Does Avis require an IDP in Serbia?
Avis in Serbia: 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.
Serbia drives on the right with Cyrillic signage common, so an IDP is advised to translate your licence at desks and checkpoints.
In Serbia specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Serbia ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Avis will typically ask for it at the counter. Belgrade desks ask for an IDP with non-Latin-script licences.
Avis runs a global network; at its Serbia desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Serbia drives on the right, uses the RSD, 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 Serbia
- 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 RSD deposit; Serbia drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Serbia Avis renters should know
- Headlights on at all times.
- Reflective vest, triangle and spare bulbs required.
- 0.03% alcohol limit.
- Toll motorways on main corridors.
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 Serbia
There is no vignette in Serbia; motorways use a distance-based ticket system where you take a ticket on entry and pay cash or card on exit, or use the contactless ENP/TAG transponder.
Belgrade and other cities run zoned paid street parking (red, yellow and green zones with time limits) paid by SMS or app; overstaying or non-payment risks fines and wheel-clamping or towing.
Speeding, no seatbelt and handheld phone use draw fines often payable on the spot in cash; daytime running headlights are compulsory outside towns, and rental firms forward camera fines with an admin fee.
Call 192 for police (or 112 general emergency); a police report is mandatory for any injury or significant damage and is needed to take a damaged vehicle out of the country, so do not move vehicles until police attend.
Full driving guide for Serbia →