At the time of rental, the driver must present a valid national driver's licence which has been held for at least 1 year.
An International Driving Permit (IDP) is highly recommended for non-European Union renters.
The IDP translates the national licence into various languages and is on its own, without the national licence, not acceptable.
Important Notice for Customers with UK Driving Licences issued in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The paper counterpart of the UK photo card driving licence is not valid and is no longer issued by the DVLA.
For Northern Ireland a photocard and paper counterpart make up the complete driver's licence and both must be produced when renting a vehicle. If you do not have the new Photo card Driver's Licence, you will be required to produce a photo ID (passport etc.) along with your paper licence at the time of rental.
Note:
All paper driving licenses and paper counter part licenses which have been laminated will not be accepted as valid as security features cannot be seen when placed under the ultraviolet lamps at rental counters.
When renting in the UK, Angola, Bahrain, Balearics, Botswana, Canaries, Croatia, Namibia, Oman, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden and Tunisia, all drivers with a UK licence will need to provide evidence of any driving endorsements. This also applies if you have a paper licence that was issued before 1998.
You will need to provide a ‘Check Code’ which enables you to share your driving record with someone, for example a car hire company. Check Codes are valid for 21 days.
To obtain your Check Code please visit: https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.
The check code for Northern Ireland licences can be obtained from https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/view-or-share-your-driving-licence-information.
However to use this service the Northern Ireland Licence holder must have or set up a “nidirect account” and link their driving licence.
You will need:
- your driving licence number.
- your National Insurance number.
- the postcode on your driving licence (for renters with a BFPO British Forces Post Office) address on their driving licence they should enter postcode SA99 1AB.
Once on the View Driving Licence web page,
- Click on the “Start Now” button.
- Enter your licence number, NI number and post code.
- Tick the “I agree” box and click the “View Now” button.
- Once your details are visible click on the “Get Your Check Code” tab.
- Click the “Get a Code” button.
Note, Check Codes are case sensitive so it is important to write in upper and lower case letters where relevant. Check Codes that are over 21 days will be invalid.
UK endorsed driver's licences. For codes DD, DR, UT and IN disqualifications of 12 months or more, the endorsement must be at least 5 years old from the date of endorsement expiry.
Short terms disqualifications of less than 12 months, speeding or accumulation of points, you are allowed to rent from the date of endorsement expiry.
All other codes, add all penalty points, if over a 3 years period 6 points or less have accrued, the licence may be accepted.
Endorsements on licences are to be taken from date of conviction, not date of offence.
Driver's licences issued by the People's Republic of China/Japan may be accepted provided you present an official Hertz Certification form. Hertz China/ apan will issue this form on Hertz notepaper and will incorporate the Hertz China/Japan Corporate seal. A scanned copy of the original licence will appear on the Certification form. The Certification form is valid until the expiry date of the Driver's Licence. Both the Certification and the original licence (with an International Driving Permit strongly recommended by Police authorities in Europe) MUST be produced at the time of rental.
If you hold a Driver's Licence issued in Vietnam, you need to present the original licence together with an authorised translation issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport. If both documents are presented at time of rental these licences are acceptable worldwide.
Please also refer to"Passport/Identity Card Information".
