If you want to drive a car in the USA, you need a valid driver’s license. For Europeans the European driver’s license is accepted in America. For other countries an international driver’s permit can be required.
Do you need an international driver’s permit?
When renting a car in the USA, you need a valid, unexpired driver’s license that includes a photograph.
- If the home country driver’s license is in a language other than English (or French, for rentals in Canada) and the letters are English (i.e. German, Spanish, etc.) an International Driver’s Permit is recommended, but not required, for translation purposes in addition to the home country driver’s license.
=> You don’t need an international driver’s permit if you have a European driver’s license. - If the home country driver’s license is in a language other than English and the letters are not English (i.e. alphabet is not an extended Latin-based alphabet like German or Spanish but is Russian, Japanese, Arabic, etc.) an International Driver’s Permit is required.
Driving a car in the USA is not very different from other countries (except for the left-driving parts of the world! 😉 ), buth there are some rules and signs that are slightly different.
=> Read more about traffic signs in the USA.
