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Short answer: Hawaii lets most visitors drive on their home license and passport for up to a year, though an IDP is strongly recommended. Enterprise, for one, requires an IDP if your license isn’t in Latin letters.
Hawaii itself doesn’t require visitors to carry an International Driving Permit. The rental company at the counter is a different story, and that gap is where people actually get turned away.
What the state actually requires
Under Hawaii’s own rules, a foreign visitor can legally drive using a valid license from their home country, alongside a passport, if their country ratified the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Honolulu’s Driver’s License FAQ says the driver must be at least 18 and can drive this way for up to one year after entering the U.S. The City says an IDP is strongly recommended, but it doesn’t make one a legal requirement.
Why you can still get turned away at the counter
Rental companies set their own, stricter documentation policy, and it’s the one that actually decides whether you drive off the lot, not the state rule above. Enterprise’s own published policy is a clear example of the pattern every major brand follows: if your license is in English or another Latin-alphabet language (German, Spanish, French, and similar), an IDP is recommended but not required: the license alone is accepted. If your license uses a non-Latin alphabet, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, and similar, an IDP is required, with a professional typewritten translation sometimes accepted as an alternative.
This is the actual dividing line that matters for a trip to Hawaii, and it has nothing to do with the state law question most search results answer. It also happens to line up with Hawaii’s real visitor mix: two of the state’s largest international markets, Japan and South Korea, both issue licenses in non-Latin script, which is exactly the case where an IDP moves from “recommended” to “required.” A UK, Australian, or European visitor with an English or Latin-alphabet license is in the more relaxed category most major brands describe.
- An IDP is a translation, not a replacement. It’s only valid alongside your original home-country license, never on its own. Bring both.
- You cannot get one after you land. An IDP has to be issued by an authorized body in your home country before you travel. There’s no way to apply for one once you’re already in Hawaii.
- Policy varies by brand and even by specific counter. A location-specific franchise can be stricter than the corporate policy published online. If your license isn’t in English, confirm directly with your specific rental company before you book, not after you land.
- A passport is standard alongside either document: bring it regardless of what your license requires.
Picking up your rental? See the airport guide for your island: Honolulu, Kahului, Lihue, or Kona.
For the state-level rule, see the City and County of Honolulu’s Driver’s License FAQ. For a real example of how a major brand documents its own IDP policy, see Enterprise’s driver’s license requirements page: other major brands follow the same Latin-alphabet/non-Latin-alphabet split, though exact wording varies.
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Photo: Marta Branco on Pexels.
Researched and written by Neo Pecorro. Facts on this page were checked against the City and County of Honolulu, plus the other sources linked above. Hawaii rules change often, so confirm on the official page before you go.
Last updated: September 11, 2026.