Cookie Policy

Last updated: November 6, 2026

This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how International Driving Authority uses them on idaoffice.org, what your choices are, and how to change them. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which describes how we handle personal data more generally.

1. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small file containing an identifier — a string of letters and numbers — that a web server sends to your browser and that your browser stores. The identifier is sent back to the server each time your browser requests a page, which is how a website recognises the same visitor across pages.

Cookies may be persistent (stored until an expiry date or until you delete them) or session cookies (deleted when you close your browser). They may be set by us (first-party) or by a service we embed (third-party).

This policy also covers similar technologies that are not technically cookies but do a similar job — local storage entries, pixels, and web beacons. Cookies do not usually identify you by name, but information we already hold about you may be linked to information derived from them.

2. Your choices: the consent panel

This website provides an on-site consent panel. When you first visit, you are shown the services we would like to enable, grouped by purpose, and you can turn each optional service on or off individually, or use a single switch to enable or disable all optional services at once.

Services that are strictly necessary for the website to work are marked as always required and cannot be switched off — without them the site cannot keep you logged in or process an order. Everything else is optional.

You can reopen the panel and change your decision at any time; your choices are remembered for future visits, and we ask you again if the set of services changes. Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it, and it takes effect immediately for future page loads. Cookies already stored can be removed through your browser (see section 6).

3. Categories of cookies we use

Essential (always active)

These are necessary for the website to function and cannot be disabled.

Service / cookie	Purpose	Typical duration
PHPSESSID	Native PHP cookie that stores your unique session ID to manage your session, keep you signed in, and hold your order while you complete it.	Session — deleted when you close your browser
ida-referral-link-agent-id	Stores and identifies referral links so that an order placed through a partner agent is attributed correctly.	Persistent
Google reCAPTCHA (_GRECAPTCHA)	Used by Google to distinguish humans from automated abuse of our forms.	Set by Google; typically about 6 months
Consent record	Remembers which services you have enabled or disabled, so that we do not ask you again on every page.	Persistent

Functionality

These remember your preferences and power optional features. You can switch them off; some conveniences will then stop working.

Service / cookie	Purpose	Typical duration
currency	Stores your preferred currency.	Persistent
hl	Stores your preferred language.	Persistent
GetButton (gb-widget-cookie)	Used by the GetButton contact widget that lets you reach us through a messaging app.	Set by the provider
YouTube (yt*)	Set by YouTube when a video embedded on our pages is played.	Set by Google; varies by cookie

Analytics

These tell us how the site is used so we can improve it. They are optional.

Service / cookie	Purpose	Typical duration
Google Analytics (_ga, _ga_*)	Calculates visitor, session, and campaign data and tracks site usage for analytics reports. Stores information with a randomly generated identifier rather than your name.	Set by Google; typically 2 years

Advertising

These measure the effectiveness of our advertising and may be used to show you relevant ads elsewhere. They are optional and are set by third parties.

Service / cookie	Purpose	Typical duration
Google Tag Manager / Google Ads (_gcl_au)	Used to measure the effectiveness of advertising and attribute conversions.	Set by Google; typically 90 days
Meta Platforms (_fbp)	Set by Meta to store and track user interactions for advertising measurement.	Set by Meta; typically 90 days
Meta Platforms (lastExternalReferrer, lastExternalReferrerTime)	Local-storage entries that record how you arrived at the website by logging the last URL you came from.	Persistent until you clear site data
OpenAI (__oppref, __obref)	Set by the OpenAI measurement pixel to link a visit from an ad in ChatGPT to a later order.	Set by OpenAI; __oppref 30 days, __obref 365 days

Durations shown for third-party services are the providers' documented defaults at the date of this policy. Providers can change them without notifying us; the authoritative source is always the provider's own documentation.

4. Legal basis, by region

What we need from you before setting a cookie depends on where you are:

European Economic Area: strictly necessary cookies need no consent (ePrivacy Directive Art. 5(3) exception). Analytics and advertising require your prior opt-in consent (ePrivacy Art. 5(3) with GDPR Arts. 4(11) and 7).
United Kingdom: the same split applies under PECR Reg. 6 together with the UK GDPR.
Brazil: analytics and advertising require specific consent under LGPD Art. 8.
California: you may opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information under the CCPA as amended by the CPRA. See section 5.
Elsewhere: we provide notice and the same on-site controls to everyone, regardless of location, even where local law does not require it.

Consent is not a condition of buying from us. If you decline analytics and advertising, you can still place and complete an order.

5. Do Not Sell or Share — California

We do not sell personal information for money. Some advertising cookies described above may nevertheless constitute "sharing" for cross-context behavioural advertising as those terms are defined by the CCPA/CPRA.

To opt out, switch off the Advertising category in the consent panel, or write to [email protected] with the subject line "Do Not Sell or Share". An opt-out set in the consent panel applies to that browser and device. If you write to us instead, we apply the request to the account data we can identify and tell you how to set the preference on each browser and device you use. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.

6. Managing cookies in your browser

Independently of our consent panel, most browsers let you refuse, accept, and delete cookies. Methods vary by browser and version. Current instructions:

Chrome: how to manage cookies

Firefox: how to manage cookies

Opera: how to manage cookies

Safari: how to manage cookies

Edge: how to manage cookies

You can also opt out of targeted advertising through the industry tools:

Digital Advertising Alliance (WebChoices): opt out of interest-based ads

Google Ads settings: manage your ad settings

Note that clearing cookies in your browser also clears our record of your consent choices, so the panel will ask you again on your next visit. Blocking all cookies will affect how most websites work; on ours, blocking essential cookies will prevent you from placing an order.

7. Changes to this policy

We update this policy when the services on our site change, and at least once a year. The date at the top shows the current revision. If we add a service in a new category, the consent panel will ask you again rather than assume your earlier answer.

8. Contact

Questions about cookies or about your choices: [email protected]