Does Budget require an IDP in Ecuador?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Ecuador: 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.
Ecuador drives on the right and signs the 1968 Vienna Convention; an IDP is advised with your licence for Andean and coastal driving.
In Ecuador specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Ecuador ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Quito and Guayaquil desks request an IDP for non-Latin-script licences.
Budget runs a global network; at its Ecuador desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Ecuador drives on the right, uses the USD, 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 Ecuador
- 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 USD deposit; Ecuador drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Ecuador Budget renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Pico y placa plate restrictions in Quito.
- 0.03% alcohol limit.
- Steep Andean roads with switchbacks.
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 Ecuador
Major highways (e.g. the Panamericana and routes around Quito and Guayaquil) have toll booths (peajes) charging roughly USD 1 or less per car; pay in US dollars cash, as the country uses the USD.
Quito's centre uses the municipal 'Zona Azul' paid-parking scheme during business hours; parking in restricted spots risks fines or removal, so guarded lots are safer in the historic centre.
Pico y Placa or serious traffic violations draw heavy fines (around USD 130-260 plus possible points), while speeding, phone use and no seatbelt are penalised; rental firms recharge camera fines to the driver's card.
Call 911 (the national ECU 911 emergency line) for police and ambulance; leave vehicles in place and wait for the transit authority, as an official report is needed for insurance, and do not admit fault on the spot.
Full driving guide for Ecuador →