Does Budget require an IDP in Croatia?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Croatia: 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.
Croatia drives on the right and accepts both conventions; non-EU drivers should hold an IDP, useful on the toll motorways linking the coast.
In Croatia specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Croatia ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Split and Dubrovnik desks request an IDP for non-EU licences.
Budget runs a global network; at its Croatia desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Croatia 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 Budget counter in Croatia
- 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; Croatia drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Croatia Budget renters should know
- Headlights on in winter and in poor visibility.
- Reflective vest and triangle required.
- 0.05% alcohol limit; zero for drivers under 24.
- Toll motorways along the Adriatic.
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 Croatia
Croatia still uses a ticket-based toll system on most motorways (A1/A3/A5/A6 etc.), not a vignette: take a ticket on entry and pay on exit by cash (euros) or card; an ENC electronic tag gives a discount. Costs vary by distance, e.g. roughly EUR 30+ for Zagreb to Split.
Cities use colour-coded paid zones controlled mainly by SMS/app: in Zagreb Zone 1 is about EUR 1.60/hr (max 2 hrs), Zone 2 about EUR 0.70/hr (max 3 hrs), with cheaper outer zones. Coastal towns get extremely congested in summer; illegal parking risks towing.
Foreign drivers face on-the-spot fines from about EUR 70 for moderate speeding up to roughly EUR 2,000 for extreme speeding; the alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l (0.0 for drivers under 25). Speed cameras typically tolerate only about 10 km/h over, and rental firms pass camera fines to the renter with an admin fee.
Call 112 (or police 192) and report any accident involving injury or significant damage; for minor damage-only crashes, move vehicles clear and complete a European Accident Statement form. Leaving the scene of an injury accident is a serious offence.
Full driving guide for Croatia →