I was at the appropriate government office at the end of July to have an International Driving Permit made for me. Actually, it was still mid-April, as I wrote in the post “Back to the Real World”, when I first tried to arrange for such a document.
The problem was that I didn’t have an ID photo. The traditional one that a photographer takes, with four little Soma heads on it. When I first learned that such traditional, printed photos were needed, I didn’t understand the matter. Every office has a digital photo booth. This is where photos are taken for student ID cards, driving licenses, and passports, and I was curious as to why this camera couldn’t take a photo for an international driving permit.
After two and a half months, I got an answer to this question. I mean, I didn’t ask anyone the question, so no one could answer it, but while I was doing the paperwork, I figured out the solution. The international driving permit – contrary to my expectations – is not a regular plastic card the size of a bank card, but a paper booklet that you can hold in your hand, is unwieldy, cannot fit in your palm, cannot be put in your pocket – and is not practical at all in Hungarian. Based on the official-sounding formula, the international driving permit is an official translation of your Hungarian driving license, which allows you to drive in countries where the Hungarian driving license is not recognized or valid, especially in places that are not members of the European Economic Area (EEA) or have not joined the Vienna Convention on Road Transport.
Based on my preliminary research, I had an idea of what this international driving permit was, but of course there were surprises at the office.
What did I know in advance?
Where do you not need an international driving permit? The Hungarian driving license is recognized as proof of driving rights in:
- EEA member states
- Countries that have joined the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic
- Based on a bilateral agreement in Japan and the Republic of Korea
- Great Britain
Just for the sake of order, I’m putting the countries here, next to each other, to take up less space. So, if you find the country you’re going to in the three lists below, don’t bother with the international document.
- EEA: EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland
- EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Netherlands, Croatia, Ireland, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia
- Countries that have joined the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Kingdom of Bahrain, Republic of Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Republic of Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Central African Republic, Republic of Cuba, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Republic of Iran, Israel, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Macedonia, Kingdom of Morocco, Moldova, Principality of Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Niger, Norway, Italy, Armenia, Pakistan, Republic of Peru, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Seychelles, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Ivory Coast, Republic of Estonia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe
Where do I need an international driving permit?
If you want to drive in a country that is not on the above lists, i.e. not a member of the EEA or the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, it is recommended to obtain an international driving permit. In most cases, it is not required, but it can be useful if it is, or it can be important for car rental, or in the event of a traffic offense or accident. Therefore, if the given country is not on the above lists, we definitely recommend that you check with the relevant country’s embassy before traveling abroad whether an international driving permit is required or not.
Validity of an international driving license
- The international driving license is only valid together with the Hungarian driving license.
- The driving license is suitable for proving driving rights abroad in those countries where the Hungarian driving license is recognized, and for proving identity domestically, according to our national rules.
- The validity period of the international driving license is the same as the health validity period indicated in the Hungarian driving license on which it was issued, but no more than three years from the date of issue of the international driving license.
What didn’t I know in advance?
I felt very prepared when I arrived at the office at the end of July. I had my ID photos (4 instead of 2), I had the money for the document and I knew what I wanted.
Until the lady in charge asked me what kind of international driving license I wanted?
I am never prepared for this question. What could I have said? That I would need such an official one. I asked her timidly, what would I be able to choose from if I had to choose!?
While the lady was talking and looking at something else, I asked AI: what kind of international driving licenses can be made in Hungary?
In Hungary, an international driving license is not a separate new license, but an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued to an existing, valid Hungarian driving license. This is an official translation that allows the international use of the Hungarian driving license in countries where it is requested.
Two types of international driving permits can be issued in Hungary:
- International driving permit according to Geneva Convention 949
- The 1949 version is valid for 1 year.
- It is used in countries that have signed the 1949 Convention (e.g. USA, Thailand).
- International driving permit according to Vienna Convention 1968
- The 1968 version is valid until the expiry of the Hungarian driving permit, but for a maximum of 3 years.
- Most European countries have signed this convention, as well as other countries, such as Ukraine and Russia.
Important: Not all countries accept one or the other version, so before traveling, it is worth checking which type the given destination country requires.
How interesting, isn’t it? It was not by chance that I was led into the forest in advance! The last part of the What I knew in advance paragraph deals with validity. I quote: “The validity period of an international driving permit … is a maximum of three years from the date of issue of the international driving permit.”
In other words, the results of the preliminary research all refer to driving permits issued under the Vienna Convention, and no one even mentions that there was a Geneva Convention.
For the sake of completeness, here is a list of countries that accept driving licenses issued under the Geneva Convention: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Taiwan, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Ivory Coast, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Réunion, Rwanda, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland (Eswatini), Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
Seeing that one license is valid for 1 year and the other for 3 years, I was a little unsure whether I needed it at all. Then I thought that even if I don’t drive a car, I might drive a motorbike, so an official document wouldn’t hurt. After I decided to have one, I told the lady to please check which one is required for Thailand, because I’m going to live there.
Here came the second interesting thing. The lady asked if I wouldn’t take her in my suitcase too? She also has a great desire to live in a place like this. Then she started listing her “genders”, that is, why she doesn’t leave yet, despite the fact that it is her great desire.
I thought to myself that it would be easier if we did it officially, because this suitcase trip seems steep. While writing, I was looking for a picture for this, and to my shock, I found that in 2017 an English woman tried to enter Turkey in a suitcase. Let the picture of her and my nice and crisp international driving license issued under the Geneva Convention be the end of this article.
