Does Budget require an IDP in Lesotho?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Lesotho: 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.
Lesotho drives on the left through high mountain passes; an IDP is advised if your licence is not in English, and a 4x4 helps in winter.
In Lesotho specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Lesotho ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Cars are often rented in South Africa; an IDP helps non-English drivers.
Budget runs a global network; at its Lesotho desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format alongside the original licence. Lesotho drives on the left, uses the LSL, 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 Lesotho
- 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 LSL deposit; Lesotho drives on the left with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Lesotho Budget renters should know
- Drive on the left.
- Snow and ice on high passes in winter.
- 0.05% alcohol limit.
- Watch for livestock and pedestrians.
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 Lesotho
Lesotho has no motorway toll or vignette system; there is no charge to use the road network itself, though you pay standard border-post and road-fund fees when bringing a South African rental in via gates such as Maseru Bridge.
Maseru uses attendant-managed and some metered street parking where marshals collect a small maloti fee; park in designated bays as illegal parking can be ticketed, and secure off-street parking is advised overnight.
Speed limits are 50 km/h urban, 80 km/h open road and up to 120 km/h on the few highways; speeding, phone and seatbelt offences bring fines (often payable to police), with steeper penalties for serious breaches.
Dial 123 or 124 for police (LMPS) and 121 for ambulance; do not move vehicles after an injury crash, report it to the Lesotho Mounted Police Service and get a police report for insurance.
Full driving guide for Lesotho →