Passport Health Passports and Visas
Do you need a passport or visa?
Call or email us
Back toPassport Health Logo
Start Your Application!
VISAS|PASSPORTS|FIND A TRAVEL CLINIC
  • Home
  • Visas
      • Overview
        • Do I Need a Visa?
        • Visa FAQs
      • Top Visa Destinations
        • Learn more about the travel visa requirements for top destinations:

          • Afghanistan Visa
          • Algeria Visa
          • Angola Visa
          • Australia Visa
          • Azerbaijan Visa
          • Bahrain Visa
          • Bangladesh Visa
          • Belarus Visa
          • Benin Visa
          • Bhutan Visa
          • Bolivia Visa
          • Brazil Visa
          • Burkina Faso Visa
          • Burundi Visa
          • Cambodia Visa
          • Cameroon Visa
          • Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Visa
          • Central African Republic Visa
          • Chad Visa
          • China Visa
          • Cote d’Ivoire Visa
          • Cuba Visa
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo Visa
          • Djibouti Visa
          • Dominican Republic Visa
          • East Timor (Timor-Leste) Visa
          • Egypt Visa
          • Eritrea Visa
          • Ethiopia Visa
          • Gabon Visa
          • Gambia Visa
          • Ghana Visa
          • Guinea Visa
          • Guinea-Bissau Visa
          • Hong Kong Visa
          • India Visa
          • Indonesia Visa
          • Iran Visa
          • Iraq Visa
          • Jordan Visa
          • Kazakhstan Visa
          • Kenya Visa
          • Kuwait Visa
          • Kyrgyzstan Visa
          • Laos Visa
          • Lebanon Visa
          • Liberia Visa
          • Libya Visa
          • Macau Visa
          • Madagascar Visa
          • Malawi Visa
          • Mali Visa
          • Mauritania Visa
          • Mozambique Visa
          • Myanmar (Burma) Visa
          • Namibia Visa
          • Nauru Visa
          • Nepal Visa
          • Niger Visa
          • Nigeria Visa
          • North Korea Visa
          • Oman Visa
          • Pakistan Visa
          • Papua New Guinea Visa
          • Paraguay Visa
          • Peru Visa
          • Philippines Visa
          • Qatar Visa
          • Republic of the Congo Visa
          • Russia Visa
          • Rwanda Visa
          • Sao Tome & Principe Visa
          • Saudi Arabia Visa
          • Sierra Leone Visa
          • Somalia Visa
          • South Africa Visa
          • South Sudan Visa
          • Sri Lanka Visa
          • Sudan Visa
          • Suriname Visa
          • Syria Visa
          • Tajikistan Visa
          • Tanzania Visa
          • Thailand Visa
          • Tibet Visa
          • Togo Visa
          • Tonga Visa
          • Turkey Visa
          • Turkmenistan Visa
          • Uganda Visa
          • United Arab Emirates Visa
          • Uzbekistan Visa
          • Venezuela Visa
          • Vietnam Visa
          • Yemen Visa
          • Zambia Visa
          • Zimbabwe Visa
    • Close
  • Passports
    • Overview
      • Child’s Passport
      • Damaged Passport
      • Expedited Passport
      • First Time Passport
      • Lost or Stolen Passport
      • Renewed Passport
      • Second Passport
      • Passport FAQs
    • Close
  • About
    • Overview
      • Corporate Overview
      • Passports and Visas for Group Travel
      • Contact us
    • Close
  • Blog

Passports and Visas service is temporarily suspended

Due to COVID-19 and the health of our employees, we will not be accepting new applicants at this time.

Should I Get an International Driving Permit?

An international driving permit can allow for a new kind of freedom during your trip.

There’s something romantic in the idea of driving through back roads in the countryside of a foreign land. This may stem from the loads of films boasting picturesque views of couples driving along the coast.

But, movies always leave out the logistics behind how to have such magical moments.

Driving abroad – whether for business or pleasure – can be as fun as it looks, but it helps to be prepared.

The first thing to consider is getting an international driving permit (IDP). An IDP is a booklet resembling a passport that’s issued by the American Automobile Association (AAA) or American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). While you won’t need an IDP for every location, it is required or recommended in over 150 countries.

This permit can simplify potentially complex situations.

Think of how complicated accidents or tickets can get in the United States when all documents and officials use the same language. Now, imagine what that same situation would be like when you speak English and the other group only knows Croatian.

The IDP translates your American driver’s license into ten languages. This helps a foreign officer take down the information more easily if you’re pulled over in another country. The IDP simplifies language barriers if anything happens while driving abroad.

In some countries, travelers are required by law to have an IDP to get behind the wheel. So, anyone renting out a car will ask for your IDP before they hand over the keys.

In other countries, like most of Europe, you don’t need to carry a permit. It’s important to be aware of the country’s requirements that you’re traveling to, as there may be legal risks associated with not having the permit. Some countries may issue a fine, while in others, like Japan for example, you can face arrest or deportation.

Getting an IDP is fairly easy and inexpensive. You just need to bring $20 and two passport-size (2 x 2 inches) photos to your local AAA and fill out an application. It’s also possible to apply via mail, but processing takes longer, at up to six weeks.

In some ways, having an IDP is similar to owning insurance. In the best case scenario, you never have to rely on the benefits. But, when the IDP is needed, you’ll most likely be glad having spent the extra money and effort to cover all bases.

It’s like the old saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Here’s hoping the only stops you have while driving along the coast in Ireland are for a flock of sheep crossing the road or to grab a drink in a local pub.

Do you need to get an International Driving Permit for an upcoming foreign trip? Passport Health can help! Call us at or check out any of our other passport and visa services.

Do you have any other questions about international transportation? Feel free to contact us via Facebook or Twitter.

Written for Passport Health by Adrienne St. Clair

Need a Travel Visa or Passport?

We can help! Let us make the process hassle-free!
Passport Icon

Email us or

Expert Passport & Visa Processing

Our team of experts makes sure your passport and/or visa application is:
  • check markComplete
  • check markAccurate
  • check markHand delivered
  • check markProcessed Quickly
Contact us to get started
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Passport FAQs
  • Visa FAQs
  • Group Travel Solutions
  • Terms of Use
  • Sitemap
Speak with a Passport
and Visa Expert
1-844-366-VISA
Please call or E-mail Us
Connect With Us
Passport Health on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on YouTube
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on Linked In
Passport Health Feed

Passport Health is an Outlier business Copyright © 2023