Does Budget require an IDP in Solomon Islands?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Budget in Solomon Islands: the policy in plain terms
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The Solomon Islands drive on the left; an IDP is advised with your home licence, and roads are limited and often unsealed.
In Solomon Islands specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Solomon Islands ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Budget will typically ask for it at the counter. Honiara rental is limited; an IDP and passport advised.
Budget runs a global network; at its Solomon Islands desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the internationally recognised format alongside the original licence. Solomon Islands drives on the left, uses the SBD, 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 Solomon Islands
- Your original national driving licence (the IDP never replaces it).
- Your International Driving Permit in the internationally recognised format.
- Your passport and a payment card in the main driver's name.
- Local payment for the SBD deposit; Solomon Islands drives on the left with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Solomon Islands Budget renters should know
- Drive on the left.
- Unsealed roads outside Honiara.
- 0.08% alcohol limit.
- Low speed limits in town.
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 Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands has no toll roads, vignettes or electronic toll system; the limited road network, mostly around Honiara on Guadalcanal, is free to use.
There are no formal paid-parking zones; in Honiara park in guarded hotel and shopping-centre lots rather than on the street, and keep valuables out of sight as vehicle break-ins occur.
Speed limits are about 40 km/h in town and 60 km/h on the open road, with a 0.08% blood-alcohol limit enforced; police issue fines for speeding, seatbelt and drink-driving offences and rental firms recover them from the renter.
Dial 999 for police/emergency in Honiara; after a crash stop, do not move vehicles if anyone is injured, and obtain a police report, which is required for any insurance or rental claim. Response outside Honiara is very limited.
Full driving guide for Solomon Islands →