garage	http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#international How much time it will take to get an IDP will depend on ur contacts. I got mine from Patiala within 5 days (including time for courier etc) ... it does help when ur parents have been teachers in the same city for ages!
	() Thanks