Does Budget require an IDP in Cape Verde?
Budget in Cape Verde: 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.
This Atlantic island nation drives on the right; visitors can often use a national licence for short stays, with an IDP advised for non-Latin scripts.
In Cape Verde specifically, cape Verde lets visitors drive on a valid foreign licence, but Budget still asks for a licence translation if your licence is not printed in the Roman alphabet — and it removes any doubt at the counter. Island desks recommend an IDP for non-Latin-script licences.
Budget runs a global network; at its Cape Verde desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format alongside the original licence. Cape Verde drives on the right, uses the CVE, and sets a minimum driving age of 18; an IDP is still the safest way to avoid a refused booking.
What to bring to the Budget counter in Cape Verde
- 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 CVE deposit; Cape Verde drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Cape Verde Budget renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Steep, cobbled island roads.
- 0.05% alcohol limit.
- Seatbelts mandatory.
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 Cape Verde
Cape Verde has no toll roads or vignette system; all inter-town and island roads are free to use. Inter-island travel is by ferry or plane rather than road, so no road charges apply.
Outside busy areas parking is generally free; in Praia, Mindelo, Santa Maria and on Sal/Boa Vista there are regulated paid public and private zones and parking is tight, so plan ahead. Informal attendants may expect a small tip to watch your car.
Urban speed limit is 50 km/h and 80 km/h on open roads; police issue on-the-spot fines for speeding, no seatbelt or phone use, payable in escudos. Rental firms recover any unpaid fines from the card on file.
Call police on 132 (national emergency 112; ambulance 130); a police report is needed for insurance. Do not move the vehicles before police attend if there are injuries, and exchange details with the other driver.
Full driving guide for Cape Verde →