Before you ride
International Driving Permits
If you are riding or driving with us outside your own country, you will almost certainly need an IDP alongside your home licence. It is the one piece of paperwork travellers forget.
Apply
Start your application online
We refer our riders to the International Driving Authority, who issue an International Driving Permit that translates your licence into multiple languages. The application takes a few minutes.
Our referral partner
Apply online, upload your existing licence and a photo, and choose how many years of validity you want. The permit is posted to you, and a digital copy is usually available while you wait for it.
Please read before you apply
The International Driving Authority is a private company, not a government body, and we receive a referral fee if you apply through the link above. The permit recognised under the United Nations road traffic conventions is issued only by authorised bodies in the country that issued your licence — your RTO in India, the AAA or AATA in the United States, the Post Office in the United Kingdom, and so on.
Which document a particular country, police force or rental company will accept varies. Check the requirements for your destination and your own licence before paying for anything — and if you are unsure, ask us and we will tell you what our riders have actually used on that route.
Who needs one
By journey
A rough guide. We confirm the exact requirement for your nationality when you book.
Questions
The usual ones
It is a booklet that translates your existing driving licence into several languages so police and rental staff abroad can read it. It is not a licence in its own right and it never replaces your home licence — you must carry both, and it is only valid while your home licence is valid.
Online issuers typically send a digital copy within a day or two and post the physical booklet, which can take a couple of weeks internationally. If you are going through your own country's official route, allow longer — an RTO application in India can take a few weeks. Either way, start well before departure.
A valid driving licence for the class of vehicle you intend to ride, a passport-style photograph, and a delivery address. For motorbike tours make sure your licence actually covers motorcycles — a car-only licence will not do, and it is the single most common problem we see.
Yes. Some countries tie engine capacity to licence class, so a licence that covers a 250cc may not cover the 750cc and larger machines we offer in Morocco. Tell us which bike you want when you book and we will confirm what your licence needs to show.
On routes where it is genuinely required, you may not be able to ride, and you would still be welcome to travel with the group in the backup vehicle. We would much rather sort this out weeks in advance than at the start of the trip, so tell us early if you are unsure.
Sorted?
Then let's get you on a bike
Paperwork done, the rest is the fun part. Have a look at what we are running this season.