Renting a car with Thrifty on a foreign licence

• An IDP alone is not accepted: it must accompany the original licence.
• Thrifty states that if the licence is not in English both the foreign licence and a current IDP are required (a Japanese Translation Service is accepted for Japan); an IDP or certified translation alone is not acceptable. This is stricter than Dollar/Hertz wording.

“A foreign driver’s license* issued by the country of residence of the renter and additional drivers is required to be accompanied with a valid passport in the renter’s name. If the driver’s license in not in English, the renter and drivers will be required to present both the foreign issued driver’s license and a current International Driver’s Permit (“IDP”); or, if from Japan, a Japanese Translation Service. An IDP does not give a person the right to drive, but provides a certified translation of the valid foreign driver’s license. An IDP can be obtained in the driver's country of residence only with a valid driver’s license. An IDP (or certified translation) without the foreign issued driver’s license is not acceptable. International customers renting in the U.S. are also required to present a valid international-issued driver’s license at the time of rent and a valid passport in the same name, as a second form of identification.” — home_licence_required, idp_policy, idp_alone_accepted, translation_alternative, passport_policy ↗ (company national page)

Last checked 2026-10-04.