irish and driving in us?

**irish** · 01-03-2009, 07:23 AM

hi all,am in initial planning road trip stage. a friend and i want to go sanfrancisco to east coast (not sure what exact route we are taking yet)
just wondering do i need an international driving licence? i have full irish licence and am 22 years old. could i just bring my irish driving licence or would it be handier to have something more internationally recognised (our licences are not the usual cr card type , they are pink and much larger almost brochure like, afraid it may cause confusion, any ideas , thanks

**Midwest Michael** · 01-03-2009, 07:30 AM

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

All an international drivers license does is provide a translation of your existing license. If that's already in English, it really won't be that important, but at the same time, it probably wouldn't hurt to have either.

I will remind you that if you are only 22, you will need to expect to pay an underage premium to rent a car, especially when you are looking at a cross country trip. As you get closer, I would double check with the rental agencies to see what sort of documentation that they prefer from international renters.

**irish** · 01-03-2009, 07:44 AM

thanks for that midwest michael, good to know, yes my licence has irish /english translation , how would one get an international driving licence, does one apply for it home country or in us?

**Midwest Michael** · 01-03-2009, 08:00 AM

An International License is something you need to do in your home country, not anywhere else. If you are interested in one, you should contact AAA or the equivilant thereof in your home country. In this case, AA of Ireland has lots of information and I would contact them for more details.

**irish** · 01-03-2009, 09:09 AM

many thanks, now the real planning begins!

**Lifemagician** · 01-03-2009, 03:10 PM

Irish, if your country has a points system in connection with fines for traffic law violations, then I would highly recommend that you get a record of where your licence stands from the relevant authority. Get this just before you leave.

Especially since you are under 25.

That, more so than an international licence, would stand you in good stead. I know it has my children and myself.

Lifey who has never had an international licence