Original Publication 30/11/2016. Revised 20/01/2018

Occasionally clients arrive to collect their car hire without all of the required documents and so we thought that this week we would just remind you of what you need to bring when you hire a car from Drivalia.

Booking confirmation:
You should bring a printed copy of your booking confirmation or voucher.  This is particularly important for pre-paid bookings through brokers or third party websites.  If you don´t have your voucher please contact the company who you booked through to obtain one.  For bookings made directly with Drivalia this is not so important.

Passport or ID:
You must bring the passport of the main driver.  This must be the original document as we do not accept photocopies.  As most of our clients are arriving by plane it is likely that you will have this with you. If you do not have a passport you can bring your national ID card if it is a document that you can travel to spain with. If you are a foreigner who is resident in Spain then you must also bring your NIE/Residencia document and proof of your Spanish address. Passports are not usually required for additional drivers although sometimes for security reasons we may ask to see them.  If in doubt please contact us in advance.  For customers choosing our Ultimate package or purchasing our SCDW cover on arrival then we can sometimes accept a payment from a card of another person but they must be present and bring their passport with them too.

Driving license:
All drivers must bring their driving license with them.  If you have a UK photocard license you only need to bring the card.  The paper “counterpart” licenses are no longer valid in the UK and therefore not needed by us.  If you have an old-style paper license issued before the photocard licenses were introduced then this will be accepted.  We will not accept paper counterparts without the card.  If your license is form outside of the EU you should also bring with you an international driving permit.

For any additional drivers we will need to see their driving license too.  If they are not traveling with you then you are welcome to bring a photocopy of their license and we can add them to the contract with this.  It is important to point out however that whoever is driving the car is responsible to ensure that they have their original license with them at all times when they are driving. For the main driver a copy cannot be accepted and the original license must be presented.

Credit card:
If you book our ULTIMATE all-inclusive car hire at Alicante, Mallorca, Valencia, Bilbao, Santiago or Girona airports then you don´t normally need a credit card because we usually can accept debit cards for this package.  In some cases for security reasons we may need a credit card so if you are in doubt or don´t have one then please contact us in advance.  Also if you book a standard package but purchase our SCDW cover in reception a credit card deposit is usually not required (there are some exceptions such as in the case of young drivers).  If you are an Ultimate customer or purchasing our SCDW cover then usually another menber of your party can pay if you wish.  If this is the case we must see the passport of the cardholder. For all other cases you must being a credit card in the name of the main driver to make any payments due on the day and to leave the required excess security deposit.

Remember that if you book our Ultimate all-inclusive car hire there is no deposit, no excess and you can usually pay for your car hire with a debit card.

Flight Information:
In some cases, for seurity reasons we may need to see your inbound and/or outbound flight confirmation details.  This is rare but on occasions we carry out random additional checks for our protection.  If you are not flying (for example you live in Spain) then as long as you have your NIE/residency documents this will usually be fine.

Other documents you shoudl carry with you during your holiday:
Whilst the above documents are required to hire your car there are a few other things we recommend keeping with you during your holidays to ensure a trouble-free time in the sun…

EHIC Card
If you live in side the European Eunion then you should apply for an EHIC (European Health Insurance card) from your local authorities.  Under recipricol EU law, should you need to see a Doctor during your holiday in Spain then this card will entitle you to visit an Emergency Department (A&E) or local doctor.  This is not a substitute for good quality travel insurance.

Travel Insurance Documents
Many people don´t see Travel Insurance as terribly important when coming to Spain but realy it is.  You can buy single-trip or yearly policies for pretty affordable prices but in the event of an emergency they can prove to be priceless.  Whilst an EHIC card may entitle you to free or reduced-cost healthcare in an emergency, a good quality Travel Insurance policy gives you so much more.  You can make use of Spains world-class private hospitals and get fast and superb care but things like repatriation, emergency hotels, assistance abroad, loss of money, bags etc should be covered too.  Imagine if you are sick or have an accident on holiday – without insurance you would have to pay for a lot of things such as accomodation, flights and so on.

Copies of your documents
It´s always a good idea to carry a photocopy of your passport, driving license and other important documents incase the originals get lost or stolen.  Keep them in a seperate place (such as the safe in your hotel room) and although they are not useable leagally (to travel, drive etc), having copies will certainly help you in an emergency such as needing to replace your passport, repor them stolen etc.  Keeping copies of your bank cards or at least a record of the account details and contact details for your bank is algo a good idea incase they become lost or stolen and you need to cancel them (if you make copies of card then keep them extremely safe).

Hotel, excursion and other confirmations and tickets
Just like phone numbers, many people store all of their booking confirmations on their phone.  It´s a great idea to keep a printed copy as well so that you always have them no matter what happens.

Medications & Prescriptions
It goes without saying that if you take any regular medications then you should bring plenty with you – not just for the time of your stay but extras in case you get delayed. Also bring your prescriptions because if you run out or end up in hospital then a Spanish Doctor can see what you need and issue prescriptions for the Spanish equivelent.

Emergency Contacts
These days we all have the contact details of friends and family stored in our mobile phones, but what happens if you loose or break your break your phone?  Most of us these days have gotten out of the habit of memorising telephone numbers.  Jot down the contact details of the most important people and keep the paper safe.  If you loose your phone you can still get in touch.  It´s also a good idea to write the details of your next of kin in the space provided in your passport and on a piece of paper in your wallet or bag so that in the event of an emergency the authorities know who to contact.

We hope that you found this information useful and we very much look forward to serving you with your all-inclusive car hire at Alicante, Mallorca, Valencia, Bilbao, Santiago or Girona airports soon!

If you have any queries regarding the requirements to hire a car form us please check out our website at www.drivalia.com