International Driving Permit for Irish licence holders
How to get an International Driving Permit if your driving licence was issued in Ireland.
An Irish licence is an EU licence, so it is recognised across the EU and EEA without a permit. Outside that bloc — the United States, Japan, Thailand, Morocco — the picture changes quickly.
The official route from Ireland
Under the UN Road Traffic Conventions, an officially issued International Driving Permit can only be obtained in the country that issued your national licence, from a body that country's government has authorised. In Ireland that is AA Ireland and the Irish Automobile Association.
Use that route if you have been told specifically that you need a government-recognised IDP, or if you are dealing with a licensing authority. It is the document with formal standing under the Conventions.
What we provide instead
Our service is a certified translation of your existing Irish licence into 12 languages, laid out in the format described by the Conventions and carried alongside the original. It is not a licence, it is not government-issued, and it does not replace your Irish licence.
What it does solve is the everyday problem: a rental agent or traffic officer who cannot read your licence can read the translation. It arrives digitally within minutes and you can order it from anywhere, including after you have already travelled.
What you need
- Your valid Irish driving licence — expired licences cannot be translated.
- A recent passport-style photograph on a plain background.
- To be 18 or older. No driving test is required.
- Your travel dates, so you can choose a sensible validity period.