Does Budget require an IDP in Kazakhstan?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Kazakhstan: the policy in plain terms
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Kazakhstan drives on the right under the 1968 Vienna Convention and uses Cyrillic, so an IDP is advised to translate non-Cyrillic licences.
In Kazakhstan specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Kazakhstan ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Almaty and Astana desks ask for an IDP with non-Cyrillic licences.
Budget runs a global network; at its Kazakhstan desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Kazakhstan drives on the right, uses the KZT, 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 Kazakhstan
- 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 KZT deposit; Kazakhstan drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Kazakhstan Budget renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol limit (0.0%).
- Headlights on outside cities.
- Long, remote highways between cities.
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 Kazakhstan
Major arteries such as the Astana-Almaty corridor and sections of the A1/A2/A3 are tolled; tourists usually pay electronically via the national operator (KazAvtoZhol/tollroad system, often through plate-linked accounts or roadside terminals), and rates are modest (a few hundred tenge per segment). Carry cash as some points and fuel stations don't take cards.
Almaty and Astana run paid municipal zones managed by the 'Almaty Parking'/'Astana Park' apps, payable by app, SMS or terminal (Qiwi, Kassa24); unpaid parking in marked zones risks fines and towing, so use the app or guarded lots.
Traffic police actively enforce speeding, phone use and the 0.0/strict drink-drive limit; fines are calculated in MCI units and, while officially paid via bank/Kaspi, foreigners should refuse informal cash demands and insist on an official receipt. Rental firms recover camera and unpaid fines from the renter's card.
Call 102 for police or the unified emergency number 112, do not move the vehicles, and wait for the traffic police (whose report is required for insurance and the rental firm) before clearing the road.
Full driving guide for Kazakhstan →