How to check car rental age and driver's licence requirements

What the official guidance covers

The guidance checked is the UK government's driving-abroad page, which addresses people who hold a Great Britain or Northern Ireland licence. [4] It tells drivers to take that licence with them, to check that it is still valid, and to renew it online if it has expired or is about to expire. [4] A licence that has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed must be replaced before the holder can drive abroad; the page says an online application should produce a new licence within 5 days, while a postal application takes longer. [4]

Where a car is being hired, the rental company may ask to see the driver's licence information when the vehicle is collected. [4] UK licence holders can share that information through a licence "check code", which can be created up to 21 days before the trip. [4] Someone whose licence was issued in Northern Ireland shows the rental company the paper counterpart instead. [4]

Beyond the licence itself, the page sets out two vehicle documents. A vehicle hired or leased in the UK and then taken abroad needs a VE103 certificate. [4] A driver taking their own vehicle needs the log book (V5C) and the insurance certificate. [4]

Age limits and young-driver charges

What the guidance does say about the commercial side of a rental is narrower. In its section on hiring a car abroad, it states that insurance is included and that drivers should check with the hire company what they are covered for. [4] The insurance side, including excesses, is set out in the car rental insurance and excess guide. Charges that apply when a second person is added to the contract are a separate question and are covered under additional driver fee.

Documents to have at the counter

The paperwork described in the guidance falls into four groups. [4]

• The licence. A valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland licence, renewed beforehand if it has expired or is close to expiry. [4]
• Licence information for the hire company. A check code shared with the rental company, or, for a Northern Ireland licence, the paper counterpart. [4]
• An international driving permit where required. An IDP is obtained in person from certain shops that have PayPoint, costs £5.50, and a driver may need a separate one for each country being visited. [4]
• Vehicle documents. A VE103 certificate for a UK-hired or leased vehicle taken abroad, or the V5C log book and insurance certificate for the driver's own vehicle. [4]

Entry formalities are a separate matter from the rental counter. A visitor to the UK must have a passport or travel document that is valid for the whole of the stay [5], and depending on nationality a visitor may need a visa before travelling [6] or may be able to use an electronic travel authorisation for a visit of up to 6 months [5]. Those checks are covered in passport validity and entry check.

Exceptions and limits

• Moving abroad. The guidance says not to apply for an international driving permit if you are moving abroad; instead you exchange your licence or apply for a new one in the country you are moving to. [4]
• Equipment. Rules vary by country and may require extra equipment such as a reflective jacket and warning triangle, emission stickers in some European cities, headlight converter stickers or a UK sticker; where a car is hired, it is the driver's responsibility to check that the equipment needed is present. [4]
• Local driving law. Local speed limits and drink-driving laws apply abroad, and breaking them may mean a fine. [4]
• Cover. Insurance is included when a car is hired, but the extent of cover is something to confirm with the hire company rather than assume. [4]

Related pages

Continue with car rental insurance and excess, which covers what the hire contract's cover does and does not include, and with passport validity and entry check for the travel documents that sit alongside a driving licence. The term additional driver fee explains the charge that arises when someone other than the named driver is added to a rental, and the full glossary lists the other terms used across these guides.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. No car-rental company's own terms and conditions are covered here, and no United States or Canadian licensing authority guidance is covered, so company-specific age bands, young-driver charges and licence-holding rules sit outside this page.

1. GOV.UK, Driving abroad: overview, checked 18 October 2026
2. GOV.UK, Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor: overview, checked 18 October 2026
3. GOV.UK, Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: visa national list, checked 18 October 2026