I thought the logistics were straight-forward: land in Venice, pick up the rental car, and drive to Portorož, Slovenia to speak at tech conference. Then suddenly it wasn’t, and our entire trip was at risk.
Arriving at the Eurocpcar desk, I was asked for confirmation number, credit card, US driver’s license, and International Driving Permit (a.k.a, IDP). International Driving Permit? You’re kidding, right? The agent stated that Italy passed a law within the last year requiring it, without which I could not rent a car. [In fact, Article 135 of the Italian Vehicle Code has been in effect for decades.]. Utterly shocked, head spinning, as I tried to come up with alternatives.
He slyly suggested I try another rental firm, explaining that, while Europcar wouldn’t accept the risk of driving without the IDP, others weren’t as strict in their interpretation of the law. And, fortunately, Locauto looked the other way and rented me their one remaining car. Crisis averted!
Before leaving the Europcar desk, I asked what I needed to do. Nothing, I’ll cancel the reservation on my side and you’re good to go. Upon returning home, I learned that the reservation wasn’t canceled, resulting in a no-show and I’m responsible for the entire amount. I opened a support ticket which confirmed the no-show status, and, since I didn’t receive a confirmation of the cancelation, I’m apparently SOL.
Truthfully, this is all my fault for not checking requirements. Europcar should have said I can’t rent to you, and you’re still liable for the entire amount since you didn’t cancel 24 hours in advance. It does, however, appear that many aren’t aware of the Italian law: the woman behind me, who had booked through CAA, Canada’s version of AAA, also did not know about the IDP requirement. Seems suspicious that an organization focused on simplifying travel for its members doesn’t know about the IDP requirement, does Europcar invoke the law when convenient, when cars are unavailable, when the need an income boost.
After this potential snafu, the remainder of our trip was without problems after an inauspicious start!
Image Credit
- Image © 2026 Susan L Sosna, all rights reserved.
