International drivers permit
 

Can anyone confirm if I need an international drivers permit to ride through UK EU and non-EU east European countries

Australian registered bike and drivers licence

I understand an IDP may be required to hire a car but have read conflicting information about whether one is required when riding your own bike

If you are only travelling through countries that use English (that is what your licences is in) then you may not need an IDP (as that is simply a translation of your licence into other languages).

But I think you will be going through France .. and you'll probably be required to have an IDP there. :rain:
See
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT DIRECTORY - Australian Automobile Association

If you hire in the UK .. then you should only need your Australian Licence... unless you take it over the channel.

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Note .. these are different from a UK licence ... that is shown here
IDP requirements by country | AA

Hi Rob:

There's a good article in Wikipedia that provides some very useful background information about what an IDP is and how it came to be - here's the link: Wikipedia - IDP.

Essentially, it's a translation of your national driving permit into several different languages. It also provides a standardized way of indicating what type of vehicles (automobiles, motorcycles, trucks) you are entitled to drive.

In theory, you need one if you are going to drive in a country outside of your own, unless there are other bilateral agreements in place that eliminate the need to carry one (for example, Canada & the USA, and most likely Australia and NZ have bilaterals). There is a Europe-wide agreement to use a standardized 'European' driver licence, that eliminates the need for European residents (of the countries that participate in this agreement) to carry IDPs. See this Wikipedia article for more information about that: Wikipedia - European Driver Licence.

In practice, you generally don't need one in Western Europe, especially if the language of the country you are visiting is the same as the language of your national driver permit. I've spent many years in many different countries, and have only needed to show my IDP when the person asking for my driver licence did not understand English.

If you are planning to go to Eastern Europe, it would probably be a good idea to get an IDP before you leave your home country. Generally speaking, the smarter (better educated) and more tolerant the cops are, the less likely you will need an IDP, and conversely, the less educated and less tolerant the cops are, the more reason to have all your papers in order.

The IDPs are only valid for one year, but I don't bother wasting the money to renew mine every year. I just keep the same one I got about 10 years ago, my rationale being that it's basically just a translation, and nothing has changed on my national driver licence in the last 10 years.

Hope this gives you some perspective on the subject.

Michael

PS: What you will need is an oval white disc on the back of your moto with the appropriate code for your country. I think that is 'AUS', but I am not certain. That oval white disc (sticker) is critical, you 100% need it. See this Wikipedia article for more information about the International White Oval Sticker: International Vehicle Country Codes.

The white oval is for the 'nationality' of the vehicle (where the vehicle is registered, in OZie speek), not the driver/rider.

Thanks Michael & Warin

Looks like I will need to buy an IDP and an AUS disc for the bike

Cheers
Rob

You can get the 'disk' as a stick on label. Rather large but most accept that a motorcycle is small and so the edges can be warped around some corners.

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The other thing you will appreciate is water proof gear .. as in water proof jacket, pants, gloves, boots. Most days there will be a rain shower ... might only be short and it is a pain if you have to stop to put on separate waterproofs.

I have just spent a small fortune on goretex riding jacket pants and gloves after finding my BMW riding suit wasn't coping with heavy rain on a recent trip to New Zealand
Where can I buy the AUS label?

IDP - worth having in my view. Use it day to day, if your licence is ever confiscated, much better to lose that than your real one


Sticker - Never found one for sale in Australia, but the Australian Automobile Association, based in Canberra, give you a nice solid plastic one when you get a carnet (which you don't need for Europe) so they might sell you one.

Alternatively just get a sign shop to print you one on vinyl - a white oval, about 100 x 75 mm with the black letters AUS on it.

(For what is worth, whilst they are technically required I rode many months in Europe without anyone querying the lack of country identification sticker )

Sent from my SM-P350 using Tapatalk

Sticker -
Local car association should have a sticker ... if your getting a carnet they usually give you one with the carnet.
Or google 'AUS car country sticker' .. about $5~7. The 'official' ones are boring white with black lettering... you should get away with some embellishments .. like a small flag. bier One that is not closely 'official' may get unwanted attention. :funmeterno:

I am pretty sure that as long as your AUS national driving licence conforms to the requirements of 1968 Convention (which it probably does) you legally do not need an IDP. The countries who signed the convention must recognize national driving licences without need for IDP.

In practice though, as others have said, is good to have. I don't think BiB can legally "do you" for not having IDP, but they can still give you a lot hassle.

Greetings Rob

If you are planning to travel through France there are a few gotcha's that you may not be aware of. (Apologies if you do)

- Blood alcohol test kits
- GPS speed camera locations
- Reflective clothing

This AA article has a good summary of all the rules

Driving in France, new laws 2015 | AA

I knew about the first two items I only discovered about the third from the AA article.

Are these rules actively enforced? I'd be interested in hearing from somebody who actually lives there.

Regards

IanJ

Blood alcohol test has been done away with as an obligatory requirement!

Keep a hi-vis vest & triangle handy though

Another angle on International Drivers Permits
In the process of buying some travel insurance I have been reading customer reviews of various policies
A young Aussie involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Bali reported that his insurance company rejected his claim because the rider did not have an IDP
Travel Insurance companies appear to have a poor reputation when it comes to paying claims and this may be another "out" worth considering when deciding whether to spend $40 on an IDP

Uh, that sounds like one of those urban myths that falls into the category of 'I heard it from a friend of a friend...'

An IDP is not a driver licence. It is merely a translation of the underlying national driver licence upon which it is based (in this case, an Australian driver licence) into multiple other languages, presented in an internationally agreed-upon format.

The IDP itself conveys no driving privileges. The underlying national licence is the actual driver licence, and must be valid and, if requested by authorities, presented along with the IDP.

In the case you cited, if the rider had a valid national (Australian) driver licence, it would make no difference whatsoever whether or not they had an IDP. But, if they had an IDP and the underlying national licence upon which the IDP was issued was no longer valid - for example, expired, suspended, or not valid for the type of vehicle being operated - then having an IDP makes no difference at all.

Michael

While I can't verify the facts of the scenario described I do believe insurance companies are in the business of making money and minimising payouts is key means of maximising profits

If you are required to hold both a valid drivers licence and an IDP by the government of the country where the motorcycle is being ridden and you don't have a current IDP and have an accident I suspect your insurance company will most likely refuse a claim if this can in any way be interpreted as an exclusion of cover as stated in the PDS for the policy

I raised this issue not to spread "urban myths" but as a legitimate possibility that should be given consideration