International Driving Permits (IDPs) now required for renting a car abroad

RSTime

Apparently you now need an IDP to rent a car in several countries, including New Zealand (where we are planning a trip). 

I have no issues with this but why can you not get the IDP online!  You have to go to a PayPoint Store and as I have discovered from the web site there aren't many of these around. The nearest one to me is approximately 7 miles away. I can only describe as idiots the people who implemented this solution!

strawb_shortcake

7 miles is a lot closer than New Zealand so in the grand scheme of things isn't really a burden. We got ours from the post office a few back

hugheskevi

RSTime said:

Apparently you now need an IDP to rent a car in several countries, including New Zealand (where we are planning a trip). 

It is even more fun if you are traveling to multiple different countries with a partner, and so need each of the 3 International Permits for each person, so a total of 6 permits.

A lot of people are not even aware of the requirement and they often are not enforced anyway. The requirements can also vary within a country, eg, different US states have different requirements.

annabanana82 said:

7 miles is a lot closer than New Zealand so in the grand scheme of things isn't really a burden. We got ours from the post office a few back

The Post Office was very hit and miss in our case. The first one we went to only had one type of permit and told us that they had tried to get copies of the others but there was a regional shortage.

The second (very near) Post Office we went to had copies of all of the permits and said the first Post Office had no idea what they were doing.

The whole system is primitive by even the standards of the 2000s, let alone modern day standards 

RSTime

I contacted DVLA and this was their response (II still think this is a rubbish solution).

Thank you for your email dated 18 April 2024, regarding International Driving Permits (IDP’s).

Following to the ratification of the 1968 Convention, changes to government procurement

rules and the possibility of a vastly increased demand for IDPs, a decision was taken that

responsibility for issuing IDPs should be taken over by government. Whilst an online route

was explored, unknown volumes and the booklet format of IDPs made providing an online

service for IDPs both difficult and potentially very costly.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency recently carried out an open competition for the

contract to provide a counter service for IDPs. This was in line with the Public Contract

Regulations 2015 and government procurement rules. Following the assessment of bids,

PayPoint were awarded the contract.

The new contract provides the option for selected Paypoint outlets to issue IDPs. These

selected PayPoint outlets provide the geographical coverage to ensure that at least 90% of

the population are within 10 miles of an IDP issuing outlet within the UK. Some of these

branches are likely to be small businesses, but many will include Post Offices within the

PayPoint network. The PayPoint service started on 1 April 2024.

Information on where to find the nearest PayPoint outlet that issues IDPs is available online

at: https://consumer.paypoint.com/international-driving-permits.

RSTime

Just as an addition, I would like to know how the solution employed fits with "Transforming for a Digital Future, the 2022 to 2025 Roadmap for Digital and Data” and providing world class technology 🤔

*j*

When did NZ require an IDP.  Not in Feb and March this year, and not according to this...https://www.newzealand.com/uk/feature/international-driving-licences-and-permits/

sheramber

You only need an IDP if your licence is not in English

https://www.discovernewzealand.com/blog/driving-in-new-zealand-id-10#:~:text=The common legal age to,a translation or an IDP.

ThorOdinson

It's Britain, what do you expect? Just be grateful they haven't got around to turning it into a cash cow and jacking up the price. 

Not looking forward to passport renewal.

RSTime

*j* said:

When did NZ require an IDP.  Not in Feb and March this year, and not according to this...https://www.newzealand.com/uk/feature/international-driving-licences-and-permits/

Interesting, the UK IDP site states you need a 1949 IDP for New Zealand 🤷🏻‍♂️  

EDIT: I think the IDP is fairly new, have the NZ sites perhaps not been updated?

400ixl

The UK gov site does not say you need one https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/new-zealand/safety-and-security

The main Gov site says you MAY need one but the country page says you can use your picture license. If you still have a paper only one then you may need an IDP.

I would expect the New Zealand goverment site to be the source of truth, not the UK.

jimi_man

We've just hired a car in Thailand and the agent at the rental desk asked if we had one. I obviously said no, but she wasn't bothered. Said that if we were stopped then technically you could be fined 300 Baht (£6-7). We weren't stopped. I probably won't bother getting one tbh. I've hired a car in five countries this year and this was the first time I'd heard of it.