Hertz Drivers License Translation
So I want to rent a car in Brazil in Foz do Iguacu and the helpful agent at Hertz central reservations USA told me my Canadian driver's licence better be translated in Portughese or else if the police stops me for something the fine will double. They have someone at the rental counter who will do this. Then I've said to myself let's go and get an International driver's permit from CAA. Guess what, was told Canadians are not allowed to drive in Brazil unless they pass the full driver test there (written and driving) and they can only do that after having been in Brazil for at least 6 months. Same restrictions do not apply to Americans. We don't seem to be welcome in Brazil or I do not know what else to say, if true this is obvioulsy a nasty one. I met quite a few Canadian motorcyclists riding through Brazil.
No one said anything about not being allowed, and all had papers checked, sometimes repeatedly. Personally, I'd get the International Drivers Permit--making sure you get one with a Portuguese translation, since there are a couple of different varieties--and carry on as usual. The CAA does not enforce the law in Brazil anymore than it does in Canada. They just sell a bunch of overpriced stuff (tours, guides, cruises, reservations, foreign currency, cheaply-made Chinese moneybelts and neck pillows, etc. Etc.) to anyone who can be convinced to buy it.
Hope that helps. In fact, many rental agencies never check for the required-by-Brazilian-law translation, just the foreign license. So a lot of foreign tourists go merrily on their way.
If the tourist doesn't happen to run into the aforementioned cop interested in augmenting his pension, all well and good (even to posting your personal experience on travel forums). However, imagine yourself pulled over to the side of the road in a blitz (very common and routine traffic stop), understanding and speaking no Portuguese, and the honest cop can't read your license and has no way of knowing it's not a fake.What would you do?
But to the more fundemental.you don't really need a car to get around to see the falls at Iguacu (inc. Both Brazilian and Argentine sides of park, bird park, boat ride under falls, towns on both sides) There are convenient buses that regularly ply those routes. And, of course, taxis, which are usually considered inexpensive by tourists.
An International Driver's Permit is not a license, it's merely a translation document of an individual's home country driver's license. This is important for driving in the US if your country's. I have rented from Avis and Hertz in January 2013 in Florida without issue, Foreign license. Bruceba is offline.
