Thinking of Getting an International Drivers' License?

Initially appeared on doktorko.com 8/20/2005.

Well, think again.

The word SCAM is a fighting word, which is why i won't use it.

At any rate, before i flew to the US some thirteen-odd months ago, i was concerned about whether or not i'd be able to drive a car here. After all, Filipinos are notorious the world over for being bad drivers (we call it "diskarte"), so for all i knew, brandishing my Filipino license in a foreign country might elicit dagger looks and a spit in my general direction. With this in mind, i inquired around on how to procure one of those "International Licenses" that some tourists rave about.

A couple of people i talked to said that it was a fairly simple procedure; go over to Aurora Boulevard, find the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), and apply for the license. Voila, you'll be certified to drive almost anywhere - especially in the US.

Without much ado, i found the office on Aurora. I inquired about "International Licenses," and was given a form to fill out. I penned all my information in, submitted a couple of ID pictures, plunked down around PhP500 (not the exact figure, but my recollection of numbers can get a little muddy sometimes), and within half an hour had my "International License" in hand. Perhaps there was some foreshadowing in the fact that it stated that it was a "Permit" and never once admitted to being a "License," but what they hey. I smugly stowed it in a plastic bag with my most valuable possessions (Passport, ECFMG Certificate, Diploma, picture of my wife) and was content in the fact that i was now licensed to drive in the United States of America.

To cut the long story short: after entering the US, i NEVER used the AAP Permit - NOT EVEN ONCE. I tried to rent a car at Alamo - LO AND BEHOLD, they do NOT accept International Driving Permits as a solo form of identification! In fact, they look for the OFFICIAL DRIVERS' LICENSE provided by your country of residence (in my case, the Inang Bayan) - and accept this as sole proof that you can drive cars in their country!

Succinctly: if you want to drive in the US and are already duly licensed in the Philippines, the "International License" is just a useless piece of scratch paper. YOUR DRIVERS' LICENSE IS GOOD ENOUGH. Information i would have appreciated receiving before actually applying and paying for it. Of course, the people who you buy it from would be the last ones to actually say it doesn't mean anything.

(Caveat: this is information specific for Alamo Rental Cars in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. But i guess it's safe to say that if something like this holds true for our little town... that it might hold true for the rest of the country (and maybe even others) as well.)

To be fair, AAP membership DOES come with SOME perks, such as "emergency roadside assistance," "emergency ambulance service," and so on and so forth. But if you're thinking of investing your money in something useful for your trip abroad - just go to NBS and buy a good book to read on the plane.