Does Budget require an IDP in Macau?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Macau: 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.
Macau drives on the left and accepts the IDP for short visits; tourists should carry one, though the territory is small and best explored on foot.
In Macau specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Macau ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Self-drive rental is limited; an IDP is expected where available.
Budget runs a global network; at its Macau desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Macau drives on the left, uses the MOP, 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 Macau
- 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 MOP deposit; Macau drives on the left with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Macau Budget renters should know
- Drive on the left.
- Seatbelts mandatory.
- Strict drink-driving penalties.
- Narrow, congested streets.
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 Macau
Macau has no toll roads within the territory; the only toll is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge for cross-border vehicles, which most tourists use by shuttle bus rather than driving themselves.
Street parking is metered (paid by coins or the macaupass/Mpay app) with typical 1-2 hour limits, and public multi-storey 'auto-silo' garages are the practical option; parking at junctions, within 5 m of an intersection, or on bridges, flyovers and tunnels is prohibited and ticketed.
Speeding, phone use and seatbelt violations draw fixed fines (commonly several hundred to over a thousand MOP) and licence points, with extensive speed and red-light cameras; rental firms charge any camera fines plus an administration fee to the renter's card.
Dial 999 (also 110 or 112) for police and ambulance; for any injury or disputed-fault collision leave the vehicles in place and wait for the police to attend and produce a report, which the rental company and insurer will require.
Full driving guide for Macau →