Does Avis require an IDP in Guinea-Bissau?
Avis in Guinea-Bissau: 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.
Guinea-Bissau drives on the right; an IDP is recommended with your home licence on its limited road network.
In Guinea-Bissau specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Guinea-Bissau ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Avis will typically ask for it at the counter. Bissau rental is limited; an IDP and passport advised.
Avis runs a global network; at its Guinea-Bissau desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the internationally recognised format alongside the original licence. Guinea-Bissau drives on the right, uses the XOF, 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 Guinea-Bissau
- Your original national driving licence (the IDP never replaces it).
- Your International Driving Permit in the internationally recognised format.
- Your passport and a payment card in the main driver's name.
- Local payment for the XOF deposit; Guinea-Bissau drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Guinea-Bissau Avis renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Few paved roads outside the capital.
- 0.05% alcohol limit.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
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 Guinea-Bissau
There is no functioning national motorway toll or vignette system; roads are funded publicly and you generally pay nothing to drive, though informal road barriers and checkpoints are common in the interior.
Parking in Bissau is largely informal and unmetered, with self-appointed attendants ('guardadores') expecting a small CFA-franc tip to watch the car; there are no painted paid-zone schemes or parking apps.
Enforcement is mostly by physical police/gendarme checkpoints rather than cameras; fines are usually negotiated and paid in cash on the spot, and the documented drink-drive limit is 0.15% BAC (15 mg/100 ml).
There is no reliable nationwide emergency line; in a serious crash do not move the vehicles if there are injuries, summon the Polícia de Ordem Pública locally and obtain a written police report (auto), which insurers and rental firms require.
Full driving guide for Guinea-Bissau →