The documents rental companies check, why they sometimes refuse, and how to avoid losing a booking at the counter.
Rental desks apply their own policies, and those policies are frequently stricter than national law. Meeting the legal minimum is not the same as satisfying the person holding the keys.
What they nearly always want
- Your original, valid, unexpired driver’s licence
- A passport or national ID matching the licence name
- A credit card in the main driver’s name for the security deposit
- Proof of a return or onward journey, at some locations
Where a translation helps
If your licence is in a script the agent cannot read, a translation makes the difference between a quick check and a long delay. That is its honest value: it speeds up a human reading your existing licence.
Where it will not help
It will not extend an expired licence, satisfy a minimum-age or minimum-held period rule, replace a deposit, or override a company policy that requires a government-issued IDP. If the terms say IDP, obtain an IDP.
If you are refused
Ask which specific policy the refusal is based on, and ask for it in writing. That single question resolves a surprising number of refusals, and if it does not, it gives you what you need for a refund claim.
