Is an online International Driving Permit legal in Vietnam? The IDP scam, explained
Reviewed 2026-08-20 · General guidance, not legal advice — Kai gives you your personal status.
'Get your International Driving Permit online in minutes' is one of the most common — and most dangerous — pieces of advice for Vietnam. Here's why. (General information, not legal advice.)
Why 'instant online IDP' sites are almost all fakes
A real International Driving Permit is issued only by your home country's official motoring authority or its authorised automobile association, in person. Most 'instant online IDP' websites have no issuing authority behind them; the documents they sell are not recognised, and Vietnamese police know the format.
An IDP is not a licence — it's an official translation of your existing one, issued under a treaty by your home country's authority. A website that emails you a permit in minutes for a fee is not that authority, and the result carries no legal weight.
Vietnamese traffic police see these regularly and recognise them. A permit that looks the part but isn't real does not help you at a checkpoint.
The impossibility no seller mentions
Here's the part the sellers hide: a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP — the only kind Vietnam recognises — can only be issued by a country that is a party to that convention. For the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Korea (all 1949 Geneva countries), no legitimate 1968 IDP can exist. Anything sold as one is a fake by definition.
So the question isn't 'where do I buy one?' — it's whether your country issues the permit Vietnam recognises at all.
Presenting a fake can be worse than nothing
Riding without a recognised licence is a fine (VND 2–8 million under Decree 168/2024) and an impound. Handing police a forged permit adds a falsified-document problem on top — a more serious matter — and it voids any insurance that relied on it.
If you can't be legal on a petrol bike, the honest move is not a better-looking fake. It's a different, genuinely legal ride.
The only legitimate route — and the honest workaround
If your country issues the 1968 permit (most of continental Europe and the UK), get it from your official motoring authority or automobile association before you fly, and carry it with your physical licence. It must match the right category — A1 up to 125cc, A above.
If your country issues only the 1949 permit, the genuinely legal ways to ride are a licence-free electric scooter (rated 4 kW or under, design speed 50 km/h or under) you can self-ride, or riding pillion with a professional easy-rider. Kai checks your exact case in about 90 seconds, before you pay anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online International Driving Permit legal in Vietnam?
Almost never. A valid IDP is issued only by your home country's official motoring authority in person. Most online 'instant IDP' documents are not recognised, and Vietnamese police spot the fakes.
Can Americans or Australians buy a 1968 IDP online for Vietnam?
No. The 1968 permit can only be issued by a 1968-convention country; the US, Australia, Canada, NZ, Japan and Korea are not, so no genuine 1968 IDP exists for them. Anything sold as one is a fake.
Know your exact status in 90 seconds
Tell Kai your country, licence and dates. It confirms what you can legally ride, matches the bike and quotes one honest all-in price — free, before you commit anything.
Talk to Kai