Hi We are renting a car for a week to tour around Germany and are unsure of the guidelines regarding international drivers permits. Even RS indicates that they are not needed but may be good to have. Has anyone had experiences where the car rental company required an int'l permit? Why is it important to have one? The next puzzle is the insurance. We went to Auto Club who checked on an insurance policy through Allianz but was told that the car rental co. may not accept this as insurance. We have not tried the insurance suggested by RS. Has anyone used this co.? How about what the car rental co. offers--any recommendations? This is the first time we are renting a car internationally. Thanks for any light you can offer on this subject.
Posted by
NYC area
2981 posts
Hi Joanne, I don't think you need an IDP for renting in Germany. Even though I've never been asked for it, I always get one just in case. IF you get stopped by the police, you'll most likely need it. I figure for $20 it's cheap insurance just in case. For CDW, we use American Express's "Premium Car Rental Protection Plan". Cost is under $30 for rental periods up to 42 days. That's NOT per day, but for the entire rental period. You must sign up in advance (free) and pay for the rental with the same AmEx card. For our last 3 trips starting and ending in Germnay, we've rented through Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com. Paul
Posted by
OP
Southern California
5 posts
Thanks, Paul. The info re: Amex is very helpful. Since we are using this card anyway, we will check it out. Looks as if it is a good idea to get the IDL. $20 here; $20 there!!!! Better to be safe, not sorry.
Posted by
Beverly Hills, MI
813 posts
Amen on getting an IDP. It is not required but, should you have the misfortune to have an accident or get stopped for a traffic violation, it is nice to have an official translation of you drivers license handy unless you are really, really fluent in German. Germans (my ancestors) are not known for their sense of humor and that is really true even in the most minor of nerfs muchless real shunts. I hope that you will have the same luck as most of us and drive at least 30,000 miles without ever needing one. By the way, if there is a chance of going into Austria you will need an IDP. Pay no attention to rental car stories. The guy at the rental car desk is not your friend, he is the guy who makes money renting you a car and whatever happens he will do OK because he has you by the credit card.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The only instance in which the German Polizei will instruct you to pull over are late night alcohol checks, and unless the breathalyzer test is positive, they won't even ask for your license. You'd have to drive dangerously over the speed limit through a town or city before the Polizei will stop you. As long as you're only moderately speeding, they'll let the cameras snap your picture, and you'll receive the traffic fine in the mail. So, an IDP isn't much use in Germany. Now Austria... the Polizei will pull you over there, but I've never heard of anyone having any problems because they didn't have an IDP.
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
Go to Gemut.com for expert advice on renting a car in Europe and especially in Germany, their specialty. Explore the site, read "What you should know about renting a car in Europe" and contact Andy Bestor with any questions you have. If you haven't rented the car yet, going through them/him has always produced the cheapest rates for us. We have always emailed or talked to him directly and the prices he could find were cheaper than anything we could find online.
Posted by
OP
Southern California
5 posts
Thanks, Lo in Tucson, for the recommendation to go to Gemut and work with Andy. We have a reservation, but it hasn't yet been secured via credit card; so there is nothing binding. I will check to see if we can get a better rateand better answers to our questions than what we have been getting from our current car rental agency.