Hello,
I will have spent time in Palermo and Siracusa and will leave on 11/2. I fly back out of Palermo on 11/6 evening.
Want to see Noto, Ragusa and Agrigento area.
Thinking of renting a car on 11/2 to give me the most flexibility, but I would have to get it from Catania airport. I am from US and only have my drivers license. How strict are companies about International drivers license?
Maybe it's better to stick with public transportation.
Thanks for your insights.
An IDP takes 20 minutes, $20, and two passport photos to get. The paperwork can even be filled out before heading to AAA.
I’ve never been asked to show the IDP when picking up a rental car, only my U.S. license, but that doesn’t mean the company won’t ask for it. I like the flexibility of not having to depend on a bus schedule. It is a shame that you’ll go an hour from Siracusa to Catania to pick up a rental car just to backtrack an hour to visit Noto. Maybe visit Noto from Siracusa. For what you want to do, public transportation may be a better option.
If you do get a rental look up parking lots before you go and book mark them to whichever navigation app you use. That will save some time.
I have rented cars dozens of times in countries throughout Europe (although not in Italy, actually). I have never been asked for an IDL. I had one once, but have never bothered since.
I just rented cars during the last month in three Italian cities. One location did ask to see the Internatiinsl Drivers Permit ( IDP).and two did not. The post above referring to it as an International Drivers License shows just how dated the experience of the poster is— it has not been called an international drivers license now for many years.
IDP’s are required of American drivers (and other nationalities ) under Italian law. Here is the problem if you are able to rent a car without showing one when you go to pick up the car,
If the police pull you over for any reason whatsoever—even for just a spot check— they will ask to see your driver’s license. And you will be required to show both an IDP and your state driver’s license from the US. The IDP is a translation of your U.S. Driver’s license and the police are going to require that you present yours.
If you are unable to show them an IDP, you can be fined several hundred euros.
If you are involved in a car accident and you can not present the IDP to the authorities— you can be arrested and fined, I’m not saying you will be— just that you CAN BE ARRESTED.
And— if you are driving illegally without the legally-required IDP, any insurer of the car CAN VOiD THE INSURANCE claiming you were not legally driving the car because you were not complying with Italian driving laws at the time of the accident.
BTW. An IDP is also legally required in Spain, France, Slovenia and many other European countries.
Get your IDP from any American Automobile Association office. There is no test involved— they simply take your photo and write in your name & address on a pre-printed form. The potential consequences of not getting it are far too great to take the risk.
@Darrenblois
Not all European countries require an IDP from drivers not holding European licenses.
Some of the countries that do are:
Austria
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Estonia
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Poland
Romania
Slovenia
That doesn’t mean that the rental car will ask you for one. For example in Italy only Europcar is likely to ask you for one. In all other cases I’ve never been asked.
However if you get pulled over by police, you must produce one, and the minimum fine for not having one is 408€ (art. 135 of the Italian Motor Vehicle code). I’ve been pulled over by Carabinieri 3 times (twice in the last two years) and in each case they wanted to see it. And it’s not that you won’t get pulled over if you don’t commit infractions. Routine police checks, just to check your record and the car mechanical record, are common in Italy. When I was pulled over they didn’t fine me for anything but they wanted to see my documents (and my wife’s, who was just a passenger) and check all papers against the CED Interforze database online.
In Catania airport, SIXT does not require an IDP, only a foreign license. Giuseppe is the manager of that location and he is a lovely and helpful guy. We always rent from Sixt and have always been very happy with their services.
The OP is already in Sicily so has no means to go to an AAA.
