# Car Hire



## LL1975 (Nov 19, 2012)

Hi, this question is mostly aimed at the South Africans who live elsewhere in the world but travel back to South Africa for holidays.

My wife lives in the UK and as such now has a UK driving licence, having swapped her SA licence as per the requirements after a year in the UK. We want to hire a car in South Africa whilst on holiday but all the car hire companies we've spoken to say they cannot hire a car to someone who does not have a driving licence in the same nationality as their passport - so my wife with the combination of SA passport and UK licence cannot be allowed to drive a hire car. I've spoken to many of the major firms - Avis, Budget, First etc. Can anyone recommend another firm that may be willing to hire to someone with a SA passport & UK licence, or is this simply the 'car hire law' in South Africa?


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## ngwestoe (Mar 15, 2014)

LL1975 said:


> Hi, this question is mostly aimed at the South Africans who live elsewhere in the world but travel back to South Africa for holidays.
> 
> My wife lives in the UK and as such now has a UK driving licence, having swapped her SA licence as per the requirements after a year in the UK. We want to hire a car in South Africa whilst on holiday but all the car hire companies we've spoken to say they cannot hire a car to someone who does not have a driving licence in the same nationality as their passport - so my wife with the combination of SA passport and UK licence cannot be allowed to drive a hire car. I've spoken to many of the major firms - Avis, Budget, First etc. Can anyone recommend another firm that may be willing to hire to someone with a SA passport & UK licence, or is this simply the 'car hire law' in South Africa?


This is news to me. My husband lives in the UK, he does hold a South African passport and is using a UK license. We have just hired a car via Car rentals and none of that has been mentioned to us. Will ask my husband to give them a call and find out.


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## LL1975 (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks. Let me know what they say to him. One company I spoke to - Tempest - suggested that getting an International Driving Permit should get around the problem but it depends on the branch.


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## ngwestoe (Mar 15, 2014)

LL1975 said:


> Thanks. Let me know what they say to him. One company I spoke to - Tempest - suggested that getting an International Driving Permit should get around the problem but it depends on the branch.


We spoke to First car hire yesterday. They told us that my husband is ok to use the UK license because it is written on it South Africa which is consistent with his passport written South Africa. So yea he is gonna use his UK license and he is the sole hire am only a second driver.


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## LL1975 (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks, I will ask my wife to check if her UK licence makes any reference to South Africa on it. I can't recall it doing so though. Is that on the photocard or paper part?


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## ngwestoe (Mar 15, 2014)

LL1975 said:


> Thanks, I will ask my wife to check if her UK licence makes any reference to South Africa on it. I can't recall it doing so though. Is that on the photocard or paper part?


Yea its on the photocard. Where mine is written United Kingdom, his is written South Africa. I think its in relation to the country of birth.


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