What are the Required Documents to Rent a Car in Rwanda?

Due to the increase in car theft crimes, car rental in Rwanda may require paperwork and a few extra costs. It is always better to know about the Required Documents to Rent a Car in Rwanda.

Every country in Africa has its regulations and policies on driving and car renting so as a way to avoid a few irregularities that may happen when a wrong person rents a car.

Here we bring a few things that one will have to meet when renting a car in Rwanda.

Identification and driver’s licenses

Whenever you get to the car rental counter, they will require you to issue out your driver’s license and identification i.e. passport or national identity card.

These are mandatory, there is no way you can dodge them when renting a car, and failure to do so you will be deprived of renting a car.

These documents are supposed to be valid and also an original copy is needed for verification and then the photocopy is retained by the car rental company.

For the case of the driver’s license one should have an international driving license or it should be translated to English from your local driving authority.

These documents are asked from the client to know who you are and also know whether you are eligible to drive a car. It should not be taken as a stumbling block to car rentals.

Age Limitations

Age limitations vary among countries but Rwanda has 18 years as the minimum age for renting a car as this is also the minimum age for driving.

For the maximum age, it is not stipulated but in common sense, someone who is above 70 years should not be driving a car.

Car driving requires some physical ability and stability and we think that by the age of 70 years someone’s physicality has somehow been weakened they cannot handle driving a car for that long.

In Rwanda, people usually rent cars to tour various tourist destinations and these are normally located far away from the city so one has to travel a long distance to enjoy these tourist attractions.

For old people who are above 70 years, it is a challenge to drive long distances on their own.

Crossing Borders

There are travelers who rent cars to tour around the various countries of Africa.

In East Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya the borders are fading as these have an East Africa visa which allows you to visit all countries simultaneously.

However, when you are crossing over with a rental car then you have to issue a photocopy of the registration book of the vehicle you are driving and an acceptance letter from the rental company letting you cross the vehicle to another country.

With the acceptance letter and east African visa in your possession, you can easily crossover to Uganda or Kenya when you rent a car from Rwanda. Contact us to know more about the Required Documents to Rent a Car in Rwanda.