Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis
There are some sources on the Internet saying you need an IDP, however my understanding is that you don't need an IDP provided your home licence is in the form of a photo card.
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I suspect that those reports are anecdotal, in the sense that because the original home country driver licence includes a photo, there is no additional benefit gained from having an IDP that also includes a photo.
The IDP specification was developed decades ago, long before any country's driver licence had photos on them.
My recommendation to the OP would be to get an IDP, simply because having the IDP satisfies the obligations set out in the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. An IDP doesn't cost much, and it can save a lot of trouble if you encounter any questions at a traffic stop. As others have pointed out many times in the past, an IDP is nothing more than a TRANSLATION of your home licence into an internationally recognized format - it confers no privileges by itself.
I would not bother getting an IDP for my Canadian licence (it is printed in the English language only) if I was going to ride in the UK or Western Europe, but I have been saved by having an IDP when riding in Morocco, Tunisia, Ukraine, Indonesia, and PNG in the past.
Michael
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