Driving abroad
Renting a car abroad: age, insurance and documents
The law of the country decides whether you may drive. The rental contract decides whether you get the car, and the insurance whether you are covered.
Will your age cost extra at the rental desk?
Young-driver surcharge
$140
| Your age | 23 |
| Company minimum | 21 |
| Days | 7 |
Ages and surcharges are set by each rental company and location, not by law: copy them from the terms of the offer you are looking at.
Three sets of rules meet at a foreign rental counter. The country's law sets the documents a driver must carry, such as an International Driving Permit in Spain or Greece, and sometimes a legal minimum age, 17 in Iceland and 18 in Switzerland according to the State Department. The rental company sets its own conditions on top: a minimum age that is often higher than the legal one, a surcharge for young drivers, a credit card in the driver's name and, in some places, the permit even where the law does not ask for it. These conditions are company policies, not law, and they differ by company and location, which is why the calculator above asks you to copy them from the offer you are looking at. The insurer, finally, can refuse a claim if the driver lacked a required document: the State Department warns of this for Greece and Czechia. And some countries require local insurance, as Mexico does for every vehicle.
Do you need an International Driving Permit there?
Driving in Greece on a US license
IDP required with your US license
| US license counts | 185 days of a stay |
| IDP | Get the IDP in the United States before you leave: it cannot be issued abroad by local offices. |
| Conventions | Party to both the 1949 Geneva and the 1968 Vienna conventions (1949: 1952) (1968: 1986) |
| Rule | State Department Greek law requires visitors to carry a valid US license and an IDP, even if the rental company does not ask for it. Most insurers require both for coverage. A Greek license is required after 185 days in the country. |
Source: U.S. Department of State, Greece country information (updated February 19, 2026). Not legal advice; the country's own authorities decide.
Driving in Greece: the full rulesRules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Insurance rules the State Department mentions
| Country | What the State Department says |
|---|---|
| Mexico | Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle; a driver in an accident without it may be arrested |
| Greece | most insurers require both the US license and the permit; small scooter and ATV renters often have no insurance |
| Czechia | without a permit, an insurer may deny a claim after an accident |
| Austria | car insurance is void after an accident on a car without winter tires in the required period |
| Japan | Japanese compulsory insurance is mandatory for all drivers |
| Canada | proof of insurance required; US auto insurance accepted for tourists |
Before booking
- Check the country rule in the country checker: if a permit is required, get it before the trip; it cannot be issued abroad.
- Read the rental terms for the minimum age, the young-driver charge, the documents required and the countries the car may enter. The State Department's Austria page warns that driving a rental into a forbidden country can lead to arrest.
- Ask whether the price includes liability insurance and what the excess is for damage and theft.
- Book an automatic early where manual cars dominate, as the State Department notes for Ireland.
At the counter
Bring the US license, the permit if you have one, the passport and a credit card in the driver's name. Some companies place a large hold on the card. Inspect the car and photograph any damage before leaving. In Costa Rica, the State Department reports that companies charge unpaid traffic tickets to the card on file, and in Italy camera fines for limited-traffic zones reach US addresses months later.
Young drivers
For a driver under the company's surcharge age, the daily charge adds up quickly over a week. The calculator multiplies the daily amount you enter by the rental days. We publish no company figures: they change often and differ by location, and a wrong number would be worse than none.