DVLA Licence code for US Car Hire

[avantgardaclue]

Hello people, wonder if anyone can help, off to the jolly old USA next week and was wondering if you needed the DVLA Licence Code for car hire?

I've done this in the past for car hire in Europe, when you were identified via your NI Number

Now it seems you have to get a verified identity thru some trusted companies.

And.... I failed. Uh!! WTF

So I am clearly a non person!

Googling the internet sort of suggests you don't need this code for the US, indeed wasn't there an issue regarding data confidentiality with the USA, but I'm not finding definitive information about needing this code or not.

Anyone help?

Thanks

[Liner33]

Im pretty sure not , i didnt need to last month . Just licence and credit card

[Chris_in_the_UK]

We hired a car in March of this year in Boston - didn't need anything other than driving licence.

[Mr Curta]

I’ve always just presented my plastic driving licence on collection and have never been asked for anything more. That’s with Alamo.

The biggest issue that I’ve encountered is that a lot of US car rental companies don’t like debit cards and I don’t have a credit card. Alamo allow debit, but not for advance payments via the Internet (although they used to). Most ‘gas’ station pay at pump machines also refused my UK card meaning prepayment to the cashier before the fuel is released.

[avantgardaclue]

Thankyou peeps for your prompt replies!

Looks like I don't need to bother

[Beanie]

As above, Florida April this year no requirement for DVLA code. We didn't need it is Oz last year either, so probably just a UK/EU thing.

[Maris]

I’ve hired a care twice in EU this year and not been asked for the code so doubt you’d need it in the US.

[Liner33]

I’ve always just presented my plastic driving licence on collection and have never been asked for anything more. That’s with Alamo.

The biggest issue that I’ve encountered is that a lot of US car rental companies don’t like debit cards and I don’t have a credit card. Alamo allow debit, but not for advance payments via the Internet (although they used to). Most ‘gas’ station pay at pump machines also refused my UK card meaning prepayment to the cashier before the fuel is released.

You would be wise to consider getting a credit card , if anything was to happen to the car the rental company could bill you via the debit card and clean out your bank account , plus credit cards offer a different level of protection to debit cards

[Matt8500]

Hired a car (well
massive SUV thing!) in Texas and only needed my licence card.

[haberdashery]

Hired a car in the US on seven occasions in the last year, all I had to provide was my international driving license and a credit card.

The code thing is just for the EU as far as I’m aware.

[Velorum]

We are hiring a car at Miami airport via Avis next Wednesday - they said all that was needed was a UK licence, passport and credit card.

[Mr Curta]

You would be wise to consider getting a credit card , if anything was to happen to the car the rental company could bill you via the debit card and clean out your bank account , plus credit cards offer a different level of protection to debit cards

With Alamo, they just freeze the CDW excess (which is covered by a separate worldwide policy) until the vehicle is returned.

[GraniteQuarry]

Most ‘gas’ station pay at pump machines also refused my UK card meaning prepayment to the cashier before the fuel is released.

I did coast to coast doing that which was a right pain, upon return home did some interwebbing and seems when it asks for the five digit US zip you can sometimes do 00000, or otherwise adding a couple zeroes onto your UK postcode numbers work e.g. AB15 8XX type in as 15800

[Neil.C]

I still have my old UK paper driving licence!

Luckily I drive my son's cars when I'm in the US.

[Phil Lee]

Hello people, wonder if anyone can help, off to the jolly old USA next week and was wondering if you needed the DVLA Licence Code for car hire?

I've done this in the past for car hire in Europe, when you were identified via your NI Number

Now it seems you have to get a verified identity thru some trusted companies.

And.... I failed. Uh!! WTF

So I am clearly a non person!

Googling the internet sort of suggests you don't need this code for the US, indeed wasn't there an issue regarding data confidentiality with the USA, but I'm not finding definitive information about needing this code or not.

Anyone help?

Thanks

When I go to the DVLA website I’m just asked to enter my NI number, driving licence and postcode. It then gives me the access code for the hire company. Did you go to the correct DVLA website? Sometimes companies game the search engine results and pretend to be official sites. This is terrible for ESTAs. Anyway, the DVLA website is:

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

I was asked for the document the last time I hired a car in Florida.

[avantgardaclue]

When I go to the DVLA website I’m just asked to enter my NI number, driving licence and postcode. It then gives me the access code for the hire company. Did you go to the correct DVLA website? Sometimes companies game the search engine results and pretend to be official sites. This is terrible for ESTAs. Anyway, the DVLA website is:

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

I was asked for the document the last time I hired a car in Florida.

I went back to https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence yesterday evening and where it was saying Saturday, 'using National Insurance number is not available', last night it was!!!

So got my code! Woohoo!

Clearly the 'National Insurance number is not available' message was only temporary and not a permanent thing.

Phew my wife is no longer going to divorce me!

And I probably won't need to show them the code anyway!

Thanks all

[guinea]

I think we've spent a lot of money on something that no country cares about.

I hire cars abroad every month and I've never been asked for it.

[Phil Lee]

I went back to https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence yesterday evening and where it was saying Saturday, 'using National Insurance number is not available', last night it was!!!

So got my code! Woohoo!

Clearly the 'National Insurance number is not available' message was only temporary and not a permanent thing.

Phew my wife is no longer going to divorce me!

And I probably won't need to show them the code anyway!

Thanks all

The MOT checking site was offline over the weekend so it looks like the DVLA were doing some site wide maintenance.