International Driving Licence info please

j&t's future

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Mar 6, 2007
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So I have a valid Dominican Driving Licence, and I want to be able to drive in the UK... How do I get the International Driving Licence? Do I need to visit the Capital or can I apply to get it in the UK?

Many thanks
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
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So I have a valid Dominican Driving Licence, and I want to be able to drive in the UK... How do I get the International Driving Licence? Do I need to visit the Capital or can I apply to get it in the UK?

Many thanks

You don't need another drivers license. You can drive a car or motorcycle with a valid license from the DR. Unlike the DR please stay on the left and obey traffic laws.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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I have it from a reliable source whoa has rented in the UK recently ... from a major firm ....
that he was able to rent easily on his DR license alone...

nothing more needed
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
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You really don't need it. But it is a very impressive looking document. Comes in a nice folder. Good in just about every Country in the World. Does not hurt to have one.
 
Jan 9, 2004
10,897
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So I have a valid Dominican Driving Licence, and I want to be able to drive in the UK... How do I get the International Driving Licence? Do I need to visit the Capital or can I apply to get it in the UK?

Many thanks

Two things:

It is NOT a license to drive and no you do not need it in the UK.

Your valid drivers license issued in the DR is fine.

Enjoy your trip.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

j&t's future

Bronze
Mar 6, 2007
2,502
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Thanks guys for ALL your input. I'm quite surprised! I found this link https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence/y
It says "You can drive in Great Britain on your full, valid driving licence for 12 months from when you became resident.

After 12 months you’ll need to apply for a provisional licence and pass the theory and practical driving tests to drive in Great Britain".
 

Caonabo

LIFE IS GOOD
Sep 27, 2017
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Was this International Driver's License not proven to be somewhat of a fraud many moons back? It is my belief and practice that with a current Operator's License from your respective country you should be permitted to operate a vehicle within another country for a specified allotment of time afforded to respective visitors.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Hopefully we saved another from the dire fate of getting an International Driver's License. Useless as they usually are.
 

melphis

Living my Dream
Apr 18, 2013
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Was this International Driver's License not proven to be somewhat of a fraud many moons back? It is my belief and practice that with a current Operator's License from your respective country you should be permitted to operate a vehicle within another country for a specified allotment of time afforded to respective visitors.

Your pretty much right. Years ago before the internet when information was difficult to get, International Drivers licences had a place. Now its just another cash grab.
 

rhanson1

Active member
Feb 23, 2012
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Hopefully we saved another from the dire fate of getting an International Driver's License. Useless as they usually are.

I recall reading in another thread some time ago (can't find it now) that the International Drivers Permit was essentially useless because all it does is translate the information on your home country's drivers license into different languages. The argument was that since it reverts back to your original home country driver's license, it is invalid in the DR if you have been here more than 90 days - just like your home country driver's license, and therefore is a waste of money.

I recently applied for a Dominican driving permit and was given their official manual to study for the written test. Pages 12 and 13 of that manual address licensing requirements and it clearly states that the International Driving Permit is an acceptable legal alternative for driving in the DR as long as the home country drivers license is valid. There is no mention of any 90 day expiration period.

I realize that this is contrary to what other posters have asserted in other threads but please, I don't need any angry and accusatory responses. I'm just informing people what it says in the official Driving Laws Manual for the Dominican Republic published by the Instituto Nacional de Transio y Transporte Terrestre. It is also consistent with the information posted by the public agencies that administer and issue International Drivers Permits. It is also consistent with the terms of the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic treaty which the Dominican Republic has accepted and is a signatory to. And lastly it is consistent will all other information that I can find on the internet (except for certain DR1 posts). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit

Am i missing something?
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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I recall reading in another thread some time ago (can't find it now) that the International Drivers Permit was essentially useless because all it does is translate the information on your home country's drivers license into different languages. The argument was that since it reverts back to your original home country driver's license, it is invalid in the DR if you have been here more than 90 days - just like your home country driver's license, and therefore is a waste of money.

I recently applied for a Dominican driving permit and was given their official manual to study for the written test. Pages 12 and 13 of that manual address licensing requirements and it clearly states that the International Driving Permit is an acceptable legal alternative for driving in the DR as long as the home country drivers license is valid. There is no mention of any 90 day expiration period.

I realize that this is contrary to what other posters have asserted in other threads but please, I don't need any angry and accusatory responses. I'm just informing people what it says in the official Driving Laws Manual for the Dominican Republic published by the Instituto Nacional de Transio y Transporte Terrestre. It is also consistent with the information posted by the public agencies that administer and issue International Drivers Permits. It is also consistent with the terms of the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic treaty which the Dominican Republic has accepted and is a signatory to. And lastly it is consistent will all other information that I can find on the internet (except for certain DR1 posts). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit

Am i missing something?

I am guessing the diffrence lies somewhere around the status of the holder.

Example : you can commute between France ( not an IDP, as most civilsed countries recognise domestic DL)( in the EU ) and Switzerland ( not in the EU ), every single day of the year, and your french DL is recognised by the swiss.
However if you establish yourself in Switzerland ( or vice-versa ) as a resident, you have a year and a day to switch your DL to a swiss one.

Applied to the dr, as long as you are just a visitor, your foreign DL is good to go. When you become a resident then you have to switch over ( or just pass the DR DL test---- easier option ).
 

cavok

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Jun 16, 2014
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I got my DR license a year ago, so maybe there's been a revision, but on page 12 of the manual they gave me it says the International Drivers license is valid for one year.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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I think you are missing the obvious.

If you drive in the Dominican Republic with any license not issued by the Transportation Authority in this country you may use that foreign license for a maximum of 90 days from the date of entry into the country or for the period of time equal to the length of your legal stay in the country if that happens to be less than 90 days.

It doesn't matter if the driver's license is from Canada, USA, Fiji or Nigeria and it doesn't matter if your license is accompanied by an International Driver's license/Permit, you still only get to use it for a maximum of 90 days.

We have all learned watching TV law school, that the negative (an official publication omitting reference to a rule/regulation/law in this instance) does not make an activity legal by default - there is a specific rule/regulation/law that states a foreign dl may be used for only 90 days and that permission is probably conditional on everything else regarding your presence in the country being on the proper side of the relevant and applicable laws. Having an International permit is not an exemption from the 90 day rule as far as I know.
 

cavok

Silver
Jun 16, 2014
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Ok, long story short, the Int'l drivers license itself valid for one year, so you could conceivably use it several times during that one year, but only for a maximum of 90 days each time.