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Booking.com car rental coronavirus (COVID-19) update

Renting a car from Booking.com and wondering how your booking may be affected by coronavirus? Here’s the latest info on what to do if you want to rent a car, or if you need to change or cancel your travel plans.

For up-to-date coronavirus info and the latest travel advice, consult your national government website or the World Health Organization.
For info on what car rental companies are doing to protect customers and staff, see our car rental safety guide.

Already booked a rental car?

You can change your booking anytime

If you already made a booking, you’re free to change the time and/or place.

  • You can go later – postpone your rental.
  • You can go somewhere else – choose a car in a different destination.

Whatever you decide, you can change your booking online or by contacting us.

You won’t pay any admin fees for changing your booking, though it may affect the rental price.

You can cancel your booking

If you or the rental counter are in an area that’s affected by travel restrictions, we’ll do everything we can to help. Just get in touch before your rental is scheduled for pick-up.

If you’re not directly affected by the coronavirus:

  • You can cancel the vast majority of Booking.com car rentals for free up to 48 hours before your scheduled pick-up time.
  • If you paid a deposit or booked a Dollar/Thrifty car, the rules are a little different.

Check your rental terms for details. Just access your booking, enter your email address and car reservation number, then scroll down to the rental company’s "Terms & Conditions." You’ll find the cancellation policy under "Important Info."

To cancel, just access your booking online or contact us.

If you're rethinking your travel due to coronavirus, remember you can change the timing or location of your car rental for free.

Thinking of booking a car?

With the vast majority of Booking.com car rental bookings, you can cancel for free up to 48 hours before your scheduled pick-up time. If you’re thinking about renting a car, you can always book it now, then change or cancel it later on.

Bought Full Protection Insurance?

Canceling your rental will automatically cancel your Full Protection Insurance, so you’ll get a refund of the insurance premium you paid.

  • If you cancel before your scheduled pick-up time, you’ll get your premium refunded in full.
  • If you cancel after your scheduled pick-up time, you’ll get a partial refund (as long as you’re canceling less than 14 days after buying the insurance). For example, if you cancel 4 days into an 8-day rental, you’ll get half your insurance premium back.

Driver's license expired or about to expire?

Renewing a driver's license during the coronavirus can be difficult, which is why various governments have agreed to extend many licenses that expire in 2020. When you pick your car up, the counter staff will apply the following rules when they check your license.

If you have a driver's license issued by the UK or any EU country except Italy:

  • If your license expired between February 1 and August 31, 2020, it will remain valid for 7 months after its expiration date.

If you have an Italian driver's license:

  • If your license expired before January 31, 2020, it’s no longer valid
  • If your license expired in June, July, or August 2020, it will remain valid for another 7 months after its expiration date
  • If your license expired or will expire in 2020, it will remain valid until December 31st, 2020.