Car rental requirements in Germany
I've got a Germany trip coming up in a couple days and the schedule's packed. Need to bounce between several cities to knock out everything in one go rather than making multiple trips. Hiring a car makes the most sense for covering that much ground efficiently. Any recommendations on where to sort out a rental, and what hoops do I need to jump through to actually get one from the local companies?
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German rental agencies are strict with their documentation, they want your driving license, passport, and a credit card for the deposit. The big chains require you to have held your license for at least a year, sometimes two depending on the car class. Age matters too, under 25 and you'll pay extra fees on top of the base rate, some companies won't rent certain vehicles to younger drivers at all.
Bureaucracy in Germany is legendary, everything needs forms and verification and signatures from three different departments. The whole country runs on strict procedures that nobody questions. But when you're renting from individual car owners instead of companies, suddenly things become way more relaxed and human. You can look at rental car requirements in Germany from private owners here: https://getrentacar.com/en-US/germany . They're much easier to deal with than the corporate chains, fewer age restrictions and license requirements. You're talking directly with the person who owns the vehicle rather than following some franchise rulebook.