Does Avis require an IDP in Paraguay?
Avis in Paraguay: 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.
Paraguay drives on the right and signs the 1968 Vienna Convention; an IDP is advised with your national licence for desks and checkpoints.
In Paraguay specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Paraguay ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Avis will typically ask for it at the counter. Asunción desks request an IDP for non-Latin-script licences.
Avis runs a global network; at its Paraguay desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Paraguay drives on the right, uses the PYG, 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 Paraguay
- 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 PYG deposit; Paraguay drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Paraguay Avis renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Headlights on highways during the day.
- 0.0% alcohol tolerance.
- 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 Paraguay
National routes have toll plazas (peajes) run by the MOPC, including Ypacarai between Asuncion and Caacupe and the Remanso and Ybyrarobana booths around the capital; pay the modest fee in Guaranies cash.
Central Asuncion uses paid on-street parking and attended lots; illegally parked cars in the microcentro can be towed, so prefer guarded estacionamientos.
Transit police (Policia Caminera) fine speeding, no seatbelt and phone use, sometimes expecting payment on the spot; rental firms charge any unpaid or camera fines back to the driver.
Call 911 for police and the SEME ambulance service on 141; leave the vehicles in place for a serious crash until the Policia Nacional/Caminera files a report, which is required for insurance and rental claims.
Full driving guide for Paraguay →