International license for the USA?

[Ext User(RK276)]

Just a question.

Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for an Aussie
license - I had an international license with me but wasnt asked for it.

Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to hire the odd
car in the USA?

Replies appreciated.

[Mot Adv-NSW]

No.

You don't need an IDP stateside on an AUS license.

[Ext User(jshugg@westpac.com.au)]

RK276 wrote:
> Just a question.
>
> Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for an Aussie
> license - I had an international license with me but wasnt asked for it.
>
> Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to hire the odd
> car in the USA?
>
> Replies appreciated.

Definitely not needed in the US. Nor in UK, Brazil, Spain, Italy,
Germany, based on personal experience. Oz license is perfectly
acceptable in these countries, even though motoring organisations in
Australia may advise that you should take an int'l license with you
(maybe because they issue them?).

James

[Ext User(TJ)]

No, you don't need one. Your Australian driver licence is good enough.

We found that the car hire companies would value your credit card more than
your driving licence.

[Ext User(Uncle Bully)]

"Mot Adv-NSW" <Mot.Adv-NSW.21got1@no-mx.phorums.com.au> wrote in message
news:Mot.Adv-NSW.21got1@no-mx.phorums.com.au...
>
> No.
>
> You don't need an IDP stateside on an AUS license.
>

Mainly because with 50 states, local cops have no idea if Australia is part
of the Union or not.

[Ext User(The Raven)]

"RK276" <RK276@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:B53xf.213541$V7.83868@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Just a question.
>
> Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for an Aussie
> license - I had an international license with me but wasnt asked for it.

International Licenses aren't worth the paper they are written on. Anyone
who thinks so is living in the past and wasting money getting one.

All an international license represents is a certificate that the person
holds a valid drivers license somewhere in the world. It's main purpose if
for translation between the language of the licensed nation to one that can
be read where you're are visiting...nothing more. An international license
is NOT a driving license.

> Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to hire the
> odd car in the USA?

No, just use your Australian license. Any reputable rental company in the US
will accept an Australian license without question. I've used my various
state licenses to rent US vehicles plenty of times over the last few
decades.

Remember they want something that can ID you, not prove you have a license.
If you skip on them they can at least go back to your local authorities if
they want. An international license isn't sufficent....

Even the most backwater places in the US will accept them, although you may
have to say "it's a small town in the Texas panhandle" to get it past the
most ignorant of yocals.

Oh, point out the DD/MM/YY thing for your birthdate and expire they willr
ead it as MM/DD/YY.

--
The Raven
http://www.80scartoons.co.uk/batfinkquote.mp3
** Now I will bring chaos to the world!

[Ext User(Bernd Felsche)]

jshugg@westpac.com.au writes:
>RK276 wrote:

>> Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for
>> an Aussie license - I had an international license with me but
>> wasnt asked for it.

>> Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to
>> hire the odd car in the USA?

>Definitely not needed in the US. Nor in UK, Brazil, Spain, Italy,
>Germany, based on personal experience. Oz license is perfectly
>acceptable in these countries, even though motoring organisations in
>Australia may advise that you should take an int'l license with you
>(maybe because they issue them?).

There may be language problems. Quite likely in the USA. :-)

Not all officials in other countries may be able to decipher
Australian licences. If I'd presented a laminated cutout from a
Weeta-Bix packet to an officer in (former) East Germany, he'd have
been none the wiser.
--
/"\ Bernd Felsche - Innovative Reckoning, Perth, Western Australia
\ / ASCII ribbon campaign | Cynicism \Cyn"i*cism\
X against HTML mail | A visual defect caused by the
/ \ and postings | intrusion of reality

[Ext User(RK276)]

thanks all!


"The Raven" <swilson150@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:43c4e763$0$11844$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
> "RK276" <RK276@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:B53xf.213541$V7.83868@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>> Just a question.
>>
>> Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for an
>> Aussie license - I had an international license with me but wasnt asked
>> for it.
>
> International Licenses aren't worth the paper they are written on. Anyone
> who thinks so is living in the past and wasting money getting one.
>
> All an international license represents is a certificate that the person
> holds a valid drivers license somewhere in the world. It's main purpose if
> for translation between the language of the licensed nation to one that
> can be read where you're are visiting...nothing more. An international
> license is NOT a driving license.
>
>> Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to hire the
>> odd car in the USA?
>
> No, just use your Australian license. Any reputable rental company in the
> US will accept an Australian license without question. I've used my
> various state licenses to rent US vehicles plenty of times over the last
> few decades.
>
> Remember they want something that can ID you, not prove you have a
> license. If you skip on them they can at least go back to your local
> authorities if they want. An international license isn't sufficent....
>
> Even the most backwater places in the US will accept them, although you
> may have to say "it's a small town in the Texas panhandle" to get it past
> the most ignorant of yocals.
>
> Oh, point out the DD/MM/YY thing for your birthdate and expire they willr
> ead it as MM/DD/YY.
>
> --
> The Raven
> http://www.80scartoons.co.uk/batfinkquote.mp3
> ** Now I will bring chaos to the world!
>
>

[Ext User(bacco|007)]

On Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:42:09 +1100, Uncle Bully wrote:

> Mainly because with 50 states, local cops have no idea if Australia is part
> of the Union or not.

One American we had working with us was surprised that our licences were
made out of plastic (no joke), this was last year too
--
Knowfirst - http://www.knowfirst.info

[Ext User(James)]

RK276 wrote:

> Just a question.
>
> Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for an Aussie
> license - I had an international license with me but wasnt asked for it.
>
> Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to hire the odd
> car in the USA?
>
> Replies appreciated.
>
>
You might need your license it to buy beer and wine as well. I am 32 and
I still get asked for proof of age! You will have to explain the
DD/MM/YY thing to some of the check out people, as I have been asked how
I was born in the 13th Month!

[Ext User(The Raven)]

"James" <j_radcliffe@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:dqdpid$81g1$2@news3.infoave.net...
>
>
> RK276 wrote:
>
>> Just a question.
>>
>> Last time I travelled to the USA I hired a car and got asked for an
>> Aussie license - I had an international license with me but wasnt asked
>> for it.
>>
>> Is it necessary to go to the trouble/expense of getting one to hire the
>> odd car in the USA?
>>
>> Replies appreciated.
> You might need your license it to buy beer and wine as well. I am 32 and I
> still get asked for proof of age! You will have to explain the DD/MM/YY
> thing to some of the check out people, as I have been asked how I was born
> in the 13th Month!

To true. I lived in the US during my deliquent teenage years and only once
got asked for proof of age when buying alcohol (when underage). Funnily they
accepted my obviously altered proof of age.

Revisiting the US some decades later I find I was constantly being asked to
prove my age usually by bar tenders 10+ years younger than myself.

BTW in Texas back then they didn't even ask for proof of age when buying
ammunition. Those were the good old days where you could buy a gun from
Kmart, and pick the ammunition up off the shelves at kiddy height... Of
course, if you smart mouthed a cop you'd probably end up with a bullet in
you...

--
The Raven
http://www.80scartoons.co.uk/batfinkquote.mp3
** Now I will bring chaos to the world!

[Ext User(ant)]

The Raven wrote:

> BTW in Texas back then they didn't even ask for proof of age when
> buying ammunition. Those were the good old days where you could buy a
> gun from Kmart, and pick the ammunition up off the shelves at kiddy
> height...

Nothing much has changed. Walmart sell guns of all sorts, but now the ammos
up on the shelves and someone has to help you.

--
ant