Does Avis require an IDP in Luxembourg?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Avis in Luxembourg: 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.
Luxembourg drives on the right at the heart of Europe; non-EU visitors should carry an IDP with their national licence.
In Luxembourg specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Luxembourg ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Avis will typically ask for it at the counter. Desks request an IDP for licences issued outside the EU/EEA.
Avis runs a global network; at its Luxembourg desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Luxembourg drives on the right, uses the EUR, 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 Luxembourg
- Your original national driving licence (the IDP never replaces it).
- Your International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Convention format.
- Your passport and a payment card in the main driver's name.
- Local payment for the EUR deposit; Luxembourg drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Luxembourg Avis renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Headlights in tunnels and poor visibility.
- 0.05% alcohol limit; 0.02% for new drivers.
- Reflective vest and triangle required.
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 Luxembourg
Luxembourg has no car tolls or vignette - the motorway network is free for passenger cars, unlike neighbouring Austria and Switzerland; only heavy goods vehicles pay the electronic Eurovignette.
Luxembourg City uses paid blue/coloured zones with meters, ticket machines and apps, and central streets often need a displayed parking disc for limited free stays; P+R sites on the outskirts feed free public transport into the centre.
Police issue on-the-spot taxed warnings from about EUR 24 up to EUR 145; speeding fines start near EUR 49 and rise steeply, and handheld phone use and no-seatbelt are penalised. Rental firms forward camera fines to the renter via plate-holder data exchange.
Call 112 for emergencies; for damage-only crashes complete the European Accident Statement (constat amiable) and notify the rental firm, calling police if there is injury, a dispute or a foreign-registered party. Cars must have a warning triangle and reflective vest.
Full driving guide for Luxembourg →