Does Budget require an IDP in Mozambique?
Budget in Mozambique: 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.
Mozambique drives on the left and signs the 1968 Vienna Convention; an IDP is advised if your licence is not in Portuguese.
In Mozambique specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Mozambique ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Maputo desks request an IDP for non-Portuguese licences; carry reflective vests.
Budget runs a global network; at its Mozambique desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Mozambique drives on the left, uses the MZN, 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 Mozambique
- 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 MZN deposit; Mozambique drives on the left with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Mozambique Budget renters should know
- Drive on the left.
- Two reflective triangles and a vest required.
- 0.06% alcohol limit.
- Police checkpoints are routine.
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 Mozambique
The main motorway corridors are tolled - notably the N4/EN4 from Maputo to the South African border at Ressano Garcia (the TRAC route), payable in cash (metical or rand) or by e-tag at booths. Tolls are modest and these roads are far safer than gravel alternatives.
Parking is mostly unregulated outside the cities; in central Maputo it is restricted and police-monitored, and informal guardas will watch your car for a tip. Avoid leaving valuables visible.
Traffic police commonly seek on-the-spot cash fines from foreign drivers (often for alleged speeding, missing safety equipment or document issues); request an official receipt. Rental firms pass on any documented fines, and speed traps are common on the N1/EN1.
All accidents involving foreign nationals must be reported to the police even with no injury, and you should obtain the police report for your insurer or rental company. Do not move vehicles before police attend and notify your embassy if serious.
Full driving guide for Mozambique →