Vehicle categories under the 1968 Vienna Convention

The 1968 Vienna Convention was concluded on 8 November 1968 and now has 91 parties. It defines the vehicle classes printed on an International Driving Permit and sets the maximum validity at 3 years. 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.
B
Motor vehicles other than category A with a permissible maximum mass not exceeding 3,500 kg and not more than eight seats besides the driver.
C
Motor vehicles other than category D with a permissible maximum mass exceeding 3,500 kg.
D
Motor vehicles used to carry passengers, with more than eight seats besides the driver.
BE, CE, DE
Vehicles of category B, C or D coupled with a trailer whose permissible maximum mass exceeds 750 kg.

Countries that apply these categories

88 of the countries we cover are parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention.

Some countries are parties to both conventions. For the other set of classes, see vehicle categories under the 1949 Geneva Convention.

Source

Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 8 November 1968) United Nations Treaty Collection, the depositary for this convention. Category text is condensed from the convention annex.