If you are searching for insurance companies that accept international drivers license holders, the real question is simple: will my license be accepted when I call? With the insurance companies we work with, the answer is usually yes. The company does not care which country issued the license. It looks at a few things on the license itself. This post explains what those are, so you know what to have ready before you call and what can slow a quote down. The insurance company decides whether to accept the license, we shop several of them for you, and you pay the premium. For who qualifies and what the policy looks like, see our page on auto insurance with a foreign or international license in California.
Car insurance with a foreign license in California: the basics before you call
A foreign license is a driver’s license issued outside the United States. Here is what IIS Insurance Services tells every caller before we quote:
- We insure drivers with a valid foreign license, an AB 60 license, or an ITIN. A Social Security number is optional; none of the insurance companies we work with require it.
- The state minimum liability is $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injury and $15,000 for property damage.
- An International Driving Permit is a translation of your license, not a license. Carry it with the original.
- Most of the insurance companies we work with credit your home-country driving history. Proof might be asked for, so have it handy.
- A California license in most cases will reduce your rate. Higher deductibles and paying the term in full lower it too.
- We quote and bind by phone, usually the same day, in seven languages. Call (877) 210-9514.
Insurance with international license: what the insurance company reads off the card
IIS Insurance Services asks for the same things from every foreign license, whether it was issued in Mexico, Armenia, Korea, or the United Kingdom. The country does not decide whether the license is accepted. These things on the license do.
1. The driver’s license is valid today
The license has to be current on the day the policy starts. California lets a visitor who is 18 or older drive on a valid license from the country where they live for as long as that license is valid, and the insurance company uses the same rule. Sometimes we see a license that expired while the driver was already in California, and there is no way to write the policy on it until it is renewed or replaced with a California license.
2. It is from the country where you live
The California rule for visitors is a license from the country of residence, not any license from anywhere. A license from a country you left years ago, kept as a backup, raises questions on both the DMV side and the insurance side. If you have become a California resident, the DMV expects you to apply for a California license within 10 days, and we will ask whether you have.
3. The date the foreign license was first issued
This is the one people do not expect. California rates auto insurance mainly on your driving record, your annual miles, and your years of driving experience, and the issue date on your license is how the insurance company counts those years. A license that shows you have been driving for twelve years most probably will lower your insurance rate. If your current card only shows the latest renewal date, your home-country driving history is the proof of the earlier years, which is why we say to have it handy.
4. The number, read from the license itself
Read your number from the license itself, not from memory. The policy and any DMV record have to match the document, and a license number in another alphabet or format is something we sometimes have to correct after the fact. If the license is not in English, the International Driving Permit is the translation the insurance company can read.
The International Driving Permit: what it does and does not do for an auto insurance quote
IIS Insurance Services gets asked about the International Driving Permit very often, usually by someone who thinks it is the license. It is not. The permit is a translation of your home license into several languages, and it is only valid together with the original. On the quote, the permit does two useful things: it tells the insurance company what the license says when the license is not in English, and it carries the issue date and license class in a format the company can read. What it cannot do is stand in for a license that is expired, suspended, or missing. A permit with no original license behind it is not accepted.
| What gets checked | Why it matters | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| The license is valid today | California allows visitors to drive only on a valid license, and the policy starts on that license | Active driver license |
| It is from your country of residence | The visitor rule and the 10-day new-resident rule both turn on where you live | Your current address in California and the date you arrived |
| The first issue date | Years of driving experience are a main rating factor in California | The license, and your home-country driving history if the card shows only a renewal date |
| The license number | The policy has to match the document | Read it off the card during the call |
| The International Driving Permit | A translation the insurance company can read, not a license | Optional, but helpful if the license is not in English |
Best for a foreign driver whose license is not in English: getting a car insurance quote that holds
IIS Insurance Services quotes drivers in seven languages, so the language on the license might not be a problem on our end, but the insurance company still needs the facts on the card in a form it can read. Here is what keeps a quote from stalling: have the license and, if you have one, the International Driving Permit on the call; know the date you were first licensed, not just the last renewal; and know the address where the car is kept, because the rate is set on that address, not on where the license came from. If you are adding yourself to someone else’s policy rather than buying your own, the same review applies to you as a named driver. Our post on the best car insurance for foreign drivers covers what moves the price once the license is accepted.
What is not checked, and what still changes your insurance options
IIS Insurance Services wants to be clear about what is not part of the review, because many callers expect to be judged on more than they are. The insurance company does not ask about your citizenship. It does not require a Social Security number. It looks at your driver’s license, and a valid foreign license, an AB 60 license, or an ITIN is enough to get you a quote. What does change later is the California license question: once you have been here long enough to be a resident, the DMV rule is a California license within 10 days, and getting it in most cases will reduce your rate. Our post on how long you can drive in California with a foreign license covers where that line falls.
Frequently asked questions
Which US states accept foreign drivers’ licenses?
Each state sets its own rule, so we can only speak for California. In California, a visitor 18 or older may drive on a valid license from the country where they live for as long as it is valid, and a new resident applies for a California license within 10 days. Check with the DMV of any other state you plan to drive in.
How do I get an International Driving Permit in California?
In most cases you cannot get one here. The permit is issued by the country that issued your driver’s license, so it has to be arranged at home before you travel. The United States does not issue International Driving Permits to foreign visitors. If you are already here without one, call IIS Insurance Services anyway, and we will tell you what the insurance company needs to read your license.
Will an insurance company accept an expired foreign license?
No. The license has to be valid on the day the policy starts, so the quote cannot be written on an expired one. The fix depends on where you live now. If you are still a visitor, renew the license with the country that issued it. If you have become a California resident, apply for a California license and we will write the policy on that.
Do I need a translation of my license to get insured?
IIS Insurance Services can take the quote in seven languages, so a license that is not in English might not be a problem on the call. The insurance company still has to read the facts on the card, and the International Driving Permit is the translation it accepts. If you do not have one, tell us and we will walk you through what the company needs.
Call IIS Insurance Services with your license in hand
IIS Insurance Services has been in business since 2009, and drivers on foreign licenses are one of our specialties. Contact us with your license in hand and we will go through it with you, quote several insurance companies, bind by phone, and usually get you covered the same day. We help clients in seven languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, and Georgian. Call (877) 210-9514.
Reviewed by George Karapetyan, IIS Insurance Services. CA license #0E94849, agency license #0G56765. Last reviewed October 2026.