Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# rental car in Samoa - my driving licence is nearly scrappy Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
jirikoo 10:14 UTC 27 Jun 2007 | Hi guys, after thorough evaluation Ive ultimately decided on traveling Samoa. Although my travel experinces in Pacific don't include renting car. What is this like in Samoa? The thing is that besides I have my national driving licence [with signs of European Union], I do hold an international licence as well, better said, the remainder of that - in a quite bad condition however readable. Anyway, can you tell me how strict local authorities are on proving these formalities with respect to renting car and its procedure? I cant exchange it now so quickly as i dont live in my original country... If its a hassle i will probably rent at least a motobike unless i travel around only by bus. What about renting a motobike then? May it be the same nuisance??? On the top of this how easy or difficult is traveling around the other island - Savai'i without a car? Are there any bus links? This is for me critical since everybody seems to have traveled around Samoa by car and since the reasons above. thank you |
api 11:03 UTC 27 Jun 2007 | I know a Tongan and NZ licence are acceptable so I would imagine a European one is as well. Many countries allow this (unless you are from a country where you can buy the licence, such as India) and allow you to drive on your home licence for up to a year. | 1
clancy48 22:15 UTC 27 Jun 2007 | I don't think that will be a problem. You have to buy a local drivers liscence anyway. This done in only in Apia. Any rental agency wil take you right there and get it for you. There was no motorbike rentals that I saw when we were there. You can get anywhere you want by bus with patience and time. Savai'i will prove a little more difficult if you want to see everything. We rented a car, toured both islands then found the places we wanted to stay, returned the car and went back by bus. It is very easy driving, not much traffice outside Apia. No one drives very fast. Watch for children and especially animals on the road. If you get bored easy, then having the freedom to move and see more of the country would make renting a car a good choice. On the other hand if you just want to kick back on the beach then it would be a waste of money. Have a great holiday | 2
wksamoa 05:12 UTC 28 Jun 2007 | You definitely do not need an International Licence to rent a car in Samoa. Your national (EU) licence will do. It will have to be endorsed - which is a small paper being issued for a fee of SAT12. You do not need a photo for that. The big hotels and some rental companies are now licensed to do that themselves, otherwise they take you to the respective office in Apia. No motorbikes for rent. Especially in Savaii it is much easier to get around with a rental car. Bus schedules are adjusted only to connect to the Upolu ferry in Salelologa, so you have buses towards Salelologa in the middle of the night (for the 6am boat) but the last one might go as early as 2pm (for the 4pm boat). But #2 is right - if you have enough time you can easily tour around both islands for an overview in one day each by car and do all other transport by bus. | 3