International driving licence
An international driver's license is a document issued by a country's road traffic authorities or automobile clubs on the basis of international treaties. Above all, it is intended to enable the police in another country to determine whether a foreign driver has the driving license required for his current vehicle.
International driving license of Germany, front cover
International driving license for Germany, pages 6 and 7
Intergovernmental Agreements
The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968 regulates the issue of international driving licenses in Chapter IV (Drivers of motor vehicles) in Article 41 (Driving licenses). Most of the signatory states to the EU have joined, so the respective national driving licenses are valid throughout the EU anyway.
At the same time there is a second agreement, the Geneva Agreement on Motor Vehicle Traffic of 1949. This mainly consists of American nations as well as African and Asian states. There are thus two groups of countries, each of which issues or accepts a different “international driving license”, but not the respective “international driving license” of the other group. For a holder of only a driving license from the Federal Republic of Germany, it is therefore not possible, for example, to obtain an international driving license that is legally accepted in the USA . The international driving license according to the Vienna Convention is generally accepted by local US authorities in connection with a valid EU driving license.
The 1926 Paris Agreement on Motor Vehicle Traffic stipulates that the international driving license is valid in all countries that have signed the agreement. The undersigned plenipotentiaries of the governments of the states listed below, who met in Paris from April 20 to 24, 1926, in a conference to consider the amendments to be made to the International Convention on the Traffic in Motor Vehicles of October 11, 1909 these provisions agreed. The contract is valid from December 13, 1930. The driving license is valid for 12 months and must then be reissued in the country of issue. It is still in force in some interstate constellations.
Regulation in the Vienna Convention
All quotations from sub-items of Chapter IV (Article 1 letter p, Article 41)
According to (5.) “An international driving license may only be issued to the holder of a national driving license for whose acquisition the minimum requirements specified in this convention have been met. An international driving license may only be issued by the contracting party in whose territory the holder has his normal place of residence and which has also issued the national driving license or has recognized a driving license issued by another contracting party; it has no validity in this area. "
Under point 2.4a "[recognize] the contracting parties [...]:
- i) any national driving license that complies with Appendix 6;
- ii) any international driving license that complies with Appendix 7 when presented together with a corresponding national driving license
as valid to drive a vehicle in their territory belonging to the classes for which the driving licenses are valid, provided that the driving licenses are still valid and have been issued by another Contracting Party or one of its sub-areas or by an association of the was authorized to do so by this other contracting party or one of its sub-areas "
The format and content of the driving license are specified in Appendix 7 of the Convention.
Classes
The driving license classes according to the Vienna Road Traffic Convention correspond to those of the EU driving license:
| class | description |
|---|---|
| A. | Motorcycles |
| B. | Motor vehicles, other than any of Class A, with a maximum gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 t (7700 pounds) and no more than 8 seats in addition to the driver's seat. |
| C. | Motor vehicles for the carriage of goods with a maximum gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 t (7700 pounds) |
| D. | Motor vehicles for passenger transport with more than 8 seats in addition to the driver's seat. |
| E. | Connected vehicles whose towing vehicle falls into class B, C or D, which the driver is authorized to drive, but which do not themselves fall into this class (es). |
The Paris Agreement knows the following three classes:
| class | description |
|---|---|
| A. | Motor vehicles with a total weight not exceeding 3500 kg. |
| B. | Motor vehicles with a total weight of more than 3500 kg. |
| C. | Motorcycles, with and without a sidecar. |
National
- For the situation in Germany, see driving license and driving license (Germany) #Internationaler Führerschein
- For the situation in Austria, see driving license and driving license (Austria) #Internationaler driving license
Country recommendations Validity of international driving license
Outside the EU, it is generally advisable to have an international driving license with you. The international driving license is only valid in connection with the respective national driving license.
| country | only national driving license is sufficient | additionally international driving license | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | |||
| EU countries | Yes | - | |
| EEA countries ( European Economic Area ) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway |
Yes | - | |
| Bosnia Herzegovina | Yes | - | |
| Switzerland | Yes | - | |
| Turkey | Yes | - | |
| Russia | - | recommended | |
| Ukraine | - | recommended | |
| Belarus | - | recommended | |
| Moldova | - | recommended | |
| North America | |||
| United States | is tolerated, but no legal basis | yes, recommended | - |
| Canada | is tolerated, but no legal basis | yes, recommended | - |
| Mexico | - | Yes | - |
| Central / South America | |||
| Argentina | - | Yes | - |
| Bolivia | - | Yes | The international driver's license must be stamped on site by the responsible authority. |
| Brazil | - | Yes | A temporary driver's license in Brazil must be issued for long-term stays. |
| Chile | - | Yes | - |
| Costa Rica | - | Yes | - |
| Ecuador | - | Yes | - |
| Guiana | - | Yes | Driving a vehicle is only permitted with a local driver's license, which can be obtained on presentation of the German or international driver's license. |
| Colombia | - | Yes | - |
| Cuba | - | Yes | - |
| Paraguay | - | Yes | International driver's license only recognized for 90 days. For stays over 90 days, a Paraguayan driving license is required. |
| Peru | - | Yes | - |
| Suriname | - | Yes | - |
| Uruguay | in credit card format for tourist stays | - | The German driver's license in credit card format is recognized as sufficient for tourist stays. |
| Venezuela | - | is recommended | - |
| Australia / Oceania | |||
| Australia | yes, will be tolerated | additionally recommended | - |
| New Zealand | - | Yes | With the national driving license plus translation or international driving license you can drive for up to 12 months. |
| Asia | |||
| Bahrain | - | Yes | - |
| China | - | Yes | As a rule, a driving test must also be taken. |
| India | - | Yes | - |
| Indonesia | - | Yes | |
| Iraq | - | Yes | - |
| Iran | - | Yes | - |
| Israel | Yes | - | After 12 months of permanent residence, the driver's license must be converted. |
| Japan | - | - | In Japan, a translation of the national driver's license is required, which is valid for up to one year after entry. The translation can be done by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), which operates international service counters in large cities. The fees are 3000 yen (approx. 24 euros) and are to be paid in the local currency. Some specialized travel agencies in Germany offer translation before a trip as a service. |
| Qatar | - | Yes | The Int. Driver's license is only valid for 7 days. Then you have to get a “Temporary Visitor's Driving License”. |
| Malaysia | - | Yes | - |
| Oman | - | Yes | - |
| Saudi Arabia | - | Yes | Since June 2018 women have also been allowed to drive |
| Thailand | - | Yes | Valid for a maximum of 6 months according to the Geneva Convention on Motor Vehicle Traffic ”(August 12, 1949). The German International after the Road Traffic Agreement of 1968 is not valid in Thailand! |
| United Arab Emirates | - | Yes | Minimum age is 21. You need a "Temporary Visitor's Driving License". Car rental companies can help. |
| Africa | |||
| Egypt | - | Yes | - |
| Algeria | - | Yes | - |
| Kenya | - | Yes | up to 3 months (register with the police) |
| Morocco | - | Yes | - |
| Mauritius | - | Yes | - |
| South Africa | - | Yes | - |
| Tunisia | - | Yes | - |
Source:
See also
Web links
- ADAC: international driving license
- Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, in German
- Geneva Conventions of 1949 (English) ( Memento of 24 November 2007 at the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ International driver's license | ÖAMTC. In: www.oeamtc.at. Retrieved April 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Article 41 (Swiss version).
- ↑ a b According to Article 48 of the Convention of 8 November 1968 on Road Traffic (Federal Law Gazette 1977 II p. 809), the Paris Agreement applies to the Federal Republic of Germany only in relation to those states that are not yet a party to this Convention, such as B. Thailand.
- ↑ a b c Chapter IV “ Driver of motor vehicles” , (Article 1 letter p), Art. 41 “Driving licenses” (Swiss version).
- ↑ Appendix 7 International Driving License . (Swiss version).
- ↑ For Germany, the issue of international driving licenses is regulated in § 25a and § 25b Driving License Ordinance (FeV).
- ↑ Ecuador: Travel and Security Advice, Federal Foreign Office, as of July 29, 2019
- ↑ Guyana: Travel and Safety Instructions, Federal Foreign Office, as of July 29, 2019
- ↑ Paraguay: Travel and Safety Instructions, Federal Foreign Office, as of July 29, 2019
- ↑ Suriname: Travel and Safety Instructions, Federal Foreign Office, as of July 29, 2019
- ↑ Uruguay: Travel and Security Advice Uruguay, Federal Foreign Office, as of July 29, 2019
- ↑ Travel information from the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs: Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela), as of July 29, 2019
- ^ German Embassy in Tel Aviv
- ^ Paul-Anton Krüger Cairo: Saudi Arabia: Free travel for a bit freer citizens . In: sueddeutsche.de . September 27, 2017, ISSN 0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed July 5, 2018]).
- ↑ Overview of the countries in which the international driver's license is required ( Memento from December 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
