International Drivers License
I was under the impression my International Drivers License was good in Cayman. My car rental says I need to purchase a Cayman license. AAA told me it was valid in cayman. Anyone have any experience in this situation?

Yes, the IDL is good in GCM. If you visit GCM more than 4 times per year, then the IDL makes sense since it costs about 20-25 bucks and it saves you 8 bucks per trip. Daryl

"Documentation needed in order to drive on Grand Cayman, Cayman islands You will need to bring a copy of your valid driver's license and purchase a Visitor's Driving Permit (US$ 7.50) in order to drive. These are available from car rental agencies and the police station." This information is from a government site....I am not so sure if the IDL is good as a driver's license, one still needs to purchase the temporary Cayman permit......I would suggest to check with your car rental agency.

I still think a call to the Car Rental Agency would be the best way to clarify what they require, as in Stagefisher's post that is what he was told by his rental agency. To purchase an IDL and then find out they would still need to purchase the Cayman Driving Permit would be a waste of monies. Daryl, you have not stated if this is what you have and what you use down here.

This is what I have. This is what I use down here. It has never been a problem at any rental agency (Hertz, Avis, Andy's, Budget or McCurleys) for the past 10 years. Daryl

My husband and I have used a IDL on Cayman. No problem with the rental agency when we did it. Since we only come done once or maybe twice a year, it winds up cheaper just using the Cayman license. So we stopped using the IDL. I am sure the rental agency makes a few bucks on the license and so does the Cayman Government, so I am sure they aren't going to advertise about the IDL unless you specifically ask. Carol

I received an E-mail reply from Budget, they do accept the IDL. So I guess they post different information on different sites. We have run into this many times down here.

Most people do not take the time or have use of the IDL. I had one this past year since I had used it in Spain in June. It was accepted by Andys in GCM without any questions. If you are only going to GCM once during the year and do not plan to drive in any other country other than the USA, then the permit is the best way to go. However, if you visit GCM a couple of times a year or travel outside of the country and rent a car, then a IDL is the way to go. The reason that the rental companies in GCM say that you you need a permit is because that is the best option for 95% of the people visiting Grand Cayman and the don't want to confuse them.