Does Budget require an IDP in Afghanistan?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Afghanistan: the policy in plain terms
Asks for a licence translation when your licence is not in the Roman alphabet. Value rental brand operating in 120+ countries.
Afghanistan drives on the right; an IDP is expected with your home licence, though most visitors travel with hired drivers given road conditions.
In Afghanistan specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Afghanistan ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Self-drive rental is uncommon; an IDP and passport are expected where available.
Budget runs a global network; at its Afghanistan desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format alongside the original licence. Afghanistan drives on the right, uses the AFN, 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 Budget counter in Afghanistan
- Your original national driving licence (the IDP never replaces it).
- Your International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format.
- Your passport and a payment card in the main driver's name.
- Local payment for the AFN deposit; Afghanistan drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Afghanistan Budget renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
- Checkpoints are frequent.
- Drive defensively on poorly maintained roads.
Budget's rental terms that affect your IDP booking
Budget's published minimum rental age is 21 in most US states (18 in New York and Michigan), with renters under 25 paying a daily young-driver surcharge; typically around $27/day in most markets, but materially higher at corporate locations such as New York ($35/day for ages 21-24 and $84/day for 18-20) and Michigan ($28/day for 21-24 and $41/day for 18-20). No surcharge applies to drivers 25 and older.
Budget requires a valid credit or debit card; renters under 25 must use a credit card and cannot use a debit card. Deposit type and amount vary by location, with a typical credit-card hold of roughly $80 plus estimated charges plus one extra day's charges, or a minimum near $300, whichever is greater.
Budget allows up to two additional drivers per rental and a per-day additional-driver fee typically applies (varies by location), though it is commonly waived for a spouse or domestic partner; pre-authorized additional drivers must be a spouse/domestic partner, a fellow employee/employer, or a companion driver to a renter with a disability. Budget does not publish a fixed US-wide tenure requirement, but the driver must hold a valid, current full driver's licence, and many corporate-operated locations verify the renter's and additional drivers' records with the DMV before completing the rental.
Driving a Budget rental into Mexico is restricted to authorized corporate-account holders (no one-way rentals into Mexico), and Mexican auto liability insurance is required. Travel into Canada is permitted from many US locations with advance arrangement and Budget's consent, and a Canadian non-resident insurance card may be required; one-way cross-border drop-offs are availability-dependent and carry extra fees that must be authorized in the rental agreement.
Budget generally requires a valid driver's licence, passport, and an International Driving Permit issued in the driver's name from their home country; EU residents renting within the EU may present either their EU licence alone or with an IDP. If the home-country licence is not written in the Roman alphabet, an IDP is mandatory to rent.
Once you collect the keys in Afghanistan
There is no organised national electronic toll or vignette system for tourists; some highway sections and bridges levy informal or cash road charges collected at checkpoints. Travel is otherwise overshadowed by security checkpoints rather than tolls.
There are no formal paid-zone or app-based urban parking systems; parking is informal and unmetered, typically guarded by attendants paid a small cash tip. Vehicles are best left in attended lots or hotel compounds for security.
Traffic enforcement is informal and fines are typically settled in cash on the spot to police; there is no reliable centralised camera-fine system. Foreign drivers face far greater risk from security incidents than from formal penalties.
After any crash do not move the vehicles and contact local police, though emergency response is unreliable; the 119 line is the nominal police number. A police report is needed for insurance and to pass checkpoints, but for safety travellers are advised to involve their embassy and a local fixer immediately.
Full driving guide for Afghanistan →