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I got into this driving thing kinda late, which means I have a probationary driver's license from Victoria, Australia that looks kinda like this:

enter image description here (courtesy Angie Sommer's blog)

This basically means I've been driving for less than 3 years (these days 4!) and am thus not allowed to drink a single drop of alcohol before driving or rack up more than 5 demerit points/year (vs 10 for full license holders).

In Australia, these make you a leper as far as the major rental companies are concerned, they won't rent to you at any price and the smaller locals that do charge hefty surcharges (often $20+/day).

But now I'm going to the United States. Can I rent a car there? (And for what it's worth, I'm well over 25.)

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lambshaanxy
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1 Answers1

28

Answering my question since I was unable to find a solid answer elsewhere:

Yes, you can. Whereas Aussie rental companies insist on "unrestricted" licenses, their American counterparts are happy with any "valid" driver's license. In San Francisco, the two random Hertz and Enterprise outlets I tried didn't bat an eyelid at seeing a Victorian provisional license, they popped it in the photocopier and handed over the keys with no questions asked, and I haven't been able to find even anecdotal evidence of anybody else (over 21, mind you) being refused rental.

lambshaanxy
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