No, you cannot rent a car with just a passport. Every major rental company in the United States requires a valid driver’s license at the counter because a passport confirms who you are and what country you’re from, not that you’re legally allowed to drive. The passport still matters during a rental transaction, but always as a supporting document alongside a license.
What a Passport Actually Does at the Rental Counter
A passport works as a secondary form of identification, and its usefulness depends on where your license was issued.
If you’re a U.S. resident renting domestically, agents sometimes ask for a second ID, especially at airport branches. Avis lists a U.S. passport as an accepted secondary ID at both airport and non-airport locations, provided the name matches your driver’s license.1Avis. Avis Rental Requirements At non-airport branches, a recent utility bill can fill the same slot. You likely won’t be turned away for lacking a passport if you hold a U.S. license, but having one in your bag can smooth the process, particularly when your license is from a different state than the rental location.
For international visitors, the passport is not optional. Hertz requires customers with licenses issued outside the United States to present a valid passport in the same name as the license.2Hertz. Driver Requirements Thrifty applies the same rule.3Thrifty. Driver Requirements Without the passport, the rental doesn’t happen regardless of how valid the foreign license is.
What You Need Alongside the Passport
Three things are non-negotiable at every major counter: a valid driver’s license, an accepted payment method, and meeting the minimum age.
Your license must be current for the entire rental period and cannot be suspended, revoked, or expired.1Avis. Avis Rental Requirements Agents check the expiration date and often run your record through a database. A license that expires partway through the trip can get the rental denied at pickup even if it’s technically valid on day one.
Most companies require renters to be at least 21, with New York and Michigan allowing 18. If you’re between 21 and 24, expect a daily surcharge. At Enterprise, that fee averages roughly $25 per day nationally and runs about $31 to $65 in New York depending on age.4Enterprise Rent-A-Car. What Are Your Age Requirements for Renting? Avis charges 21- to 24-year-olds $35 per day in most states.5Avis. Age Requirements On a five-day trip that’s an extra $175.
Payment is the other gate. Most companies now accept debit cards with a Visa, Mastercard, or Discover logo, but the conditions are stricter. Hertz adds a $500 deposit on debit card rentals and limits renters to standard vehicle classes, with no SUVs, minivans, or luxury cars.6Hertz. Can I Book With a Debit Card? Hertz and Enterprise both require proof of a return flight at airport locations when you pay with a debit card.7Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Forms of Payment Budget requires debit card renters to be 25 or older and places a hold that may exceed the estimated rental total.8Budget Rent a Car. Rent With Debit Card At Enterprise’s non-airport locations, debit card renters may also be asked for utility bills, a recent paycheck stub, personal references, and proof of insurance. A credit card makes all of this simpler. Sixt, for example, holds a minimum of $200 above rental charges on a credit card, with higher-value vehicles pushing the hold up.9Sixt. Deposit Amounts and Approvals
When Your Passport Genuinely Helps
Several specific situations turn the passport from “nice to have” into “bring it or regret it.”
Your License Isn’t in English
Rules here depend on the script your license uses. Enterprise distinguishes between licenses in a non-English language that still use Roman letters (German, Spanish, French) and licenses in a non-Roman script (Arabic, Japanese, Cyrillic, Chinese). For Roman-script licenses, an International Driving Permit is recommended but not required. For non-Roman scripts, the IDP is mandatory. Enterprise will accept a professional typed translation if you couldn’t obtain an IDP in your home country, but you still have to present the original license.10Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Driver’s License Requirements Hertz applies the same core rule: an IDP is required when the license is not in Roman script.11Hertz. Driver’s License Policy
An IDP is not a standalone license. It’s a standardized translation of your home country license and only works when presented together with the original.12USAGov. International Driver’s License for U.S. Citizens AAA issues them in the United States, and most countries have an equivalent authority.13AAA. International Driving Permit If the agent can’t read your license, they can refuse the rental no matter what the official policy says. The passport sits alongside all of this as the required identity document.
You Only Have a Temporary Paper License
If your physical license was lost, stolen, or being reissued, the paper temporary can still get you a car, but the passport does real work here. Budget accepts temporary licenses when you meet all other requirements and may ask for a second photo ID like a passport.14Budget Rent a Car. Driver’s License Requirements Hertz allows rentals with a temporary license but requires a physical copy rather than a screenshot, a handling fee, a passport or government-issued photo ID, and proof of address.15Hertz. Can You Rent a Car With a Temporary License? The passport fills the secondary ID gap your missing physical license would normally cover.
You’re Visiting the United States
International visitors need their home country license, a passport, and in many cases an IDP. The license must be current, unexpired, and include a photograph.16Alamo Rent a Car. Car Rental Driver’s License Policy Some agencies also want proof of return travel such as a boarding pass or itinerary.
A Note on Digital Licenses
If you were hoping a passport could stand in for a mobile license stored in your phone’s wallet, it can’t. Major rental companies have not adopted digital license acceptance even as state DMVs roll them out. Alamo states that digital licenses are not accepted and a physical card is still required.16Alamo Rent a Car. Car Rental Driver’s License Policy Dollar’s policy matches: a mobile or digital license does not replace the physical card.17Dollar. General Policies Bring the plastic.
When No Document Combination Works
If your license is suspended, revoked, expired beyond renewal, or you’ve never held one, a passport won’t bridge the gap and neither will any other document. Budget puts it plainly: anyone with a suspended license cannot rent, and expired or revoked licenses are equally disqualifying.14Budget Rent a Car. Driver’s License Requirements This is consistent across the industry. A passport, military ID, or state-issued non-driver ID card confirms who you are but says nothing about whether you can legally drive. Rental companies would face serious liability for handing keys to someone without driving privileges. In that situation, rideshares, taxis, and public transit are the options until you have a valid license in hand.