Vehicle categories under the 1949 Geneva Convention

The 1949 Geneva Convention was concluded on 19 September 1949 and now has 103 parties. It defines the vehicle classes printed on an International Driving Permit and sets the maximum validity at 1 year. A permit only carries the classes already held on your national licence, so it never grants a category you do not have at home.

What each category covers

A
Motorcycles, with or without a side-car, invalid carriages, and three-wheeled motor vehicles with an unladen weight not exceeding 400 kg.
B
Motor vehicles carrying passengers with at most eight seats besides the driver, or carrying goods with a permissible maximum weight not exceeding 3,500 kg. May be coupled with a light trailer.
C
Motor vehicles used to transport goods with a permissible maximum weight exceeding 3,500 kg. May be coupled with a light trailer.
D
Motor vehicles carrying passengers with more than eight seats besides the driver. May be coupled with a light trailer.
E
Vehicles in category B, C or D coupled with a trailer other than a light trailer. A light trailer is one whose permissible maximum weight does not exceed 750 kg.

Countries that apply these categories

101 of the countries we cover are parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention.

Some countries are parties to both conventions. For the other set of classes, see vehicle categories under the 1968 Vienna Convention.

Source

Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva, 19 September 1949) United Nations Treaty Collection, the depositary for this convention. Category text is condensed from the convention annex.