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International Driving Permit

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Do UK citizens need an IDP when driving in Austria or Germany now? I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that if we leave the EU without a deal, UK citizens will need to be in possession of one if driving in these 2 (and a host of other) countries after 28 March.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@franga, is the question 'now' or after Brexit? Theres a thread about it quite recently
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@holidayloverxx, for now ... apologies, I didn’t realise there was a different thread. I’ll search for that one. Thanks
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Im screwed. Ill be in italy from now until after 29/3. If it’s a crash out I’ll need IDP and a green card just to get home. I think the green card will be straightforward, the idp not so.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
There are 3 IDP's. The one which already existed which is required for driving outside of Europe. The two new ones might be needed after march 28th if we leave and no other agreement is reached and cover different countries within the EU depending on which International agreement was in place between the UK and the individual county involved prior to the UK's entry to the EU. For Example France had a separate agreement to Spain. If you want to drive from the UK to Spain via France you might need two different IDP's!
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@anarchicsaltire, excellent.

But no IDP needed over the next few weeks until the 29th. correct?
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
And if we need one then the 400000 French folks living in London will need one as will all the European lorry drivers coming into Dover. Most of this will be scare tactics to get you to pay for a mickey mouse document from some provider or other. No deal works both ways.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@chocksaway, it won't thought, no UK government will have the balls to retaliate
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I’ve had an Australian License for many years and never had an issue using it when renting in Europe without an international license. Nor have i been asked for an international license when using my U.K. license when renting outside of the EU. My understanding is that the international license is used as a translation tool for those who hold licenses with foreign characters. All meia and agenda driven unnecessary scare mongering.
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What @chocksaway, said. Zero chance of this happening without it applying to the EU citizens in the UK, and nobody wants that. They'll work something out.
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@chocksaway, @Bodeswell, well, we have been waiting 30 months for “them” to work something out and precious little has appeared...

“You couldn’t possibly” is hardly contingency planning is it?
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@under a new name, yeah, I agree it's a shambles alright but I don't think it's the driving licences that's going to be the problem. We will see soon enough though.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Stupid question but I never needed to have an IDP before we joined the EEC so why should I need to have an IDP after we leave the EU?

OK, I've got it, we are leaving a different organisation than the one we joined.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:


    
chocksaway
FreeRider
Posts: 5245
Fri 08 Feb, 19 20:37
And if we need one then the 400000 French folks living in London will need one as will all the European lorry drivers coming into Dover.

UK government have already confirmed that EU driving licences will be accepted in the UK, just the EU have not reciprocated.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
The very helpful lady at my local post office (yes, they still exist) directed me to this page ... https://www.postoffice.co.uk/international-driving-permit
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@franga, thanks just tried the tool and it’s clearly out of touch with the real world. For example it says IDP required for Switzerland, US and Australia. All of which I’ve been able to rent cars with my UK Licence. Aust over Chrismas 2018 and Switzerland last week. Also tried for Mauritius and Costa Rica and it doesn’t know. Wonder how many people have paid the £5.50 fee when not required! [EDIT] just added a screenshot from Swiss govt (ch.ch) which confirms an IDP not required for U.K. I appreciate this is not the EU but it contradicted by current advice from the Post Office which I presume is govt fed.



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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Bodeswell wrote:
What @chocksaway, said. Zero chance of this happening without it applying to the EU citizens in the UK, and nobody wants that. They'll work something out.


The “scare story” re IDP and green cards was started by HMG.
https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
So .... for those of us who are driving to France after Brexit we really are not going to know if we will need an IDP until we know if we are in a deal or no deal situation?
Therefore ..... for the sake of £5.50 and a bit of time are we better to just get the blooming thing?? Confused
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You could but I seriously think it's a total wind up. You see the Swiss don't ask for one. Never needed it across the pond either in Canada or US. So why would the EU ask for it? Our licences are practically ID cards. This IDP thing was invented in the days when some countries issued licences on the back of cigarette packets. In the wider context of brexit problems this is really a non-issue. It's not just the fiver, it's the faff and the principle of the thing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quite.
My British licence has been fine in the US every time I've been over the past 20,30 years. And I may add that's a resticted 3 year licence because of being a T1 diabetic.
Why would EU be any different - unless they just want to be arsey?
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@Bodeswell, +1.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for replies - understanding of it all a little better now - totally agree, we drive regularyin the States, twice last year, and I remember the same thing being mentioned on the dibb (disney forum)
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Arctic Roll,
Quote:

unless they just want to be arsey?

The French Laughing
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boredsurfin wrote:
@Arctic Roll,
Quote:

unless they just want to be arsey?

The French Laughing


This!
What I’ve done in the last week or two is booked a return flight to Stansted for €27 return (bargain) just for one night just in case I’m going to need to go to a Post Office in London to get one of these permits!
That way if I don’t need to use it then it’s not much money to lose and I can still use the flight anyway if I want.
I’m not too worried about driving through Austria and Italy after 29th March but driving back home through France, well, I’d rather not risk it as I can’t be caught so say driving illegally because of my job. So for me that flight booking just in case is worth it.
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Will insurance companies find this a loophole to wriggle out of paying in the event of a claim? Having a valid driving licence I'd guess is a requirement for car insurance policies.
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@rob@rar, yeah, exactly it’s just not worth the potential grief if something went wrong. Luckily I have the flexibility to pop back to London if desperate and for the sake of €27 I thought it was well worth it!
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I thought you only needed an Idp if it's long term. You can use uk license in Australia and the USA NZ etc for 6-12 months, then you have to take a test so for a holiday I am sure the EU will do the same.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@harrim51, You need an IDP if your licence is written in hieroglyphics on papyrus. I've never been asked for one renting a car anywhere, ever. EU, Middle East, Switz, Norway, Americas, nowhere. It's a joke bit of paper.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Bodeswell, I agree. I just entered 'United States' in the post Office's IDP checker and it tells me I need one. Which is rubbish because I must hire 4 or 5 times a year there and have done so for years and never once had to produce anything other than my UK license.

It's a bit like the other year when you were meant to get a code from DVLA before going abroad so that the rental co could check your points. I never bothered and have never been asked for it, and I don't know anyone who has.

Keep calm and carry on.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Pruman wrote:
Keep calm and carry on.

Precisely. I'm a staunch remainer but we need to get a grip.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
When we drove to Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia in the summer we were advised to get IDPs. At those borders our car was checked, they carefully scrutinised our registration documents, insurance, passports, (we were even refused entry to Bosnia because the insurance was not in order) and they never even asked to see driving licences, let alone the IDP.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Never bothered with one up till this year but it appears if you have an old paper licence like mewith no photo, you in theory always needed one in parts of the EU, nice lady at the PO said there is a new form coming out in june (I think she said) which will cover our new relationship with the EU, for the sake of 5.50 I got onefor this week
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
The only time I've ever used an IDP in the 35 years I've been going abroad is when I was banned in the UK but wanted to drive over there. I was stopped in France with it and it caused much confusion as I didn't have my UK license, but everything was in order so got away with it!

Brilliant loophole which they may have closed now!

Can't see the UK license being refused over there after Brexity Schmexity purely because the foreign plod are used to it.
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https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/driving-abroad/international-driving-permits-and-brexit/

Says the process takes five minutes at the post office.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Ive just phoned my van insurers, Autonet, about the green card they referred to my underwriters who have issued me one for 3 months though I think I could have asked for longer. They gave me the Green card reference number over the phone so effectively I'm covered now. It should arrive in a few days. They did want £17.50 for increasing annual mileage, which I refused but will relent later probably.
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I got mine at the weekend. A bit of cardboard, hand written with my photo Pritt Stick'ed on. A magnificent document well worth the investment Toofy Grin
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Got mine yesterday - quick and easy in the Post Office but you do need to take a passport sized photo with you. As @rob@rar suggests, better safe than sorry with regard to insurance.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
My wife got her IDP the other week in anticipation of Easter ski trip. She also rang the car insurance yesterday to get the green card - assumed as we have European motor insurance it would be simple and they would just send her a green card covering the length of the policy for all of Europe. Not so. We have to tell them dates we need the green card for, as we only get 90 days cover, so we'll have to do it every trip.

Then they wanted to know which countries we are going to be driving in on this trip. Well we don't know as we've not booked accommodation yet, well go where the snow is, maybe deciding a week or less before. But you have to give 14 days to get the green card they say. Yes but we don't know where we are going yet and might not do until a couple of days before, but it'll be somewhere in Europe. Well we need to put the countries down for the trip they say or we can't send you the greencard. "OK, we're going to France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria." Thank you we'll send one out covering those countries.

The mind boggles.
Puzzled
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Brexit update from MPI insurance
Covers IDP as well

https://mailchi.mp/mpibrokers/mpi-news-brexit-edition?e=a7a13c4166
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@boredsurfin, "These can be obtained from selected Post Offices only in the UK by attending in person and taking your full valid UK photo-card driving licence" - I don't have a photo-card driving license Evil or Very Mad

edit: you take your passport to the post office if you have a paper licence
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