When booking a rental car abroad, it is easy to assume that carrying only an International Driving Permit will be enough.
However, that may not be the case for short-term visitors to Kazakhstan.
The fact that a rental car company has rented you a vehicle and whether you can legally drive locally are separate matters.
3-Line Summary
1. You cannot drive in Kazakhstan with only an International Driving Permit.
2. You need the original driver's license and a notarized Russian translation.
3. Rental-car approval and local driving requirements are different.
Why You Cannot Drive Even If You Have an International Driving Permit
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan has advised that short-term visitors to Kazakhstan cannot drive locally with only an International Driving Permit. What is required is the original Republic of Korea driver's license and a notarized Russian translation of that license.
This guidance does not mean that an International Driving Permit is entirely useless. However, the validity of an International Driving Permit varies by country, and having a license issued in your home country does not automatically satisfy another country's driving requirements. This is why travelers should separately check the recognition criteria at their destination before departure.
According to reports, Korea issues International Driving Permits under the Geneva Convention. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, is a Vienna Convention contracting state, and the embassy said it does not recognize International Driving Permits issued in Korea as proof of eligibility to drive locally.
What matters here is not memorizing the names of the conventions. From a traveler's perspective, the first thing to check is whether “the International Driving Permit I hold is actually valid for driving in this country.” Treating the fact that you obtained an International Driving Permit and whether you can drive locally as the same issue can leave gaps in your preparation.
You Must Prepare Both the Original License and the Translation
The key point in the embassy's guidance is that one document is not enough. You must have the original Korean driver's license, as well as a notarized Russian translation. The explanation is that even if you carry an International Driving Permit, it cannot substitute for these requirements.
An English-language driver's license is also difficult to treat as an exception. According to the embassy guidance reported, even an English-language license requires both the physical license and notarized documents for driving to be permitted. Assuming that no additional preparation is needed because the license is written in English is not a safe standard in Kazakhstan.
The notarization process also requires time, making it difficult to resolve in a hurry after arriving locally. It was advised that applying for a Russian notarized translation at an embassy or consulate general may take about half a day to be issued. If your schedule calls for picking up a rental car after arriving at the airport, that time alone could change your plans.
Therefore, there are three things to check before leaving the country: whether you have the original driver's license, whether you have had the Russian translation notarized, and whether you have accounted for the time required for notarization in your schedule. If you plan to use a car locally, this order is as important as your flight or rental-car reservation.
The Legal Requirements Remain Even If the Rental Company Rented You a Car
One reason this guidance drew attention was a driving scene in Almaty, Kazakhstan, shown on a broadcast. The production team said it rented a vehicle after submitting the International Driving Permit and passport required by the local rental car company, and said it learned later that a separate notarization procedure was necessary.
The distinction for readers in this explanation is clear. The vehicle-rental process and the legal requirements for driving under local law may not involve the same review. The documents a company accepts before releasing a vehicle concern the rental contract, while the documents the country requires from drivers remain a separate matter.
When driving abroad, rather than relying only on the guidance shown on the rental-car reservation screen, you should also review the local traffic laws announced by overseas diplomatic missions. In particular, because International Driving Permits may be subject to different conventions and recognition methods by country, it is difficult to determine their scope based on the word “international” alone.
If you are preparing to travel to Kazakhstan, it is better not to stop checking once you have packed an International Driving Permit. The standard is whether you have the original license and a notarized Russian translation. When driving abroad, the difference of a single document can determine your entire travel transportation plan.
A Standard for Reading the Next Announcement
It is difficult to reach a conclusion from just one number or one sentence in news related to driver's licenses. If you separate who made the announcement, whether it concerns something already in effect or a future plan, and whether the target and timing are specified, its meaning becomes clearer.
Even within the same material, an explanation of necessity, discussion, an implementation plan, and actual implementation may be different stages. Even if the scale of an announcement appears large, you should check both what it applies to and what procedures remain in order to avoid overstating or understating the current situation.
In the next update, compare whether a new announcement repeats existing content or whether the target, schedule, or implementation status has actually changed. Reviewing the related reports below can also help identify differences in wording that are easy to miss from the headline alone.
References
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