Car Rental in a Foreign Country
Before you plan to rent a
car in a foreign country, you should enlighten
yourself with the requirements that overseas
drivers need to carry with them during their
stay in that country. Most leading car rental
agencies of your country have tie-ups with car
rental agencies in overseas countries and they
will assist you to hire a car of your choice.
Your car rental agency is the best place to
ask about the documents required while driving
a car in a foreign country. However, there are
certain things that you need to be aware of
and the important ones are covered over here.
The primary thing is identification.
You valid state driver's license will be accepted
in other countries only if you have an additional
and supporting photo ID proof. The best option
for this additional photo ID is your passport,
so keep it handy when you are driving a rented
car overseas. Some countries will not permit
you to drive a car unless you have an International
Driver's Permit. These can be availed from the
AAA officers. You should check up with the AAA
travel office prior to traveling overseas. If
you are worried that you might have to take
some tests in order to secure a International
Driver's Permit, you should know that these
permits do not require any additional tests.
You just need to explain in
a number of languages about the type of licence
you current hold and the limitations that will
apply upon its expiry. You should also check
out with your car insurance agents since these
insurance policies might have limitations or
restrictions when you are diving on foreign
soil. Before hiring a car in a foreign country,
you should check your coverage and this also
includes the terms of your credit card policy.
There are some countries where the law enforcement
agencies will confiscate your license if you
are involved in any traffic violation or have
met with an accident.
Your license will only be
returned after you have paid the applicable
fine. You should demand and get proper receipts
for such fines. If you have been mistreated
by the law enforcement agencies of that country,
report the same to the American consulate or
embassy in that country. Certain European countries
keep track of traffic violators through street
cameras. These cameras, generally installed
at street intersections, photograph the law
violating car.
The law enforcing agencies
of these countries use the license plate number
taken from the photograph and request the payment
from the owner of the car… in this case, the
car rental company. In such cases, the car rental
company has full rights to recover that amount
from you after providing you with sufficient
proof. Understanding the traffic regulations
of the country you are planning to visit will
save you from lots of embarrassments. It is
therefore vital to get a guidebook listing the
traffic rules of the country you are planning
to visit. The car rental agency will gladly
supply you with this information.
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