Countries
Driving in Romania with a US license: IDP required
Romania pairs the US license with a permit for visits of up to 90 days. Rental companies enforce it.
Do you need an International Driving Permit there?
Driving in Romania on a US license
IDP required with your US license
| US license counts | 90 days of a stay |
| IDP | Get the IDP in the United States before you leave: it cannot be issued abroad by local offices. |
| Conventions | Party to both the 1949 Geneva and the 1968 Vienna conventions (1949: 1961) (1968: 1980) |
| Rule | State Department A US license is not sufficient on its own. For stays of up to 90 days it may be used with an IDP. Most rental companies require the IDP. |
Source: U.S. Department of State, Romania country information (updated November 12, 2025). Not legal advice; the country's own authorities decide.
Driving in Romania: the full rulesUse of a US state driver's license is not sufficient to drive in Romania, according to the State Department's Romania page, updated on November 12, 2025. US citizens arriving for stays of up to 90 days may use their state license only when it is accompanied by an international driving permit, and most rental companies require the permit when renting to a US license holder. Romania is a party to both the 1949 and 1968 conventions. Romanian traffic law is strict: police can confiscate a license or permit for one to three months and request payment of fines at the time of the infraction, and refusing a breath test can bring criminal penalties whether or not alcohol was involved. According to the European Commission, quoted on the same page, Romania has the highest rate of road deaths per vehicle in the EU. Secondary roads are often unpaved, unlit and narrow.
Until when does your US license count?
Last day on the US license in Romania
March 4, 2027
| Rule | 90 days of a stay |
| Days counted | 90 |
| Also needed | IDP required with your US license |
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 road tax badge
Drivers entering Romania by car must buy a road tax badge, the rovinieta, at the border. Proof of insurance and the registration document are required, and a car registered abroad without a valid international insurance document needs short-term insurance bought at the border. Rental cars registered in Romania carry the badge.
After an accident
For damage only, drivers move the cars to the side of the road, signal their presence and either call the police or exchange insurance details and fill in an amicable report. Mountain roads are dangerous in rain or snow and snow clearing is intermittent. A trip continuing into Hungary needs the permit or a translation there as well; the trip planner checks the route.
Romania at a glance
| What a US license holder needs | IDP required with your US license |
| How long the US license counts | 90 days of a stay |
| Side of the road | right, as in the United States |
| 1949 Geneva convention | party since January 26, 1961 |
| 1968 Vienna convention | party since December 9, 1980 |
| Rule read in | U.S. Department of State, Romania country information (updated November 12, 2025) |
What the State Department page says
| Passage on driver's licenses, as published |
|---|
| The traffic police can confiscate a driver's license or permit for 1-3 months and request payment of fines at the time of the infraction. |
| Use of U.S. state issued drivers’ licenses (DL) is not sufficient to operate motor vehicles in Romania. U.S. citizens arriving in Romania for stays up to 90 days may use their U.S. state drivers’ licenses only when accompanied by an International Driving Permit . Most rental car companies require international driving permits when renting a car to a U.S. driver’s license holder. |