Every now and then, an argument erupts online whether the standard US state-issued driver’s licence is valid in Estonia or not, so maybe we can settle this now for good – the golden rule is, yes, it is, but get the International Driving Permit because it’s actually a little more complex than it seems.
Since the United States is a federal country, drivers’ licences are issued by states, not the federal government. So every US state issues its own licence, designed its own way, bearing the information the state deems necessary – not the rest of the world, or not even the neighbouring state – and therefore, it can be confusing whether these licences are actually valid elsewhere in the world, especially Europe or, more specifically, Estonia.
As the summer is approaching and many Estonian Americans are planning their visit to the old country, people are starting online debates – on social media, mostly – whether they can or cannot drive in Estonia on an US state-issued driver’s licence. So Estonian World is lending a hand here and trying to settle this debate – or, oftentimes an outright argument – whether US licences are valid in Estonia, whether you can drive an automobile with them, or will the Estonian police pull you over and throw you straight in jail.
When you look at the information the Estonian Transportation Administration is providing, it can seem like most – or at least some – US licences are perfectly valid while driving in Estonia. The rules say the licence entries must be in Latin characters, it must have a description of the category of the motor vehicle the person is allowed to drive, and it should have the maximum weight or the permitted number of passengers the licence bearer is allowed to drive.
Simple enough, no? Most US licences have the category – or class – written on the licence. It’s usually Class D, or in some states Class C. Many licences also note the maximum weight of the vehicle the licence bearer is allowed to drive. So they surely must be valid in Estonia without the International Driving Permit – also known as the IDP – right?
Well, not entirely.
No standardisation
Even if your licence says you’re allowed to drive a vehicle with the gross weight of 26,000 pounds – which is usually the case with standard US licences – it’s written in English prose, not in the standardised category code (like Category B for vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kilograms, like the Vienna Convention and the Estonian authorities expect).
One of the main issues is, none of the US states print the permissible maximum mass of the vehicle the licence bearer is allowed to drive in a way that satisfies the formatting required by Estonia – which is actually the requirement of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. See, even if your licence says you’re allowed to drive a vehicle with the gross weight of 26,000 pounds – which is usually the case with standard US licences – it’s written in English prose, not in the standardised category code (like Category B for vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kilograms, like the Vienna Convention and the Estonian authorities expect).
The second issue is, the Class D licence issued in the US, for example, isn’t the same as the Category D licence issued in Europe, including Estonia, and neither is it what the Class or Category D is defined in any of the road traffic conventions.
And because of that, an Estonian police officer who pulls you over because you drove 92 kilometres an hour instead of the permitted 90 – a slight exaggeration, but not really, they are mighty strict in Estonia – won’t know and can’t verify what your Class D means.
And even if the licence has the maximum permissible weight written on it, it’s in pounds, not kilograms, and they’re under no obligation to be able to convert imperial measurements into the SI system. So, basically, they don’t know if the licence you’re presenting is for driving a moped, a snowmobile, or a huge-ass lorry.
Getting an IDP is simple enough
A sample of the International Driving Permit, issued by the AAA in the US. Photo by the AAA.
Estonian World also contacted the Transport Administration to clarify the regulations and it, too, in its reply sent to us, advises that it’s “reasonable to apply for an International Driving Permit and carry it on you during the entire trip while driving a vehicle, accompanied with your national driver’s licence”.
“Class D is not the same as the Category D in Estonia and in the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (bus),” Ave Smirnov, the head of the drivers’ licence division at the Estonian Transport Administration, told Estonian World.
“Hence it’s not enough for the licence to have the category symbol, but not have the maximum permissible weight data,” she noted.
While getting an International Driving Permit might seem like a hassle, it’s actually really simple. Find your local AAA, drive there, open the door, enter, and tell them you need an IDP. They’ll be happy to oblige. For $20. Plus another $20 or more for snapping your photo, unless you bring your own.
So there you have it. Easy-peasy.
