Do you need an IDP to rent a car in France?
In France the counter agent and a roadside officer apply different rulebooks. A company can hand over a car to someone the law would still expect to carry extra paperwork, so meet the stricter of the two.
According to Service-Public's page on driving with a foreign licence during a short stay, a non-EU licence is accepted for a stay of under 185 days if it is valid and written in French, or accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP) or an official translation. British licences are exempt from the IDP requirement. A translation made abroad must be legalised or apostilled.
Hertz's terms for France only require an IDP or translation when a non-EU licence is not in Roman script, and the national tourism site France.fr calls an IDP "generally recommended". The legal text is stricter, so carrying an IDP removes the doubt at a roadside check.
| Your licence | Will Hertz rent to you? | What the law asks on the road | What to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU or EEA licence | Yes, if held 12 months | Nothing extra | Licence and ID |
| Non-EU, written in French | Yes, if held 12 months | Nothing extra | Licence and passport |
| Non-EU, English or other Roman script (for example US or Australia) | Yes, no IDP needed at the desk | IDP or official translation (UK licences exempt) | Licence, IDP and passport |
| Non-EU, non-Roman script (for example Korea, Japan, China) | Only with IDP or official translation | IDP or official translation | Licence, IDP and passport |
Hertz France also requires the licence to have been held for at least 12 months for standard cars, three years for premium groups and more than five years for campers. It does not accept provisional, probationary, digital-only, damaged or altered licences, or a police declaration of a lost or stolen licence.
What is the minimum age to rent a car in France?
There is no single French rental age. France.fr says the minimum is 21 or 25 depending on the agency. Hertz's published rules for France are more detailed:
| Car group (Hertz France) | Minimum age | Surcharge band |
|---|---|---|
| Small and economy groups (A, B, C and similar) | 19 | Ages 19–24 |
| Most mid-size and larger groups | 21 | Ages 21–24 |
| Some premium groups | 23, 25 or 28 | Varies or none |
The Hertz France young-driver surcharge is €44.00 a day or €308.03 a week, capped at €528.00 per rental, tax included. Other companies set their own figures.
Insurance, excess and the deposit
Third-party liability insurance is the legal minimum for every car on French roads, according to Service-Public, and it is built into a normal rental. What varies is how much you pay if the rental car itself is damaged or stolen.
At Hertz France, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Protection (TP) are listed as optional unless your rate includes them. The CDW terms show what that means for a Renault Clio-size car (group B):
| Cover you take | Your maximum damage bill (group B) |
|---|---|
| Decline CDW | Up to €15,500 |
| Accept CDW | €2,100 non-waivable excess |
| Accept CDW plus SuperCover | Excess removed, subject to exclusions |
Even with CDW, gross negligence is excluded. The terms list examples such as hitting overhead objects, entering a barrier before it opens, wrong fuel and driving through flooded roads. A €60 damage administration fee also applies.
The deposit is a card hold. For Hertz-brand pay-at-location rentals, the hold is the greater of the rental cost plus fuel or €200, plus another €500 if you do not buy SuperCover. Release can take up to 30 days to show on your statement.
Worked example: a 23-year-old renting a Clio for a week
A 23-year-old picks up a group B car at Paris-Charles de Gaulle for seven days and declines SuperCover.
- Young-driver surcharge: €308.03 for the week, on top of the rate.
- Card hold: at least €700 (€200 minimum plus €500 without SuperCover), more if the rental cost exceeds €200.
- Damage exposure: €2,100 with CDW, or up to €15,500 if CDW is declined.
If your credit card offers rental cover, the question is whether it reimburses the €2,100 excess or only acts after other insurance. That answer decides whether SuperCover is worth buying.
What equipment must you carry in a car in France?
Service-Public's equipment page, updated June 2026, sets the list:
- High-visibility vest (gilet jaune): required, and it should be reachable from the driver's seat.
- Warning triangle: required.
- Breathalyser (éthylotest): not required.
- Winter tyres or snow chains: required from 1 November to 31 March in designated mountain communes.
The vest must carry the CE marking and the triangle must be an approved model. Not wearing the vest, or not signalling a car stopped in a dangerous place, is usually a €135 fixed fine and can reach €750, according to the same page. The rental company supplies the car, but you are the driver who is stopped, so check both items before you drive away.
For the mountains, the Interior Ministry explains that the zones are marked with sign B58 at the start and B59 at the end, and that you need tyres with the three-peak mountain and snowflake (3PMSF) symbol or chains in the car. Ignoring the rule carries a €135 fine, and police can stop you continuing.
Crit'Air sticker and Paris driving rules
A Crit'Air sticker is a small round windscreen label that shows the car's emissions class. It is required to drive in low-emission zones and during pollution-episode traffic restrictions, and driving without one where it is required is usually a €68 fixed fine. French-registered rental cars should already carry one. If it is missing, you cannot fix this quickly: the only official seller is certificat-air.gouv.fr, at €3.85 posted within France, according to Service-Public's Crit'Air page.
The zone rules, the Paris timetable and toll payments are covered in péage tolls and Crit'Air zones around Paris.
How do French traffic fines reach you after a rental?
Camera fines are sent to the registered keeper, which is the rental company. Hertz's France terms say it gives your details to the authorities and charges €19.99 per parking or traffic fine, on top of the fine itself. The fine then comes to you, often weeks later. The full process is explained in driving rules and camera fines on the Riviera.
Pickup checklist
For paying fuel stations and parking with a foreign card, see paying in Paris by card and cash.