# Can a rental company charge you more, or refuse you, because of where you live?

> Within the EU, a rental company may not refuse you a car or apply different conditions just because of your nationality or the country where you live. The Geo-blocking Regulation gives you the same access to a rental at a physical location as local customers, and the Services Directive bans discriminatory conditions based on residence. Companies may still run national websites with different prices, as long as you can book on any of them. If the price changes when you enter your address, you can object and ask your European Consumer Centre for help.

Updated: 2026-10-22 · Source: https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/rules/rental-car-price-country-of-residence

You find a good price for a car in another EU country, enter your details, and the price jumps. Or the booking is refused because your address is abroad. ==Within the EU, a rental company may not treat you differently just because of your nationality or the country where you live.== This article explains which EU rules protect you, what companies may still do, and how to object.

## Which EU rules apply?

Two pieces of EU law matter here.

**The Services Directive (2006/123/EC).** Article 20 requires EU countries to make sure that the general conditions of access to a service, made available to the public by the provider, do not contain discriminatory provisions relating to the nationality or place of residence of the customer. Differences are allowed only where they are directly justified by objective criteria.

**The Geo-blocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302.** This regulation applies since December 2018. It bans unjustified discrimination based on nationality, place of residence or place of establishment in three situations. One of them is services received at a physical location in the country where the trader operates, such as a hotel stay or a car rental. ECC France puts it plainly: for these services, you are entitled to the same access as consumers from that country.

Your Europe summarises the result for car hire: rental firms are free to set their own prices and conditions, but EU rules ban discrimination on the grounds of nationality or the country where you live.

## What does this mean in practice?

| Situation | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Different prices on the company's national websites | Yes, if you can book on any of them |
| Automatically redirecting you to your home country's site without your consent | No |
| A higher price only because you give a foreign address | No, unless objectively justified |
| Refusing to rent to you because you live in another EU country | No, unless objectively justified |
| Refusing a card brand it accepts because your card was issued in another EU country | No |
| Choosing which payment methods it accepts | Yes, if the same rules apply to everyone |
| Different conditions for a cross-border trip, such as a cross-border fee | Can be justified, because it is about the trip, not about where you live |

The difference is between conditions tied to the rental itself (the car, the route, the dates, the driver's age) and conditions tied only to where you live. The first group is ordinary pricing. The second is what EU law targets.

## A real example

Your Europe describes the case of Stefanie, a German resident, who saw a price of 70 euros for a car in Ireland. When she gave her address, the price rose to over 140 euros, because she was not an Irish resident. The European Consumer Centre intervened, and the firm brought its policy in line with EU rules.

## What can companies still do?

The rules do not force companies to charge the same price everywhere. They may:

- run national websites with different prices, as long as you can access and book on each of them;
- set prices based on costs, demand, season, location and car type;
- set the payment methods they accept, as long as the same rules apply to all customers;
- set conditions that are objectively justified, such as requirements about the driving licence or the trip.

ECC France notes that websites can still have different interfaces per country with different prices, but that you cannot be redirected to a national version without your consent.

> [!TIP]
> Before you book, take a screenshot of the price on the first page, and another after you enter your address. If the total changes at that step, you have the evidence you need for a complaint.

## What about requirements on your licence or card?

Not every rule that affects visitors is discrimination. A company can ask for a valid driving licence, a minimum age, a minimum number of years since you passed your test, or a credit card in the main driver's name. These conditions apply to everyone, local or not, and are tied to the risk of the rental. Our [blog on driving licences abroad](https://scratchfair.com/en/blog/driving-licence-rental-car-abroad) explains what the desk usually asks for.

A rule becomes a problem when it applies only because of where you live. Examples are a deposit that is higher only for foreign residents, a car category that is only offered to locals, or a refusal because your address is abroad. In those cases, ask the company which objective reason justifies the difference, and keep its answer.

## Does it matter whether you booked through a broker?

It can, for who you complain to. A broker is also a trader, so keep the same evidence if its price changes with your address. If the desk then asks for more than the booking says, read [who to complain to when you booked through a broker](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/ecc-and-disputes/booked-through-broker-who-to-complain-to). Keep in mind that a broker price and a direct price can differ for many reasons that have nothing to do with residence.

## 1. Collect the evidence

Save screenshots of the price before and after you entered your address, the booking confirmation and any message in which the company refers to your residence. Note the date and time.

## 2. Ask the company for the reason

Write to the company and ask why the price or condition differs. Refer to Article 20(2) of the Services Directive and the Geo-blocking Regulation. Keep it factual.

```letter
On [date] I tried to book a [car category] from [location] for [dates]. The price shown was [amount]. After I entered my address in [country], the price changed to [amount]. Please explain which objective reason justifies this difference. EU law does not allow different conditions based only on the customer's place of residence (Article 20(2) Directive 2006/123/EC and Regulation (EU) 2018/302). I ask you to offer me the original price.
```

Our [letter templates](https://scratchfair.com/en/tools/letter-templates) contain more complaint letters you can adapt.

## 3. Pay under protest if you need the car

If you are at the desk and need the car, you can pay and note on the contract that you pay under protest. Then follow up in writing. Read [can the rental desk make you buy extra insurance](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/pick-up/extra-insurance-at-rental-desk) for how to handle pressure at the desk.

## 4. Contact your European Consumer Centre

If the company does not change its position, the European Consumer Centre in your country can help for free. The [ECC finder](https://scratchfair.com/en/tools/ecc-finder) shows yours. Each EU country also has an authority that enforces the Geo-blocking Regulation; in France, for example, it is the DGCCRF. Read [how an ECC complaint works](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/ecc-and-disputes/ecc-complaint-car-rental).

## Related rules

Unfair contract terms are a separate question: a clause can be unfair even if it applies to everyone. Read [unfair terms in a car rental contract](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/rules/unfair-terms-car-rental). For fees tied to the trip, such as cross-border fees, see [driving a rental car to another country](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/rules/driving-rental-car-to-another-country).

## FAQ

**Is a ‘local resident’ rate at a rental company allowed?**

A condition that depends only on where you live is what the EU rules target. A company can justify a difference with objective criteria, but residence alone is not enough under the Services Directive. If you are offered a worse price only because of your address, you can object.

**Can a company refuse my card because it was issued in another EU country?**

Not just for that reason. The Geo-blocking Regulation says that a company that accepts a type of card, such as a credit card of a certain brand, may not refuse it because the card was issued in another EU country. It can still choose which payment methods it accepts.

**Is it allowed that the German and the Spanish website show different prices?**

Yes. Companies may run national websites with different prices. What they may not do is block you from booking on another country’s site, or redirect you without your consent.

## Sources

- [EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2018/302 on unjustified geo-blocking](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/302/oj)
- [EUR-Lex: Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the internal market](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/123/oj)
- [ECC France: The end of geo-blocking within the EU](https://www.europe-consommateurs.eu/en/shopping-internet/end-of-geoblocking.html)
- [Your Europe: Hiring a car](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/driving-abroad/car-rental-abroad/index_en.htm)