The road transport department (JPJ) has announced the introduction of a new International Driving Permit (IDP) in line with the model defined for the document under the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic from 1949.

While not stated by the department in its announcement made on its Facebook page, the new IDP should be fully compliant to the requirements for the document in terms of dimensions (A6 size, 148 × 105 mm) and colour of its cover (grey).

The present IDP has a light yellow cover and is slightly larger, measuring 155 x 115 mm. While the present IDP is perfectly functional in its application as a valid document, its non-compliance in terms of actual designated size has led to it being rejected on rare occasions, such as that which happened in Japan earlier this year, when a couple of posts on Facebook highlighted that a car rental firm declined the IDP because it was larger than what was stated in its company rules.

Our work has of course necessitated the use of the IDP on many occasions over the years, and we have not encountered any issue with the document when asked to show or submit it for verification. Nonetheless, having a now fully-compliant IDP to defined standards means that there should no longer be any issues concerning its adherence to rules, or acceptance by anyone.

As for the availability of the new IDP, the department said in its post that it will be made when stock of the present IDP runs out. Existing IDPs with a running validity (one year from the date of issue) can still be used, and is recognised for what it is. The price of the IDP itself remains unchanged, at RM150.

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