Countries
Driving in France with a US license
France does not ask for a permit as such. It asks that police be able to read your license, and an IDP is the easiest way to make that true.
Do you need an International Driving Permit there?
Driving in France on a US license
IDP or official translation required
| US license counts | 6 months of a stay |
| IDP | An IDP from AAA or AATA is the simplest way to meet the rule; an official translation is the other. |
| Conventions | Party to both the 1949 Geneva and the 1968 Vienna conventions (1949: 1950) (1968: 1971) |
| Rule | National text For a short stay of less than six months, a license from outside the EU must be valid and either written in French or accompanied by an international driving permit or an official translation. |
Source: Service-Public.fr, Conduire en France avec un permis étranger pendant un court séjour (checked by the French administration on June 1, 2026); State Department page updated August 11, 2025. Not legal advice; the country's own authorities decide.
Driving in France: the full rulesFrance lets a visitor drive on a license from outside Europe during a short stay of less than six months, on conditions set out by Service-Public.fr, the French administration's official guide, checked on June 1, 2026. The license must be valid, its medical restrictions must be respected, and it must be written in French or come with an international driving permit or an official translation. A US license is in English, so in practice one of the two documents is needed. A translation made abroad must be legalized or carry an apostille; one made in France must come from an approved translator or from the embassy of the country that issued the license. For an American visitor, the permit from AAA or AATA costs less and travels better. France is a party to both conventions. The State Department adds that toll booths may not accept US credit cards.
Until when does your US license count?
Last day on the US license in France
June 4, 2027
| Rule | 6 months of a stay |
| Days counted | 182 |
| Also needed: IDP or official translation required | |
Leaving and coming back may restart the count in some countries, not all: check the text cited on the country page.
Rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The six-month line
The rule on this page covers short stays. A person who settles in France follows different rules: the foreign license must be exchanged within a set period, and the exchange depends on agreements between France and the state that issued the license. Students have their own provisions on the same Service-Public.fr page. The tool above flags a stay that runs past six months.
Priority to the right
The State Department's France page singles out a rule that surprises Americans: unless signs say otherwise, cars coming from the right have priority at intersections, even when they come out of a small side street onto a boulevard. Service stations are rarer on secondary roads than in the United States, and the simplest way for a visitor to pay highway tolls is cash in the marked lane. These details are in the State Department's text quoted below.
A permit bought online from a seller other than AAA or AATA is not an international permit in the sense of the French rule; the scam guide explains the difference.
France at a glance
| What a US license holder needs | IDP or official translation required |
| How long the US license counts | 6 months of a stay |
| Side of the road | right, as in the United States |
| 1949 Geneva convention | party since September 15, 1950 |
| 1968 Vienna convention | party since December 9, 1971 |
| Rule read in | Service-Public.fr, Conduire en France avec un permis étranger pendant un court séjour (checked by the French administration on June 1, 2026) |
What the State Department page says
| Passage on driver's licenses, as published |
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| See our road safety page for more information. Visit the website of the French National Tourist Office for specific information on French driver's permits, vehicle inspection, road tax, and mandatory insurance. See Embassy of France’s driving in France webpage for information on using U.S. driver’s licenses in France. |