International Driving Permit Photos: The One Driving Document Where You Actually Submit Your Own Photo

Unlike a regular license, nobody takes this photo for you at a counter. Get the size wrong and you're mailing back a whole application.

Quick answer: An International Driving Permit (IDP) requires two identical passport-style photos — 2×2 inches (51×51mm), color, white background, taken within the last six months, signed on the back. In the US, only AAA and AATA are authorized by the State Department to issue a real IDP; everything else claiming to sell an "international driver's license" is a scam. If you're applying in person at an AAA branch, staff will often take the photo for you on the spot for a couple of dollars. If you're applying by mail or through AATA's online process, you need to supply the photo yourself — and this is the one driving-related document in the US where that's actually true.

Why the IDP is the exception, not the rule

Every other driving-license process — a state DMV renewal, a first-time license, a REAL ID upgrade — either reuses the photo already on file or has staff photograph you in person, and there's no self-submission option at all. The IDP breaks that pattern entirely. Because it's issued by a private authorized organization rather than a government DMV, and because it's explicitly modeled on passport photo conventions (it uses the identical 2×2 inch, white-background spec), it's the one case where "take your own photo and submit it" is the actual, correct, government-sanctioned process — not a workaround.

The exact spec

• Size: 2×2 inches (51×51mm) — identical to a US passport photo
• Color: full color, not black and white
• Background: plain white
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months
• Expression: neutral, no glasses
• Quantity: two identical prints
• Signature: signed on the back
• Format: two original prints for mail applications; a digital upload for AATA's online process

Where people actually get this wrong

The size is where drugstore photo counters most often slip. A pharmacy's "passport photo" package is printed to the US passport spec, which is also 2×2 inches — but some in-store printers crop slightly off, to 1.97 or 2.05 inches instead of an exact 2. That's close enough to pass a casual glance and close enough to get flagged on a careful review. If you're printing at a pharmacy, say explicitly: "two photos for an International Driving Permit, exactly two inches by two inches" — and measure them with a ruler before you leave the counter.

The other common mistake is scams. Because AAA and AATA are the only two organizations the US State Department authorizes to issue a real IDP, any site selling an "instant digital IDP," a "10-year IDP," or an international driver's license for $40–300 is selling a document that police and rental agencies abroad won't recognize. A legitimate IDP costs $20 and takes about a week if you're applying by mail; same-day if you go to an AAA branch in person.

The three ways to actually apply

1. AAA, in person — fill out a one-page form, bring a valid US license and payment. Many branches will take your two required photos on the spot for a couple of dollars, which sidesteps the whole self-photo question entirely.
2. AAA, by mail — you supply your own two 2×2 inch prints, signed on the back, along with a photocopy of your license and the completed form.
3. AATA, online or by mail — the online process has you upload a passport-style photo digitally rather than mailing physical prints, but the size and background spec is the same either way.

If you don't have an AAA branch nearby, or you're applying while already overseas (both AAA and AATA are the only two organizations that can issue an IDP to accompany a US license, and it can only be issued from within the US application process, so plan ahead of travel), the self-submitted photo route is the one you'll actually use.

Getting it right without a ruler and a white bedsheet

Since the spec is identical to a US passport photo, the most reliable way to get this right on the first try is a tool built specifically for that exact 2×2 inch, white-background, biometric-position standard, rather than eyeballing a home setup. PhotoOmni's passport photo tool exports directly at the correct pixel dimensions for the US 2×2 spec, which is the same target an IDP photo needs — so a photo that passes for a US passport application will also meet the IDP requirement, since they're built to the identical standard.

FAQ

Do I need a passport to get an International Driving Permit? No — a valid passport isn't required to apply for an IDP itself, though most countries require you to carry a valid passport and/or visa to enter, separate from the IDP requirement.

Can I use my passport photo for my IDP application? If it was taken within the last 6 months and meets the 2×2 inch, white-background, color spec, yes — the two documents use an identical photo standard, so a compliant passport photo generally works for an IDP too.

Is an online "instant IDP" legitimate? In the US, no — only AAA and AATA are authorized by the State Department to issue a real IDP. Any site offering an instant digital IDP or a multi-year IDP is selling something rental agencies and foreign police won't recognize.

What happens if my IDP photos are the wrong size? Your application can be rejected and sent back, costing you the processing time — typically about a week by mail. Running your photo through a tool built to the exact 2×2 inch spec before you print or upload catches sizing issues before you submit, rather than after.

How long is an IDP valid? One year, and it cannot be renewed — you apply for a new one each time, using a current photo taken within the prior six months.

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Requirements can change and vary slightly outside the US — always confirm current specs with your country's authorized IDP-issuing body before applying.