Conversion between international driver's license and China driver's license.

At the beginning of last century, automobiles began to become an important means of transnational transportation. Different countries have different requirements for traffic rules and driver's license management, which hinders international traffic exchange. In order to facilitate international transportation exchange, the United Nations has formulated 1923, 1943, 1949 and 1968 United Nations conventions on road traffic. The Convention sets a series of uniform requirements for traffic rules, traffic signals, traffic signs, motor vehicles and driver management, so as to facilitate drivers and vehicles to pass through countries with uniform rules. In order to facilitate drivers to travel by car in other signatory countries, the convention also stipulates that each contracting party allows drivers with driving licenses issued by other countries to drive in its territory. In order to solve the language barrier, a method has also been worked out, that is, the governments of contracting parties authorize their traffic administrative departments to issue certificates to the holders of their own driving licenses who travel abroad in accordance with the mode stipulated in the convention, and to prove to the traffic administrative departments of other countries that drivers hold legal driving licenses issued by their countries. This document is called International Driver's License (IDP) in the Convention, which is translated into "International Driver's License" or "International Driver's License" in Chinese. Some people who sell fake international driver's licenses in the United States deliberately call it another name: "International Driver's License (IDL)". This certificate is also made in English/French/Russian/Spanish/Chinese/Japanese/Arabic and other languages. It serves as a standard translation of multilingual official certificates and drivers' national driver's licenses. This "international driver's license" and the driver's national driver's license can be used for temporary driving in other contracting countries. About 180 countries have signed the above convention. There are also some other countries that have not signed a contract, and recognize that international driver's licenses can be used in their territory.

The United Nations put forward the IDP model in the Convention, so that all parties can formulate a unified IDP model according to this format. However, the United Nations itself has no power to issue IDP, let alone authorize an "international organization" to issue IDP. In practice, many countries, such as the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, accept foreigners to directly use foreign driver's licenses to drive on their land, with an interpreter if necessary. Internally displaced persons have never played an important role.

To the surprise of the United Nations, the IDP it invented has become a way for many speculators to make money today. Some speculators peddle international driver's licenses that are "authorized" by the United Nations under various names such as "International Automobile Association" and "International Automobile Club". Although the traffic management departments of various countries only charge a small fee for issuing international driver's licenses, these various "associations" and "clubs" sell beautifully made but worthless "international driver's licenses" at a price of tens or even hundreds of yuan.

The reality is that no "international organization" has the right to issue international driver's licenses, including the United Nations itself. In China, international driver's licenses sold online or by various companies are fake. It's just as invalid as the doctoral diploma you bought from a foreign university for/kloc-0.000 yuan. The following frequently asked questions will further answer this question.

Frequently asked questions about international driver's license (IDP)

# What is an international driver's license? Is it a driver's license?

A: An international driver's license is not a driver's license. It is only a certificate in English/French/Russian/Chinese/Arabic/Japanese issued by the official agency of the driver's country or other agencies authorized by it according to the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic to which the government is a party. Its main purpose is to help the police in other countries read the driver's name, address, driving type and other necessary information.

# Can I use my international driver's license alone?

A: It cannot be used alone. The international driver's license must be used at the same time as the driver's national driver's license to be valid. It is your national driver's license, not your international driver's license, that gives you the qualification to drive in various countries.

# Many places claim that relevant UN agencies authorize the issuance of international driver's licenses. Should I trust them?

A: Those international driver's licenses that claim to be authorized by relevant UN agencies are fake. The United Nations has never authorized any institution to issue an international driver's license, nor has it the right to "authorize" any institution to issue an international driver's license above a sovereign state. In fact, you can ask the staff of any UN agency in China, and they will tell you that no UN agency (or any so-called "UN-authorized international organization") has the right to issue so-called "UN-authorized international driver's licenses" to its own UN staff.

# So who has the right to issue an international driver's license?

A: An "international driver's license" is proof that you have a valid domestic driver's license. If your government has acceded to the Convention, then the government will designate a statutory agency or authorize another agency to issue this certificate for you on behalf of the government, and no other agency has the right to perform the Convention on behalf of the government. 1949 Paragraph 3 of Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic clearly stipulates: "The international driving license shall be issued to the driver by the legal organ of the contracting party or its branch or its authorized association after the driver proves his ability".

The following institutions are authorized by the legal authorities of some States parties to issue international driving licenses:

United States: Only two organizations in the United States are authorized by the State Council (the legal organization of the contracting party) to issue international driver's licenses, namely: American Automobile Association and National Automobile Club.

Canada: The only organization authorized by the Canadian government to issue international driver's licenses is CAA.

Britain: The organizations authorized by the British government to issue international driver's licenses are the Automobile Association and the Royal Automobile Club.

Australia: Only NRMA (New South Wales), RACV (Victoria), RACT (Tasmania), Lassa, Lakewa, AANT and Laker (Queensland) have the right to issue international driver's licenses.

New Zealand: AA is the agency authorized by the Land Traffic Safety Bureau of the New Zealand Government to issue international driver's licenses on its behalf.

None of the above institutions has issued an international driver's license to those who do not have a domestic driver's license.

# Where can I apply for an international driver's license with a China driver's license?

A: You can't apply for a real international driver's license anywhere. International driver's license is a certificate issued by a government agency or its authorized agency of a signatory country to the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic for its own driver's license holder. The only institution that has the right to issue international driver's licenses to China driver's license holders is the relevant department of China government or its authorized institution, but the China government has not acceded to the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic. The international driver's license issued to you by other countries is invalid. 1968 "United Nations Convention on Road Traffic" stipulates: "Each contracting party shall recognize a valid international driving license issued by another contracting party or its subordinate institutions or institutions authorized by another contracting party ....." (Article 4 1, paragraph 2), "... neither contracting party is required to recognize an international driving license issued by a country/region other than the driver's country/region. "(Article 4 1, paragraph 7 (b))

# Only China driver's license has no international driver's license. Can I drive abroad?

A: Just as China people who have recently studied abroad or emigrated to Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most American states have discovered, most of these countries recognize foreign driver's licenses, including China's. So you can drive in these countries with a China driver's license. All you need is a driver's license translation to help the local police or car rental company read your China driver's license.

According to paragraph 2 of Article 4 1968 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic, the parties to the Convention confirm that:

The driver's license of any country is printed in the same language as that of that country, or, if it is not printed in the same language, it can be supplemented by a certified translation;

Any foreign driving license that meets the requirements of the sixth additional clause of the Road Traffic Convention in terms of language, format and motor vehicle classification;

Any international driver's license meeting the requirements of Appendix 6; (Author's Note: The requirements for an international driver's license in this additional clause include: the cover of an international driver's license must have the name of the issuing country and the obvious signs of that country; With the signature of the issuing department; Stamp the seal of the issuing department; The license contains the name of the country where the license holder lives)

..... Each Contracting Party acknowledges that the above permit is valid when driving the vehicle type specified in the permit on its territory.

# What translation can you use to drive abroad?

A: What you are required to have in the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic is a certified translation (see article 4 1968, paragraph 2 A). This means that a qualified translator will issue a translation for you and confirm the content of the translation, that is, declare his translation qualification at the end of the translation, swear that the content of the translation is accurate, write down his address, and sign and seal it. This is in full compliance with the requirements of the Convention and can be formally accepted by all States parties. The following is the website of American/Canadian/Australian national translation certification bodies. You can find translators who are qualified to translate Chinese into English on their website. Some of these translators often translate documents for government agencies. If you know how to do translation certification, their translations will be accepted without objection: * ATA in the United States * CTIC in Canada * NAATI in Australia.

China does not have a corresponding institution familiar to European and American countries. You can usually use the notarized translation of China Notary Office. When using the official certificate of the notary office, I suggest you find an experienced notary office. Because some notary offices are not familiar with the corresponding relationship between the classification methods of motor vehicles at home and abroad, so that foreign traffic management officials or car rental companies can't understand such a "translation", so you are required to re-translate. There are also some public documents that only confirm the conformity with the original text, do not confirm the translation content, and do not indicate the translation qualification. They are not "certified translations" and do not meet the requirements.

# Are the "international driver's licenses" sold by those companies valid?

Answer: "International Driver's License" (IDP) is a document issued by your government or its authorized agency to prove that you have a legal driver's license in your country according to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic. Those "international drivers' clubs" charge you thousands of dollars to issue such a certificate, just like the certificate issued by the personnel department of your company to confirm that you have a legal driver's license in China, or the certificate issued by Aunt Wang of your neighborhood Committee. Even if all the formats stipulated in the convention are used and many languages are used, not all of them will be recognized by the contracting parties. The website of the State Council warns consumers not to buy this kind of "international driver's license".

# How much is a real international driver's license?

A: In Canada, it is 10 Canadian dollars. Australia is 10 Australian dollar. New Zealand $ 12. In Britain, the international driver's license for the Convention version 1926 is 4 pounds, and so is the Convention version 1949, plus a handling fee of 2 pounds. In the United States, the National Automobile Club issues an international driver's license fee of 10 (the US State Department website tells consumers that it costs less than 20 dollars to apply for a real international driver's license, and warns consumers to be wary of those who sell fake international driver's licenses at high prices. If deceived by such people, consumers should complain to these institutions: the local office of the US Postal Inspector, the Bureau of Business Improvement, and the state or local attorney general's office. ).

# Where can I see the original text of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic?

A: The following are the full texts of 1949 and 1968 United Nations road traffic conventions linked from the websites of the Australian Legal Information Association and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe respectively:

1949 United Nations Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva (1September 9 1949).

1968 United Nations Convention on Road Traffic Vienna 1 1 8/month 1968 (PDF file)