Does Budget require an IDP in Egypt?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Egypt: 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.
An IDP is commonly requested to drive in Egypt.
In Egypt specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Egypt ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Requested at rental desks; many visitors hire a driver.
Budget runs a global network; at its Egypt desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Egypt drives on the right, uses the EGP, 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 Egypt
- 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 EGP deposit; Egypt drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Egypt Budget renters should know
- Dense, assertive urban traffic.
- Headlights used sparingly at night by locals — drive defensively.
- Checkpoints common between cities.
- Carry passport, licence and IDP.
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 Egypt
Major intercity roads (Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Cairo-Suez, Cairo-Ain Sokhna, the Regional Ring Road) are tolled via overhead ANPR cameras and a smart electronic system, with cash booths still in use; tourists in rentals normally just pay the small cash toll at the gate.
In central Cairo parking is chaotic and largely informal, with 'sayes' (freelance attendants) directing cars and expecting a few pounds; illegally parked or obstructing vehicles can be ticketed or have plates removed by traffic police.
Under the 2025/26 tightened traffic law, speeding and lane violations carry fines of roughly EGP 2,000-10,000; seatbelt and handheld-phone offences are enforced, and radar cameras issue plate-based fines that rental companies later charge to your card.
Call 122 for police or 128 for the traffic police, and 123 for an ambulance; do not move the vehicles unless they block traffic dangerously, as a police report ('mahdar') is mandatory for any insurance claim.
Full driving guide for Egypt →