Driving In United Kingdom
What is an IDL?
An International Driving License is recognized in many countries as the document that carries a passport-sized photo of you and a translation of your own, local drivers licence in different languages besides English - Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish German, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Farsi and Korean.
Many countries don't recognize national driver's licences as valid driver identification and in this case you need to obtain International Driver’s License or Permit.
If it's Not a Driver's Licence What is it For?
An IDL is definitely not a driver's licence and cannot be used in place of one. If you are driving outside your own country, you still need to carry your driver's licence as well as an IDP. The main purpose of an international driving license is to enable authorities who may not speak your language - from traffic policemen to court officers - to communicate with you about your driving credentials and to link them to your other identification. Just remember international driver license or permit is not a legal document or legal form of identification. All it is is a means for motoring authorities outside of your country to understand you driver's licence in their own language. Always remember to bring your own driver's licence with you as well.