The International Drivers' License I started out thinking I could drive with my US license, good until 2003. But then I hear, just to be on the safe side, better get an International Drivers License (IDL), which is a small passport-like booklet that translates your current license so that you can drive around in foreign countries on vacation. If you have a DL from another European Union country or an EEC country, you can use that in France, no IDL needed. If you're from outside Europe, it's a good idea to get the IDL. You can get one for $10 at any AAA office near you. All you need is a valid US driver's license and a passport sized photo. Certain travel agencies may sell them as well. To make sure you've got the correct UN approved one, it should be a gray cardboard cover, with a few white pages inside that translate your license into several foreign languages. Your picture and the AAA stamp go on the back cover. It's only valid outside the US, and must be used with your regular license at all times.
You can also get the IDL through the internet. International IDL is one site where you can get an international driver's license for one to four years. The prices aren't cheap, about $20, but they'll ship it anywhere in the world. Another one is Driverslicense.com. This site lets you apply through the internet, at the $10 fee and free shipping if you're in the US. You'll need a scanner to send the images, and you can send or wire them payment in a number of ways (no credit cards).
Resident of France? Of course, there's always a catch. Once you've been living in France, the rules change. The French will only accept the IDL and/or your regular DL if it is still valid in the US. Technically speaking, since I no longer live at the address on my DL, it's not valid in the US. I could probably slip by that one, especially if the address listed was my mom's house. Fine, if you're just in France for travel, and don't mind risking it with the good ol' insurance company if you have a wreck. But I have been in France as a resident, with my very own carte de sejour, the French version of the Green Card. Once you're a resident, if you don't have an EU country issued DL, you must obtain a French driver's license (permis de conduire).
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