Does Enterprise require an IDP in Lebanon?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Enterprise in Lebanon: the policy in plain terms
Asks for a licence translation alongside your home licence in many countries across Europe, Asia and South America. The world's largest car-rental brand by fleet size.
Lebanon drives on the right with assertive Beirut traffic; tourists should carry an IDP with their national licence.
In Lebanon specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Lebanon ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Enterprise will typically ask for it at the counter. Beirut desks request an IDP for non-Latin-script licences.
Enterprise runs a global network; at its Lebanon desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format alongside the original licence. Lebanon drives on the right, uses the LBP, 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 Enterprise counter in Lebanon
- 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 LBP deposit; Lebanon drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Lebanon Enterprise renters should know
- Drive on the right.
- Seatbelts mandatory.
- 0.05% alcohol limit.
- Drive defensively in dense city traffic.
Enterprise's rental terms that affect your IDP booking
Enterprise's minimum rental age is 21 in most of the U.S. (18 in Michigan and New York, and 18 for U.S. government employees on official orders); renters aged 21-24 pay a "Young Renter Fee" that typically averages around $25/day but varies by location (e.g., 21-24 is $15.75/day in Michigan and $30.75/day in New York, with 18-20 fees of $36.50 and $64.75/day respectively).
The contract holder must present their own credit card in their name with sufficient available credit; deposits typically run between $200 and $850 depending on location and vehicle class (airport holds are typically about 120% of the rental). Debit cards bearing a Visa, Mastercard, or Discover logo may be accepted at some locations, but at airports only with a ticketed return-travel itinerary, and prepaid cards are not accepted.
Each additional authorized driver is typically charged about $15.00 per day, but a renter's spouse or domestic partner who meets the same age and licence requirements is added at no charge. Enterprise requires each renter and additional driver to hold a valid, unexpired driver's licence; it does not publish a fixed minimum holding period in the U.S., though young-renter (under-25) restrictions and surcharges apply instead.
Taking a U.S.-rented vehicle across the Mexican or Canadian border requires advance approval; renters must contact the renting branch or call center for the correct procedure and any required insurance, and cross-border travel is restricted or prohibited at many locations. One-way rentals are offered but availability and drop-off fees vary by branch.
For renters under 25, Enterprise states it does not accept an International Driver's Permit as identification; a valid photo driver's licence is required. Foreign renters generally need their home-country licence (an IDP is recommended as a translation supplement but is not a stand-alone substitute for the licence).
Once you collect the keys in Lebanon
Lebanon has no functioning highway toll or vignette system, so tourists pay nothing for road use beyond fuel.
Beirut has paid metered and zoned street parking plus many attended private lots; illegal parking, even where locals do it, risks fines and towing, and valet parking is widespread at restaurants and hotels.
Under the current traffic law, driving ~20 km/h over the limit costs around 200,000 LL and no seatbelt around 350,000 LL, with phone use and red-light running similarly fined; tickets may be handled on the spot, and rental firms pass camera/parking fines to the card on file.
Dial 112 for police and 140 for the Lebanese Red Cross ambulance; stop at the scene, do not leave, and wait for the Internal Security Forces to file a report, which insurers and the rental company will require for any claim.
Full driving guide for Lebanon →