Does Hertz require an IDP in Albania?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Hertz in Albania: the policy in plain terms
Asks foreign drivers for a licence translation when the licence is not printed in the Roman alphabet, and often for non-EU renters in much of Europe. One of the largest global rental networks, operating in 150+ countries.
Albania drives on the right and signs the 1968 Vienna Convention, but desks expect non-EU visitors to pair an IDP with their home licence given mountainous, fast-changing roads.
In Albania specifically, many rental companies and local authorities in Albania ask foreign drivers to present a translation of their licence alongside the original, so Hertz will typically ask for it at the counter. Tirana airport desks ask for an IDP alongside a non-EU licence.
Hertz runs a global network; at its Albania desks, foreign renters are asked for an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna Convention format alongside the original licence. Albania drives on the right, uses the ALL, 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 Hertz counter in Albania
- 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 ALL deposit; Albania drives on the right with a young-driver surcharge under 25.
Driving rules in Albania Hertz renters should know
- Drive on the right; overtake on the left.
- Headlights on at all times, day and night.
- 0.01% alcohol limit — effectively zero tolerance.
- Seatbelts mandatory for all occupants.
Hertz's rental terms that affect your IDP booking
Hertz's standard minimum rental age in the US and Canada is 20, though it drops to 18 in Michigan, New York and Quebec, and 19 in Alabama and Nebraska. Renters aged 20-24 pay a Young Renter fee of about USD 19 per day, and under-25s are blocked from premium, luxury and high-performance car classes.
Hertz places a hold on the renter's card for the estimated rental charges plus a security deposit that varies by location and vehicle class; debit cards are accepted at many US locations but must be Visa, MasterCard or Discover branded, in the main driver's name, and carry sufficient available funds, with extra ID/credit checks sometimes required.
Hertz charges a per-day additional-driver fee that varies by location (commonly around USD 13.50/day in the US, capped per rental); in many markets a spouse/domestic partner can be added free, and the fee is often waived for Gold Plus Rewards members. Hertz requires each driver to hold a valid full driver's licence that has typically been held for at least one year, with longer tenure (often one to two years) required for some markets and premium vehicle classes.
Driving a Hertz vehicle across a country border (e.g. US to Canada or Mexico) requires advance permission and may incur a cross-border fee, and travel into Mexico generally requires separate Mexican insurance; one-way rentals are permitted on many routes but typically carry a drop-off/one-way charge.
Hertz states that a valid driver's licence issued by the renter's home country must always be presented; an International Driving Permit is recommended (and effectively required) when the home-country licence is not in the Roman alphabet or not in English, but Hertz will not rent on an IDP alone.
Once you collect the keys in Albania
There is no vignette; instead the A1 motorway (notably the Rrëshen-Kalimash 'Nation's Highway' tunnel section toward Kosovo) charges a per-passage toll paid in cash or card at barriers, while most other roads are free.
In Tirana and larger towns parking uses colour-coded zones - free white, paid blue-line bays (pay at meters or by app), and restricted red areas; central spaces are scarce and wardens are active.
Speeding, no-seatbelt and handheld-phone fines are issued, often on the spot in cash; drink-driving limits are low and enforced, and camera/police fines on rentals are passed to your card by the hire firm.
Call 112 (general emergency) or 129 for police and 127 for ambulance; do not move vehicles after an injury crash until police attend, and get a police report for any insurance claim.
Full driving guide for Albania →