Does Localiza require an IDP in Albania?
Written by Daniel MercerUpdated July 2026
Localiza in Albania: the policy in plain terms
Asks foreign renters to present a licence translation with their home licence at the counter across Brazil and Latin America. The largest car-rental company in Latin America.
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 Localiza will typically ask for it at the counter. Tirana airport desks ask for an IDP alongside a non-EU licence.
Localiza runs a south america 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 Localiza 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 Localiza 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.
Localiza's rental terms that affect your IDP booking
Localiza's minimum rental age is 18 (lowered from 21 across Brazil), but drivers under 21 must add the mandatory "Condutor Jovem" (Young Driver) surcharge at booking; the exact fee is set per rental/location and quoted at reservation rather than published as a flat amount.
A credit card (physical or contactless) in the reservation holder's or financial responsible party's name is required for a pre-authorization hold; debit cards are not accepted for the security guarantee. Customers without a credit card can instead pass a weekday business-hours credit evaluation, with daily rentals up to 28 days available for an approximately R$39.90 fee if approved.
Each additional driver must be registered on the contract and present a valid licence and ID at the counter; Localiza does not publish a flat additional-driver fee, charging it per rate plan and location at pickup. Localiza requires a valid full driver's licence but does not publish a fixed minimum holding period; instead the young-driver surcharge (under-21) is the gating control, so a valid current licence is the stated requirement.
Cross-border driving within Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay) requires the mandatory "Carta Verde"/Green Card insurance and advance authorization, typically requested at booking; one-way rentals returning in a different country incur a one-way fee that is usually higher than the cross-border fee, so both must be arranged in advance.
Foreign customers must present a valid licence from a country in Brazil's "Reciprocity Agreement" plus a passport, and may drive for up to 180 days from their date of entry (respecting the original licence validity); entry must be proven with a passport stamp, boarding pass, or immigration approval document. An International Driving Permit is referenced under the applicable legislation for non-reciprocity or non-Roman-alphabet licences.
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 →