What documents and photos do I need for an International Driving Permit?

The core document list

Every authorised issuer works from the same short list: proof you hold a valid licence, photos to laminate into the booklet, a signed application form, and the fee. In the US, AAA and AATA ask for two passport-style photos alongside your valid state licence and roughly US$20. In the UK, the Post Office needs your licence, a passport-style photo and £5.50, paid over the counter. Canada's CAA and Australia's state auto clubs follow the same pattern with their own forms and fees.

Photo specs — where most applications stumble

IDP photos follow passport-photo conventions: recent, front-facing, plain background, no heavy shadows, and signed on the back where the issuer asks for it. Photo-booth or pharmacy passport photos are fine; casual crops from phone photos frequently get rejected. If your issuer offers in-branch photos (many AAA branches do), that's the lowest-risk route.

Common rejection reasons

The recurring failures are: an expired or provisional/learner licence (IDPs are only issued on full licences); photos that don't meet passport spec; a name mismatch between the form and the licence; and applying to the wrong country's issuer — an IDP must come from an authorised body in the country that issued your licence, so a US association cannot issue an IDP for a French licence. Being under the issuer's minimum age (commonly 18) also disqualifies.

What an IDP application never requires

You never need to hand your original licence over for keeps, take a driving test, or pay large 'processing' or 'registration' fees — the official cost is small and flat. Sites demanding US$40+ or offering to 'issue' an IDP without seeing proof of a valid licence are private sellers, not authorised issuers. And note what the IDP itself is: a standardised translation of your licence. If your destination accepts a translation directly, a certified translation companion may be all the paperwork you need — but it is not an IDP, and we never present it as one.

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