Rental Car Age Restrictions and Different Country Drop Off

While I can't address the specifics about crossing those borders , or the drop off , I will say that you need to very carefully determine the issue with age . It varies from country to country , and sometimes within a specific country depending on the rental provider , Case in point - I'm headed to the UK in August for a protracted visit and the legal limit is 80 ( I'm 77 ) Avis , with whom I booked does require a medical certification from one's doctor 6 weeks in advance of picking up the car . It also requires a short drive around with an Avis employee to verify ability to handle the car . While this isn't an issue for me , it's still a bit of a pain in the **** I looked into a different provider , and in addition to much better pricing , they had no age requirement until over 80 . Needless to say I switched .Sorry I can't be of more help , but do read all the fine print when you book to be certain that it doesn't blow up in your face at the rental desk .

I rented a car several years ago in Zagreb and also drove it in Slovenia. The only trick was that I needed to buy the Slovenian "vignette" myself, as it did not come with the rental.

Steven, oh, dear! Now I am really getting nervous about this--but better to know ahead of time what to expect. Are you able to share what company it was that allowed rentals for people up to age 80? I am wondering if the extra charges, IF indeed, they will even permit us renting a car, combined with the taking the car into the other countries AND dropping off in Dubrovnik will all add so many extra charges that it will cost more than the rest of the whole trip! We are planning a 24 day tour with Croatia being the main area and we have the flight from the U.S. to Zagreb, the flight from Dubrovnik back to Zagreb and all the several airbnb's booked already. I guess I never thought about the age thing because we drive all over the place here at home. Thank you Steven for sharing.

I found the driving in both Croatia and Slovenia to be quite easy, except - as is often the case - in larger towns.

I once rented a car near Dubrovnik and returned it at the Zagreb Airport with little, if any, dropoff fee, but that's something to check with each rental company and time period.

CWsocial, I have read about the need to get a vignette for Slovenia. I think I read that they can be purchased at gas stations and other such places. But I don't think they are a concern of the rental car agency in the way the renter's age and pick-
up/drop off in different places or driving in another country are. And the good thing is, the vignettes are easily obtained, I believe.
But all these other things sure are worrying me now. Thank you for sharing !

You are right, the vignette was easy. I bought it at a gas station or mini mart near the border.

SharLee , I didn't mean to get you rattled , just to be aware of the age requirements . You're getting very good information from CWSocial , who has far more reliable experience for where you are going . I originally booked with Avis , where they have a document requirement and while it wasn't a deal killer , the booking that replaced it is with Arnold Clark via Celtic Legend . Pickup at Manchester Airport and drop off after a month in Edinburgh . Again , just look carefully at things like pickup and drop and cross border . Also you will want an IDP ( International Driver Permit ) $20 from AAA

Thanks Steven for the additional information. I just read on a website (I think it was autoeurope???). that the upper age limit for renting a car in Croatia was age 70! But then it seems to say later on that it is up to the individual rental companies as to what
limit they use. I am not sure what we will/can do. Don't like to show up in a foreign country expecting to drive away in a rental car only to be refused the rental OR they agree to rent but present us with an exorbitant charge. I would like to know ahead of time. Our trip will involve several stays in several different locations across Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Montenegro and would really not be fun to try to do with public transportation. (some of our accommodations will be base "out in the countryside" and not that close to public transportation.).

You aren’t getting much response here about the age issue. And even if you did, the only reliable way to know is to ask the rental car company.

Here is what AutoEurope has to say: Croatia rental car age requirements limit drivers over 70 and under 18 years old. Fees for drivers under 25 vary greatly, from €6 - €30 per day depending on supplier, and these extra fees will apply to drivers over 70 as well when permitted

I used UniRent, which among many others, is an AutoEurope Preferred Provider (lol - Top Supplier) but I rented direct and was pleased.

SharLee, don’t be really nervous, at least not right now. It’s been a long time, and things may have changed a lot since our trip, but for what it’s worth, we had no issues at all driving our rental car into/out of Slovenia and Croatia. Also, if you’re at least dropping off your car in the same country that you picked it up, and not a different country, the charge (if any) for a different city shouldn’t be exorbitant. You should find the roads to be easy to drive and navigate.

We just got back on Sunday from a month in Ireland. We rented from Avis, picked up the car at the airport of one city and dropped it off at a different airport. The extra charge was less than $60.00. Steven’s post was interesting. We were on the opposite side of the road from the USA and Croatia/Slovenia, and on many challenging, extremely narrow roads, but there was no driving ability test involved, or letter from a doctor needed. But even though it was still Avis, this was Republic of Ireland, not the UK, or Croatia or Slovenia. And my husband turns 63 on Monday, so a few years might make a huge difference. Like Steven found, Avis was far cheaper than anyone else. They also let us use the insurance provided by our VISA card, rather than having to buy insurance coverage thru them. Avis wound up better in every way than any of the companies that AutoEurope offered, and each of those was different with the specifics of limits for older and younger drivers.

Back to our trip from way back in 2005 - we actually rented in Venice, Italy, and drove to many places in Slovenia and Croatia, turning it back in in Venice. So there are some variables there. The highways were brand new at the time. No vignette was required for Slovenia back then. I haven’t been back since, but our experience was easy. Check to see what requirements and restrictions your rental company specifies before you get nervous or troubled. There will likely be ways to accommodate their limits and to enjoy the freedom that having a car offers. See if Bosnia, Montenegro, or Slovenia are restricted by one rental company, if they exclude a certain age, or charge extra costs, and if that’s not acceptable, move on to the next company. Look at AutoEurope, but also look at booking directly with Avis, Hertz, Dollar, Sixt, Enterprise, Europcar, and maybe other companies. Does your airline offer any car rental deals with a company that would welcome your business? That might be another place to check.

Having waited so long, the trip this fall will be a reward!

Hi ,Cyn I remember some time ago , you had rented from Arnold Clark , and they have been turning up here quite a bit recently , as I'm sure you've noticed . Just for information sake , The age requirement wasn't an issue with them , but while I usually rented from Avis in the past , the real kicker here was the price - The Avis quote was $2800 for just shy of a month ( not including Zero excess , and Arnold Clark ( with total insurance , excess zero and additional driver ) is $1800 , quite a difference ! As you pointed out though , its really a case by case basis , I still have my Avis reservations for a car to take us from home to JFK , and one from JFK back home at the end .

Yes, the late Arnold Clark was apparently a car dealer in Scotland, who started renting cars as well. I’d never heard of them before planning a trip to Scotland some years back, but they were the best deal for us that year. Maybe there’s a Croatian rental company like that? I hope SharLee finds an outfit that will make their rental a satisfying experience.

Regarding border crossings, it is easy to check online. This is what Hertz says e.g.:

DRIVING RESTRICTIONS: Vehicle may not be driven across any of the Croatian borders without prior written approval by Hertz Croatia, except when crossing the Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina borders on the A8 main road (route E65) between Split and Dubrovnik. Failure to comply with these restrictions makes void all insurance policies and customer fully liable and responsible in case of a theft, accident, damages to the vehicle and any resulting consequences.

CROSS BORDER FEE: All vehicles except luxury categories might be allowed to travel abroad under special conditions and only on Request from the local Hertz Office. Request must be made 5 days in advance of the rental pick up date and the cost is 25€.

TexasTravelmom, Cyn, Steven--it is so wonderful to "talk" with all of you about your experiences that might relate to my concerns and I appreciate your taking the time to do so. I guess I will have to continue my research on the matter. The problem is that there is no
consistent rule regarding the issue of driver's age from country to country and even rental company to rental company. I will have to check out the names all of you have provided and see what kind of costs and restrictions each might have for drivers over the 70 age limit. Thank you!

Badger--Glad you shared that. Wonder if that will be true of most other rental agencies? I will see if I can do some googling and find out. Thank you so much.

Yes , its true that there is limited consistency. about information . Like other aspects of travel it's an ongoing learning curve . I would pay special attention to Badgers post about those restrictions - what is required and most importantly is the indemnification of insurance coverage under the stated circumstances

Steven, Hitchhiking is sounding better and better (just kidding, of course).

While it's definitely not as efficient as having a car of your own, I've been to Croatia three times, Slovenia twice and both Montenegro and Bosnia-Hercegovina once, traveling around by bus and the rare train. You won't cover ground as fast, but it's doable. In the case of Kotor, I'd much prefer to be sitting on a bus; the driver of a car won't be able to relax and fully enjoy the scenery.

There would be some incidental time savings from not having to look for parking everywhere, too. That would offset a bit of the extra time you'd spend on the road when traveling by bus rather than in your own car.

acraven, so I am picking up that the roads in Bosnia might not be so great? We plan to (if we ever get a car!) to drive from Mostar to the Kotor area seeing it and its close-by "neighbors" where probably everyone goes on their first trip to the area. We won't be venturing out into the hinterlands. You are right about the parking. We have travelled internationally for many years parking in European villages and towns and know first-hand how time consuming, patience-trying and downright difficult it can be. Thank you for sharing your experience.

I trust that the situation has improved in 18 years, but back then, one of the concerns was land mines along the sides of the roads. It hadn’t been too long since the cessation of the wars that resulted in the dissolution of Yugoslavia, and some of the remnants of the conflict were still present. I remember signs along the road saying to not park or get out of the car along certain stretches of highway. Again, I trust those dangers have been eliminated. Maybe some rental company policies still reflect some old concerns.

Cyn, I have come across some of those warnings while researching for our trip. Makes me a little nervous to say the least. I do think they have removed many--maybe most--but warn that many still remain and to heed the warning signs posted. They won't have to tell me twice. However, how do I know they actually know where they all are. I guess they have instruments that help detect their whereabouts. Anyway, in spite of that, it seems many people do still venture out into the area and that is what gives me some
solace about doing it myself. I also think you are probably right about rental car companies not thrilled with people driving in those areas and to cover a possible problem they will no doubt add a (probably significant!) charge. So now we would have an extra charge for picking up the car in one place and dropping it off in another (both Croatia though) and possibly for taking it into other countries (Slovenia, Bosnia, Montenegro) and for my husband being over age 70. Starting to seem like it might be as cheap to just BUY a car! (just kidding again)

All you can do is ask a rental company and not make up problems that may not be there. People drive to Kotor all the time. And I myself drove from Dubrovnik to Mostar (with a detour to Vrelo Bune) and then to Zadar. The highways are fine. It’s your driving skills that would be the question, not whether there are land mines on the highway. Smaller areas and off a beaten path obviously might be different.

I don’t know prices now but I did a one way rental Dubrovnik to Split and the price was very reasonable (for me). I also drove into Slovenia and the vignette was not a problem - you can do it online now, I think. In 2021, I couldn’t. Just pick several companies, list your plan and your ages - email to ask.

Then come back and tell us what you found out! Cause you can tell we don’t know for sure. Lol.

TexasTravelmom, Good advice and suggestions. It is always so helpful when others take time to encourage those who might be having questions or to share what worked for them in similar circumstances. Thank you!

We rented from UniRent in 2013 when I was 70. P/U Zagreb, drop off Dubrovnik. OK to go into Slovenia but needed vignette from FIRST gas station across border. Did not ask about ferries but used a short ferry to/from Hvar. Did not go into Montenegro, Bos-Herz (except on highway). As no longer a spring chicken, needed to checkout car rentals for Greece and Italy last May. Endless checking with rental agencies a pain. Found an aggregator for seniors; airportcarhire.com/car-rental-for-over-75s.html#/searchcars
On first page, select "Book Online Now" (don't go to Croatia info down page as is a rabbit hole). Then enter your info on next page. They apparently (as the name suggests) only use airport locations. Next page gives lots of options - pick one that you might want and click on "terms & conditions". You should get a popup "Important Information". Select "driver" to get age restrictions &/or extra fees. Other info is indeed important. If anything no good, on to next outfit. The rates on this site were the same or better than direct. Just looked at Zagreb to Dubrovnik options and few auto transmissions & expensive. FYI, the Hyundai i20 is a good choice with room for my big feet on all 3 pedals. The bad for that car is the late models have a very intrusive "safety package" - google how to turn off the autolane alarm and steering correction (the Brits have the answer). This is might be the situation with all late model cars in the EU and makes driving on curvy roads a pain. Also there is a Dubrovnik airport bus, so you could drop car early if you want. Driving in Croatia & Slovenia was easy with no parking problems except Dubrovnik. Enjoy your trip.

Larry42, that website sounds interesting and one I think I will have to peruse and see what comes up. I am glad that we have a few months before we depart for Croatia. I understand the age thing--let's face it sometimes the eyesight is not as good or the reactions not as quick, maybe we don't hear as well as we used to-- but today people live longer and retain health longer than in past years and there are plenty of middle age people who do not have so many physical deficits but certainly would be considered reckless drivers.
Too bad there is not a better way to determine one's competency at the wheel than just a number like 70! Thank you Larry42 for passing along your experience and suggestions.