Do we need to translate the international driving permit for Australia?

Hi everyone, We’re leaving for Australia soon and renting a car for the different legs of our trip. We have our French license plus the international driving permit, but I read in the rental agency’s rules that they require an international permit written in English. However, on the "France Diplomatie" website, it doesn’t mention that the international permit has to be in English.

For those of you who’ve already been to Australia—can you confirm whether our French-language international driving permit is enough, or should I get an urgent translation?

Thanks for your feedback—takeoff is August 20th!🤪

Hi there,

The international driver's permit is already in English.

Michel

Good evening,

The international permit is in English.

Michel

Good evening, mine is in French. There is indeed an English page (like other pages in different languages), but nothing is filled out and there’s no stamp.

Hi there,

Yes, all you need to do is open the English page of the permit as well as the last cardboard page, which you can unfold so it sits right next to the English page.

Fred

Hi there,

Just double-checking, but I just read this info about Queensland.

Renting a vehicle in Australia - Complete 2025 guide

Hi,

Yes, just open the English page of the permit as well as the last cardboard page, which you can open so it sits right next to the English page.

Fred

Hi, Okay, but nothing is filled out on the English page, which is why I was wondering. I think I’m overthinking this!😎

ok, but nothing is filled out on the English page, which is why I was wondering. I think I'm overthinking it😎

No worries about that. I use the international driver's permit in South Korea where it's mandatory, and everything's fine. However, the NAATI translation for the state of Queensland needs to be checked.

I added a photo to make it clearer.

On the cardboard page, there are 5 lines with my details that match the 5 lines on the left in English. And in the table just below, there’s a stamp in box B that corresponds to the car license as shown on the left page in English.

The rental companies (or law enforcement) just need to check if the left and right sides match.

I added a photo to make it clearer.

On the cardboard page, there are 5 lines with my details that match the 5 lines on the left in English. And in the table just below, there’s a stamp in box B that corresponds to the car license as shown on the left page in English.

The rental companies (or law enforcement) just need to check if the left and right sides match.



Okay, thanks a lot! What was bothering me was that nothing was filled out by the Préfecture on the English page. If it’s good like this, that works for me—I can untangle the knot in my brain now

Hi there, I was in Australia in January, and the international permit you have is sufficient. Fred’s demonstration is correct.

I can even tell you that mine stayed at the bottom of my bag—the rental companies are fine with just the French license (card format). It’ll only be useful in case of trouble, for insurance purposes. I even got pulled over, and just showing my French license was enough for the cops (maybe because I looked trustworthy ;)) Have a great trip!