Do I need an international driving permit for France?

The three tiers France actually applies

French rules sort visiting drivers into three buckets. EU/EEA license holders drive as if at home. Non-EU holders with a Latin-script license (US, Australian, most Commonwealth) are accepted for up to a year, but the law expects the license to be in French or accompanied by an IDP or official translation — in practice, checks on English-language licenses are rare but the requirement exists. Holders of licenses in Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Thai or other non-Latin scripts should treat the IDP or a sworn French translation as mandatory: an officer who cannot read your license cannot verify it.

Where to get a real IDP for France

Only your license country's authorized issuer can sell you a valid IDP — AAA or AATA for US licenses (~$20), national automobile associations elsewhere. France follows the 1968 Vienna convention. Websites offering 'international driver's licenses for France' with instant digital delivery and multi-year validity are not issuing anything French police recognize.

Where a translation genuinely helps

French law explicitly names an official translation as an accepted companion for non-EU licenses — one of the few destinations where the translation route is written into the rules. It's also useful paperwork for insurance claims and prefecture interactions. Ours is clearly labeled as a translation, never as a permit, because that's what it is.

Frequently asked questions