flobull

Hi,

We will be traveling in Croatia and Slovenia in May and have questions re rental cars and border crossings:
*Is crossing the border (in a rental car) between EU and non-EU countries simple and fast or slow and complicated?
*Are there always huge drop-off fees attached to returning a rental car in an EU country if it was rented in a non-EU country (or vice-versa)?
Thanks for any info you can give.

ira

Hi F,

1. You have to determine if the rental agency will let you take your car to C and S.

2. There is almost always a large fee for dropping off in another country, no matter where.

nytraveler

If you can find a company willing to let you take a car where you want double check theinsurance card they give you before you leave - both to be sure it covers those countries - and to be sure of the end date. (We once got a car from Avis - for a 12 day drive - with an insurance card that ran out in 3 days. Luckily we checked and they had to give us another car - but only after we argued with them for 15 minutes - and threatened to walk.)

uaz04

One caution about entering Slovenia, they insist on drivers from certain countries having the "international driving license', and with their entry into the Schengen visa scheme, they are now strictly enforcing all border rules.
The insurance "green card" for the EU is accepted nearly everywhere [except Kosovo, for political reasons], and there is no lengthy or complicated "procedure" for crossing...most of the time there is just a wave through without looking at your documents at all! Even when one's documents are checked, at random or unless you look suspicious, a few seconds is all it takes.
If you are looking for complicated and slow, drive into Turkey...it is worth the trip, but I'll fly next time.
Good luck and enjoy your trip.

tcreath

1. We drove from Croatia to Slovenia and back several times with absolutely no problems. Just let your rental car agency know when you make the booking. We were there in November so there was little traffic and the border crossings were completely non-eventful. They took our passports, stamped them, and we were on our way.

2. There is almost always a huge drop-off fee whenever you pick up a car in one country and drop it off in another, regardless of where its in the EU or not. However, some agencies may not even allow it. You definitely have to do some research.

I would check out www.autoeurope.com or www.economycarrentals.com. We used Economy Car Rentals for our trip. The price was significantly lower than all of the others.

Tracy

tcreath

Also, we never got asked for our Internatinal Drivers License. We had one left over from a March trip to Italy, but unless something changed Slovenia doesn't require it (only Austria and Italy do) so it shouldn't be an issue.

Tracy

janisj

It is not an International Driver's <u>License</u>&quot;. It is an International Driver's <u>PERMIT</u>. It is a translation of your own license. Rental agencies (usually) do not care one way or the other if you have one. So the fact that someone was not asked to show it is totally to be expected.

However, the police DO and will care. If you are stopped for a traffic violation, a routine traffic check, or any other reason - you will need to show it.

lawchick

There are no real problems driving between Slovenia and Croatia or vice versa. Only problem is that sometimes there are big queues at the border crossing.

Viajero2

My experience is from 1997-- ten years old, so take it &quot;like a grain of salt&quot;. We crossed into Prague from Germany. We were advised to cross very, very early because that's the time of the day that trucks and commercial cargo are on line. The rationale is that the staff efforts are focused on the comercial cargo and they do not scrutinize as much the private cars. Sure enough the whole crossing took us about 2 minutes (counting time on line). When you rent the car you need to tell the rental company that you intend to take the car out of the country and whether they need to document in the agreement that you are authorized to do so. About dropping the car in a non-EU country-- good luck with that. I am not even sure you will be allowed to do so.

Again, these are questions you need to direct to the rental companies; you will only get experiences here, while the rental companies will get you the current facts, which is after all, what you are buying into.

tcreath

My apologies; of course I meant to say international drivers license. Not all countries in Europe require you to have one. I'm not sure about Slovenia. That being said, I usually get one as a precaution every time I drive in a country in Europe outside of the UK. Its $10 at your local AAA office. Its never an issue with rental car agencies, but in the event that you get pulled over its a good thing to have.

Tracy

tcreath

Oops...I did it again! International drivers <b>permit</b>!

I found some info on this on the travel.state.gov Slovenia page. Funny the government refers to it as an international drivers license! Anyways, Slovenia does now require one:
&quot;U.S. visitors or U.S. residents in Slovenia must be in possession of both a valid U.S. driver’s license and an International Driver’s License if they wish to drive in Slovenia. This will allow them to drive for a maximum of one year after which residents of Slovenia are required to obtain a Slovene driver's license. Note that applying for and obtaining a Slovene drivers license is far easier if undertaken during the first year of residence in Slovenia rather than after the first year has elapsed. Current information about traffic and road conditions is available in English by calling (01) 530-5300 and online at http://www.amzs.si. &quot;

Tracy

uaz04

Also my half-mistake...international driving permit is correct, but they do refer to it as the license here, and it is indeed required in Slovenia, and they are now more rigorous at the border since they have the new Schengen border. For non-Europeans, this means that one Schengen visa covers the EU as of the Slovenian border, so they are now accountable - and they are Slovenian, so they take rules seriously.
I can have a problem here because I live in Europe long-term on diplomatic status - so I cannot take residency nor a local driving license, but I am not back in the US each year to renew the international driving permit, and I cross this border sometimes several times a day. Fortunately, as you have read from others, the border crossing is usually just a wave through.
With some companies [esp those at airports], the drop-off charge can be minimal - check them all. I've gotten lucky in the past, but I cannot remember which company.