Does Avis require an IDP in Colombia?
Avis in Colombia: the policy in plain terms
Asks for a licence translation where the national licence is not in the Roman alphabet or where local rules call for one. Long-established global brand operating in 165+ countries.
Carry an IDP with your licence to drive and rent in Colombia.
In Colombia specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Colombia ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Avis will typically ask for it at the counter. Requested by major desks; pico y placa plate restrictions apply in cities.
Avis runs a global network; at its Colombia desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Colombia drives on the right, uses the COP, and sets a minimum driving age of 18, so an IDP is the document that removes any doubt at the counter.
What to bring to the Avis counter in Colombia
- Your original national driving licence (the IDP never replaces it).
- Your International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format.
- Your passport and a payment card in the main driver's name.
- Local payment for the COP deposit; Colombia drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Colombia Avis renters should know
- Pico y placa restricts driving by plate number on set days.
- 0.02% alcohol limit, strictly enforced.
- Headlights on outside urban areas.
- Toll roads (peajes) are common.
Avis's rental terms that affect your IDP booking
Avis's standard minimum rental age is 25, though it rents to drivers as young as 21 in most US states/provinces (some locations require 25 by local law); renters aged 21-24 pay a young-driver surcharge of roughly $25 per day in the US (about $35/day in Canada).
Avis requires an Avis-honored credit or charge card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.) and places an authorization hold covering the estimated charges plus a security amount; Visa/Mastercard debit cards are accepted at most US locations but are subject to stricter checks, and the card must be in the renter's name.
Additional drivers must be at least 25 (or meet the underage rules) with a valid licence and typically cost about $13 per day, capped near $65 per rental; in California the fee is waived for a spouse, parent, sibling or child of the renter. Avis requires a valid driver's licence held for the entire rental period that is not suspended, expired, revoked, cancelled or surrendered; it does not publish a fixed minimum holding period in the US, though some international locations require the licence to have been held for 1-2 years.
Avis generally permits US-to-Canada travel if the renting location is notified in advance, but driving into Mexico is restricted (typically corporate accounts only, no one-way, and Mexican insurance purchased through Avis from border states); one-way rentals are offered with a drop-off charge that may apply on certain rates.
Avis states that "International Driver's Permits are valid only if presented with the original local license. An International Driver's Permit is not acceptable by itself." Foreign licences are accepted if the issuing country participated in the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or has a reciprocal agreement with the US; non-Roman-alphabet licences effectively require an IDP, and renters with a foreign licence may need to present a passport.
Once you collect the keys in Colombia
Colombia has roughly 180+ toll booths (peajes), regulated by ANI/Invías, costing about COP 10,000-17,000 (~USD 2.70-4.60) per booth for a car; carry small-denomination cash as card acceptance is not universal.
Use guarded paid lots (parqueaderos) rather than the street in Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena; heed signed restrictions and 'no parquear' zones, as towing (grúa) and immobilization are enforced in central districts.
Speed cameras (fotomultas) are widespread; speeding, no seatbelt and phone use draw fines set in daily minimum wages (often hundreds of thousands of pesos). Officers should not collect cash on the road; camera and towing fines are passed to the renter via the rental company.
Call 123 (national emergency line) for police and ambulance; do not move vehicles if there are injuries. SOAT covers bodily injury only; exchange details and get a police report for the rental insurer.
Full driving guide for Colombia →