Road trip is an international traveling dream that has a strong and long-lasting charm. It is the dream of negotiating the snarling coastal roads of the Amalfi coast in a small Fiat, of driving the awe inspiring Pacific Coast Highway in California with the wind in your hair or of feeling the mastery of the German Autobahn. It is the dream of maximum independence, of finding forgotten towns, overlooks and the real experiences of places that are way out of sight of the bus and train timetables. This fantasy of international travel, however, depends upon a very important and little-known document: the International Driving Permit (IDP). To the would be international traveller especially the person who wishes to go around the world in his or her own car, the IDP is not just a piece of paper work; it is the key that opens the door to realizing these visions. It has become a vehicle between the legal systems, a translator of a linguistic barrier, and the document that proves your right to drive on the foreign land. Although the procedure to get an IDP can be considered a mere administrative thing, it is a must to know its history, the legal implication of getting one and the procedures that need to be taken in order to procure one in detail. This guide is a complete, definitive document on International Driving Permit, and paints specifically pragmatic guide as an applicant in Lahore, with the aim of turning an otherwise perceptibly daunting experience into a matter of clarity and comfort on your way to the next big adventure.
First of all, one must dispell the most popular myth about International Driving Permit. The IDP is by no means a separate driving license. It does not have any authority. The one most important thing to get straight is that IDP is simply a formal, multi-lingual version of the driver license that you already have (and have never been challenged on the validity). Its main purpose is to go together with your Pakistani driver license, and not in replacement of. When you may be pulled over by the police in a different country or even when you want to rent a car there, your IDP will be absolutely invalid without the original legal license that it is replaced by in Pakistan. Consider the driver license or your driving permit an IDP such a passport: your passport certifies who you are and what nationality you are but many countries will still require a visa; your Pakistani driving license certifies that you are fit to drive and there is a document, called the International Driver Permit, issued by that country, recognized internationally that translates and confirms that the license to people in other countries.
The legacy of the IDP as a legal document is deeply entrenched in the factors of mid-20 th century when the international cooperation reached its bloom, and the number of foreign auto travel rose dramatically after the Second World War. A number of international treaties were formed in order to make the road traveling between countries safer and more organized. Two of these are the most pronounced because they are the 1949 Geneva Convention on road traffic and the 1968 Vienna Convention on road traffic. A huge number of countries signed these conventions, and they all agreed to accept a document of a certain uniformity which would issue a statement that the home-country driver license of a visitor was official and valid. This uniformed document was then the- International Driving Permit. The details of the specific design of the IDP were specified in the treaties: it was to be a grey booklet, a little bigger than a passport, with translations of the details of the driver in several different languages, including the five official languages of the United Nations (English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese), and other languages as well. It contains the given name of the driver, his date of birth, the address of his birth, the photograph resembling the one on the passport in the scope of size etc. and, most importantly, the scope of the classes that the holder is authorized to drive with the stamp and the certification by the authority that releases it in his home country. Such uniformity means that a policeman in rural Japan or a car rental agent in Spain will have the credentials of a Pakistani driver with which to deal, straight away and be able to confirm it, circumventing any possible language barrier or lack of familiarity of a Pakistani style of license.
To a citizen who lives in Lahore, it is apparent that the procedures involved in the acquisition of a formally accepted IDP are evident and it is quite established, but with planning in detail. The governing body of globe motoring called the F d ration Int l de l Automobile (FIA) authorizes the right to issue IDPs to its corresponding automobile clubs in every member nation. This is mainly and best known issuing body in Pakistan which is known as, Automobile Association of Pakistan (AAP). Although particular departments of local traffic police can provide certifications related to certain regions (including the GCC countries), the IDP printed under the auspices of the AAP is the one, which complies with the UN conventions and is accepted by nearly the total number of the signatory countries (150+). Thus, this is the reason why you should make the AAP your first and only place to go.
You need to first be eligible before setting out to go through the application procedure. The applicant should be a Pakistani citizen aged 18 years and above, most importantly, he/she is supposed to be a valid, full Pakistani driver. A learners permit or expired license will not do. Your national license should be valid and should be active until your entire time of the proposed international travel since the validity of an IDP depends on that.
The second is the scrupulous collection of all the needed papers. This is the stage which is most critical and any negligence may lead to delays. A detailed file should be prepared by you consisting of the following. One is filling in the form of IDP that is usually available at the office of the AAP in Lahore and may also be downloaded on their official web-site. Write this in a readable way, correctly and ensuring that all information exactly corresponds to the data on official documents. Second, you should have original, valid driver license issued in Pakistan, and several clear photocopy of the back side and front side of the document. Third, you will need to prove that you are a Pakistani citizen and identity by presenting your valid original and photocopies of Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC). Fourth, you need your first valid Pakistani passport together with photocopies of its central pages (i.e. the ones with very significant information). Your CNIC and driver license must be exactly the same as on your passport. Any variance can be a ground of rejection or be a serious problem in the overseas. Fifth, you will require a collection of up to date passport-sized photos. Two to four photographs are usually necessary and such photographs are supposed to be on a plain white background. One should also carry some extras with him. Sixth, the process of the AAP may also require a duplicate of the visa of your first destination country, and hence, the requirements of the countries which may require a copy to prove your intention to travel. It is not always compulsory but it is always prudent to have it at hand. Lastly, you should be willing to fork out the application fee. This fee is not fixed and one should always contact the AAP Lahore office first to receive the latest fee amount and also to get an idea of their mode of acceptability of payment which may be in form of cash, bank draft or any other predetermined format.
Upon having your organized file of documents in hand, what you need to do next is to pay a visit to the Automobile Association of Pakistan (AAP) office subsequently in Lahore. It is always better to make a phone call and clarify their working hours and that they may have any special requirements to IDP applicants. When you arrive there, you will give your application form and all the supporting documents to the counter indicated. A document will also be looked at carefully by the staff, matching up the originals and making sure that the photocopy of the document is accurate and that the information therein has not been altered in any way. They will verify your license, passport and CNIC. This checkout is quite rigorous and that is why everything must be in an immaculate order in order to have a smooth time.
When your documents have been checked and you have paid your fee, the processing comes to start. The processing time is one of the major benefiting values of applying using an effective entity such as the AAP. And in most cases, when you file your request to have your International Driving Permit in the morning and all the requirements are in place, you can very well get to claim your completed International Driving Permit as early as the same day. It may actually require a matter of days in work time at most. The AAP officials will print one of your photos and paste it on the official grey colored IDP booklet. They shall then insert your information in it, de-stamp the categories of vehicles you are permitted to drive and use the official seal and signature of the association. It is the quality that the foreign authorities will seek on this stamp. As soon as it is prepared, you will be able to receive your new IDP, so then you should check it to be sure that all the information is correct. Now you are a legal driving citizen on the international territory.
Having your IDP in your hands is only where a journey starts, it does not mean that you have reached an end but at least this is where your power starts. It is imperative to know its application and application location. The IDP is not an international rule, and it is accepted in more than 150 countries of the world. Certain countries, especially the People Republic of China do not consider the IDP and foreigners have to procure a provisional local permit. Hence, prior to any travel arrangements, first, you must conduct some research on the respective driving requirements of a foreign tourist in the country of your intended residence. This should be easy to check on the website of the country embassy or the tourism board, normally.
Take an example, at an airport in France, when you get to a car rental (best) counter, the agent would request to be shown your driving credentials. You have to upload them with your International Driving Permit and your original Pakistani driver license, with your passport and the credit card of the rental. The agent will check up the IDP and within a short time after verification, the agent will compare it with your national license to know your identity as well as the vehicle classes you are allowed to drive. They will most certainly deny you the right to rent a vehicle unless you have both documents.
Likewise, the scenario remains to be largely similar in case of a regular traffic stop. A non-English speaking police officer in his country cannot read or decode what is written in your Pakistani license. Immediately eliminating this problem is through the provision of the IDP alongside it. The officer will be conscious of the layout which is common and will be able to read the translation in their native language and can perform the check effectively and efficiently without getting confused. IDP is an effective de-escalator and helps to iron out possible misunderstandings and prove that you are a ready and law-abiding guest.
The awareness of the validity period of the IDP is also very vital. The IDP is normally valid within the period of one year following the issue of the IDP. Nonetheless, this can extend only up to expiry of your national driver license. In case your Pakistani license is about to indue within a period of six months, then the IDP will only apply only through the same period. Moreover, an IDP is not issued outside of the country. Even in case your IDP expires when you are on a long trip, you will not be able to make a new one in the country where you have gone. It is necessary to re-apply in your home country via the issuing authority, originally. This is a serious factor to individuals who intended to take a long trip to a different country.
During your research and planning, be very particular when you come across many online frauds to give you so-called International Driver/s Licenses. These are fake documents, which are sold by unauthorised websites, and they are expensive. They usually arrive in the form of a plastic credit-card-like card and pretend to be an independent license and can be used without the license of your home country. Such papers are totally useless, they are not accepted in any valid organization and will instantly be declined by any police and car hire company. An official IDP is never a booklet that is not small paper, can only be issued in the name of permitted, FIA-bindings automobile associations (such as the AAP in Pakistan) and never replaces your national license. Being duped in any of these will not only cost you some money but may also land you into severe legal problems in foreign land which you are not allowed to drive without a valid permit.
Lastly, one has to learn which context an IDP is applied to. It is a brochure that serves tourists and short stay visitors. In case you relocate to another country and become a resident of it, the situation changes. The majority of the countries demand their new inhabitants to use a local driving license within a certain period, not exceeding one year or less. The IDP is a form of temporary solution and not the expats permanent solution. It is also necessary that as soon as you settle the country, you have to undergo the formality of exchanging your Pakistani license to a country one and the procedure will depend on the rules and regulations of the country you move to either written, practical or medical test.
To sum up, the International Driving Permit is much more than just a single piece of paper; it is an essential tool of globalization and the evidence of international collaboration. It is a must-have gadget on the road to the Pakistani traveller who has been dreaming of seeing the open roads of the world. The procedure of acquisition of one through the Automobile Association of Pakistan acquiring one in Lahore considers to be a step by step and simple process that does not require one to be a skilled navigator, but to require effort to be well prepared. It involves clarity of documents as they must be collected diligently-your valid license, CNIC, passport, photos, and form and a direct contact with the official and the official issuing body which has been recognized. Learning about the actual reason of the IDP to be used as a translation of a national license and a verification of it of the author, being cautious about the online scam, and being willing to accept the original purpose of the IDP to be used as the temporary permit which a visitor carries – are the valuables which allow you to be safe on the road. This little grey booklet signifies your legal and practical preparedness to deal with the adventure of foreign driving, which shifts the idea of the road trip in another nation/state to the concrete and exciting reality.
