Driving in Europe with non Europe license
 

Hello all!

Is there anyone who can tell me if it’s possible to drive a Europe registered bike (registered to myself-EU passport) with a South American driving license?.
Is it possible also to get green card insurance in this situation?
I don’t have international driving permit.
Thanks in advance

Nicolas

Depends on the country and how long you do it for, but yes.

You are supposed to change your drivers license after about six months of residency in an EU country. If you are a foreigner who just has an EU passport, and you are not an EU resident (i.e. you can show that you are a permanent resident in the country where your license comes from), it should be fine for police and everyone else.

Your country should be a signatory to the 1968 Geneva Convention on traffic rules, and your license should have English writing on it, then it will probably be fine without an IDP. But an IDP is cheap and easy, just get it.

Traffic insurance (green card) should be possible, but depends on the country - I have helped non-EU residents buy vehicles in Estonia in their names and get insurance, no problem.

Speak to tourinsure.de or Knopf Tours about road insurance.

Good advice from AnTyx. I've driven in many countries in Europe (not just the EU / Schengen) on driving licences from Botswana, Canada, Colombia, UK, and USA.

The IDP is well worth it - we had to produce one to rent a vehicle in Prague (and have found an IDP invaluable many times around the world).

Hi all!

Thanks for the info. The issue is that I’m not in Argentina right now ( where I have residence and license) so I can’t obtain the IDP.

Anyways, According to your answers I could drive with my local license as far as I have no residence for the last 6 months in Europe.

If you're from outside the EEA (European Economic Area) you may drive in the EU as a visitor using your existing foreign driver's license for up to six months (which is longer than the standard visitor allowance).

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. The IDP serves only as a translation of your home country licence and is not a licence in its own right.

Hi Tim!

Thanks for help. In fact, the license I bring with me have some essential terms translated to English.

Now that I know I can drive with this foreign license the last issue would be to obtain an insurance company which accept the license. According to what I’ve read should be the green card (the bike I will buy will be registered in Spain or Italy).

We had to show our IDP when picking up a rental in Prague. Our home licence does have a photo. IDPs are cheap and although rarely needed, if you don't have one, you can end up with a major problem.

Another comment, Tim's post is clear that these are the rules for the EU; if OP plans to travel outside the EU then the situation may be different. I don;t think there would be a problem in the UK, Switzerland, or Norway, however some countries might demand an IDP.

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

As noted earlier in the thread, we needed an IDP in Czechia; our licences have photos.