Can I Rent a Car with a Temporary License?

What is a Temporary License?

Every state in the US requires you to have a valid driver’s license to operate a vehicle. The first step is to obtain your learner’s permit. The minimum age for this step is 14 to 16 years, depending on the state where you reside. Those 18 or above can obtain an unrestricted driver’s license.

In some cases, US citizens may need a temporary license. A temporary license is another form of driver’s license issued to people in the United States on various occasions. For instance, you may receive a temporary driver’s license with a limited validity when you apply for a new driver’s license or submit a renewal request for the existing license. You can use the temporary license to drive the vehicle until the new license arrives at your residence in the mail.

The validity period of this temporary license may vary from one state to another. In Texas, the validity of the temporary license will be 60 days from the transaction of the driver’s license. However, its validity is just 45 days in Vermont.

Foreign nationals whose presence has been authorized by the Federal Government for a specific purpose are also eligible to receive a temporary driver’s license. The validity of this kind of temporary license will be for the duration of the authorized period of their stay or one year, whichever is less.

Wondering if you can rent a car with your temporary driver’s license?

Don’t worry! This article explains everything you need to know about renting a car with only a temporary license.

Can You Rent a Car with a Temporary License?

The short answer is yes. Many rental companies across the US allow you to rent a car with a temporary license, albeit with limitations. They may ask you to furnish additional documentation and pay extra fees.

Some rental companies may not allow you to rent luxury cars or passenger vans with a temporary license. We suggest you get in touch with the customer support team of your chosen rental company to understand its policies related to renting a car with a temporary license.

What to Expect When Renting with a Temporary License

When you’re planning to rent a car with a temporary license, you should be ready to undergo the authentication process and provide additional information about your identity and driving history.

Undergo an Authentication Process

Car rental agencies might put your temporary license under an authentication process to determine if it is original or not. They want to make sure that the license was issued by an authorized agency like American Automobile Association (AAA) and meets the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) regulations. Some rental companies may charge a specific fee for temporary license verification. For instance, Hertz Canada charges a flat fee of $1.99 for the driver’s license verification.

Every rental agency has its process for conducting the authentication. You may need to submit your temporary license at the rental location and wait for their confirmation to go ahead with the further steps of the rental booking process.

Provide Additional Information

Some rental companies may ask you to submit additional proof of ID along with the temporary license at the time of rental pick up.

The following documents may fulfill the requirements of additional proof of ID:

• A valid passport.
• A valid license of the home country or an international driver’s permit for foreign nationals.
• A credit card statement with your name and current residential address.
• Utility bill with your name and current residential address.

Besides another form of identification, rental companies may also seek a clean driving record from the renter.

You may need to meet the clean driving record criteria mentioned below to be eligible for renting a car with a temporary license:

• No reckless driving convictions in the past three years.
• No more than two road violations in the past two years (this may include the seat belt violations and wrong parking violations).
• No record of accidents in the past three years.
• No record of using vehicles in a crime in the past.

The criteria may change from one rental company to another. However, your chances of getting a desired rental vehicle with a temporary license will increase if you have a clean driving history.

Understand Policies and Limitations

You need to understand that rental companies will follow stringent policies while renting cars to people with a temporary driver’s license.

Let’s check the policies and limitations of various rental companies below:

Rental Company

Policies/limitations

Enterprise

• Temporary licenses must be validated in person.
• Your temporary license will be refused if the rental location cannot verify its authenticity for any reason.
• The driver must also submit another government-issued identification card along with the temporary license.
• Not all rental locations will accept temporary driver’s licenses. You may need to call customer support to confirm before arriving at the rental location.

Avis Budget Group

• The temporary license must be valid for the entire rental period.
• The status of your temporary license should not be suspended, revoked, or canceled.
• The renter must have a valid credit or debit card.
• The minimum age requirement to rent a vehicle is 21 across all states, except for New York and Michigan. However, the young driver charges apply for drivers below 25 years of age.