Bucharest Airport Car Rental
Henri Coandă Airport (OTP), about 16.5 km north of Bucharest
Pick-up and return
Pick-up points
- Bucharest – Otopeni Airport (OTP) Meet & greet
Opening hours
- Sun–Sat 08:00–20:00
Otopeni pick-up at a glance
Where you meet the rental company
The rental company's instructions for Henri Coandă Airport:
After you leave the baggage claim area, proceed through the passageway towards the Departures Terminal. Once you arrive in front of Gate A-D, in the minibus stopping area, call the number in your booking confirmation to let us know you have arrived. One of our agents will meet you within a few minutes and escort you within the airport premises to the Olimpia Parking area, where the vehicle handover will take place.
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How pick-up works at Otopeni Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) is usually just called Otopeni, after the town in Ilfov County where it stands, about 16.5 km north of the city.
For car rental at Bucharest Airport, pick-up is meet & greet: you don't queue at a rental desk in the terminal. A representative of the rental company meets you at the airport and hands the car over.
Arrivals and Departures are separate buildings, linked by a corridor. After baggage reclaim you come out into the public area of the Arrivals building; from there, follow the rental company's pick-up instructions in your booking confirmation.
- Book online and choose "Bucharest – Otopeni Airport (OTP)" as the pick-up location.
- Add your flight number in the booking form. The field is optional, and the number is passed on to the rental company with your booking.
- Before you fly, read the "Where to collect and return the car" section of your confirmation. You can reopen it at any time on the Check reservation page.
- At pick-up, show your original driving licence, an ID document and a credit card for the deposit, as the company's Rental Conditions require.
International Driving Permit. You need one in the cases listed in the rental company's conditions, among them documents issued in countries that do not use the Latin alphabet and licences obtained in right-hand-drive cars. The full list is below, in the summary of the conditions.
Cards. Not every card can be used for the deposit: check before you travel which cards the rental company accepts for the deposit and which ones only for payment (you will find them below).
If your flight is delayed or lands at night
Let the rental company know if you will be later than your pick-up time: an unannounced delay beyond the limit in its conditions can lead to the cancellation of the booking. Contact them directly even if your flight number is in the booking: the rental company's number is in your rental voucher and in the booking confirmation e-mail, and you can reopen your booking at any time on the Check reservation page.
The handover hours are in the “Pick-up and return” panel above. Outside those hours, pick-up and return can be arranged on request for the fee set by the rental company (you will find it below, together with the delay limit). In the booking form, times outside opening hours are shown in italics.
When you choose your pick-up time, leave enough time for baggage reclaim and for getting out of the terminal.
Book your rental car
Choose your pick-up point and dates to see the available cars and prices.
Paying, and what is included
- Nothing is charged online: you pay the rental company when you collect the car.
- You need a credit card for the deposit; the amount is shown in your booking summary.
- What the rate includes (the protection, the RCA third-party liability insurance, the road vignette) and what you pay separately (airport parking, other road tolls, fuel, fines) are set by the rental company's conditions.
- Its conditions also say what roadside assistance you have in case of a breakdown and which mileage limit applies to short rentals.
- You will find all these rules below, under “What the rental company’s conditions say”, with clause references.
The full rules are in the Rental Conditions; for general questions about booking, see our FAQ.
Driving from the airport into Bucharest
It is roughly 15–19 km by road to the city centre, all on the DN1: Calea Bucureștilor through Otopeni, then Șoseaua București–Ploiești past Băneasa Airport, Piața Presei Libere, Șoseaua Kiseleff past the Arcul de Triumf, and on to Piața Victoriei. For Piața Unirii, carry on south through Piața Romană and Universitate.
Journey times vary a lot with traffic, especially at rush hour. A metro line to the airport is being built along the DN1 and in the north of the city, and road access in front of the airport has been changed for the works, so give yourself extra time, above all on the way back to catch your flight.
Not driving on day one? A direct train runs from the airport to Gara de Nord (Bucharest North railway station) in about 20–25 minutes, and express bus 100 goes to the city centre (Piața Victoriei, Piața Unirii). You can also collect a car later from the rental company's Bucharest office, in Sector 1 (the exact address is in your booking confirmation): choose "Bucharest" as the pick-up location and see car rental in Bucharest.
Bucharest has a second airport with a pick-up point: Băneasa – Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU), on the DN1 in Sector 1, about 8.5 km north of the centre. Băneasa also has scheduled passenger flights, so check which airport your ticket shows and choose the same one in the booking form: car rental at Băneasa Airport.
Heading to Brașov, Constanța, Pitești or Ploiești
The airport sits right on the DN1, and the A0 ring motorway and the A3 to Ploiești are a short drive away. Approximate road distances from the airport to each city centre:
- Brașov: about 155 km, mostly on the DN1 through Ploiești and the Prahova Valley (Sinaia is on the way, about 110 km from the airport). There is no motorway between Ploiești and Brașov yet.
- Constanța: about 240 km, mostly on the A2 motorway.
- Pitești: about 130 km, mostly on the A1 motorway.
- Ploiești: on the DN1 or the A3 motorway.
Want to leave the car at your destination? The cities you can return it to are listed below.
What the rental company’s conditions say
In short, the rules of the rental company that hands you the car, with the article of its rental conditions. The full text of the conditions prevails.
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Documents: When you sign the contract, you present your original driving licence, an identity document and a credit card valid for at least 3 months after the contract closing date. Rental Conditions, art. 2.1
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International driving licence: It is mandatory for citizens of states that are neither parties to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic nor members of the European Union, or with which Romania has not concluded a treaty on the mutual recognition of driving licences, for holders of documents issued in countries using a script other than the Latin alphabet, and for licences obtained in right-hand-drive cars (for example the UK, India, Australia, Japan). Rental Conditions, art. 2.1
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Card for the deposit: A credit card is mandatory for the deposit. Pre-paid cards, virtual cards, cards not marked “credit” or not embossed and Diners Club cards are not accepted; fintech cards (Revolut, Monese, N26, etc.) and virtual cards can be used only to pay for services, not for the deposit. Rental Conditions, art. 2.1, 6.3
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Late pick-up: If you arrive more than an hour after the agreed pick-up time without giving notice, the confirmed booking may be cancelled. Rental Conditions, art. 2.4
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Handover hours: Handover and return take place Monday to Sunday, between 08:00 and 20:00. Outside these hours they are done on request, for a fee of €20 per handover and/or return. Rental Conditions, art. 3.2
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Payment: You pay the rental company for the rental, the options chosen and any fees at pick-up, by credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) or in cash; pre-paid cards and Diners Club cards are not accepted. Rental Conditions, art. 6.1, 6.3
See all conditions (12) Show fewer
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Included protection: The rate includes CDW damage protection and theft protection (TP), and the car has RCA (third-party liability) insurance. In the event of damage or theft, your liability is limited to the excess set for the car, which you see in the booking summary. Rental Conditions, art. 4.1, 4.2
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Road vignette and tolls: The road vignette (rovinietă) for Romania is included in the rate. Other road tolls, Green Card extensions, fuel, fines and costs resulting from actions of the local authorities concerning the car are your responsibility. Rental Conditions, art. 6.4
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Parking and fines: Parking, including at the airport, and fines incurred during the rental are your responsibility. If a fine is paid on your behalf, it is invoiced to you, plus an administration fee of €50 per fine, and the amounts due may be withheld from your card or from the deposit. Rental Conditions, art. 3.10
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Fuel: Return the car with the same amount of fuel as at pick-up, as recorded in the handover-return report; otherwise you pay a refuelling fee and the missing fuel. Rental Conditions, art. 3.12
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Roadside assistance: You have 24/7 roadside assistance in Romania in the event of a mechanical breakdown; repairing tyres after a puncture and topping up fluids are not included. Rental Conditions, art. 1.2
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Mileage: For rentals of up to and including 3 days, a limit of 250 km per day applies, and extra kilometres are paid at the cost stated in the contract. For rentals of 4–30 days in Romania, the conditions set no limit; above 30 days, the limit is 2,500 km per month. Rental Conditions, art. 3.16
Rental conditions published on 9 October 2026 Read the full conditions
Dropping the car off in another city
For pick-ups in Bucharest, Otopeni Airport included, the booking form offers the cities below as return locations. Only the search results show whether a one-way rental to your city works for your dates; any one-way fee appears in the price details.
- Alba Iulia
- Arad
- Bacau
- Baia Mare
- Bistrita
- Botosani
- Braila
- Brasov
- Buzau
- Constanta
- Craiova
- Deva
- Focsani
- Galati
- Iasi
- Oradea
- Piatra Neamt
- Pitesti
- Ploiesti
- Ramnicu Valcea
- Resita
- Satu Mare
- Sibiu
- Slatina
- Suceava
- Targu Mures
You can also return the car at another pick-up point in the booking form, such as Băneasa Airport. Here too, the search tells you whether it is possible and what it costs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where do I pick up my hire car at Otopeni Airport?
At Henri Coandă Airport, by meet & greet: a representative of the rental company meets you, so there is no rental desk to look for in the terminal. The exact meeting point and instructions are in your booking confirmation, under “Where to collect and return the car”.
What happens if my flight is delayed?
Tell the rental company directly, as soon as you can: if you are later for pick-up than the limit in its conditions without letting them know, the booking can be cancelled. Do this even if you added your flight number when booking. The limit is on this page, under “What the rental company’s conditions say”. The rental company's number is in your rental voucher and in the booking confirmation e-mail, and you can reopen your booking at any time on the Check reservation page.
Can I collect the car late at night?
Yes, on request and for an extra fee. The rental company's handover hours and the fee for a handover outside them are above, in the summary of the conditions. In the booking form, times outside opening hours are shown in italics.
What documents do I need to rent a car at Otopeni?
Your original driving licence, an ID document and a credit card for the deposit. The cases in which you also need an International Driving Permit (among them documents issued in countries that do not use the Latin alphabet) and which cards are accepted for the deposit are set by the rental company: you will find them above, in the summary of the conditions.
Do I pay anything when I book?
No, nothing is charged online on Car-Rentals.ro. You pay the rental company when you collect the car, by the payment methods in its conditions (summarised on this page). You will need a credit card for the deposit; the amount is shown in your booking summary.
Can I return the car in another city?
You can choose one of the return cities the booking form offers, and the search shows whether a one-way rental works for your dates. The cities are listed on this page under “Dropping the car off in another city”; any one-way fee appears in the price details before you send the booking.
How far is Otopeni Airport from central Bucharest?
About 16.5 km north of the city; by road it is roughly 15–19 km to the centre on the DN1. Travel time depends heavily on traffic, and there are works on the DN1 for the new metro line to the airport, so allow extra time at rush hour.
Is Otopeni the same as Băneasa Airport?
No, they are two different Bucharest airports, each with its own pick-up point. Henri Coandă (OTP) is in the town of Otopeni, about 16.5 km north of Bucharest; Băneasa – Aurel Vlaicu (BBU) is in Sector 1, about 8.5 km north of the centre, on the same DN1. Both have scheduled flights, so pick the airport on your ticket.
Who pays for parking and road tolls?
You do: under the rental company's conditions, parking (airport parking included), road tolls and fines are paid by the renter, and the Romanian road vignette is included in the rental. The rules, with their clause numbers, are on this page, under “What the rental company’s conditions say”.
Can I return the car at Otopeni before my flight home?
Yes, Henri Coandă Airport is a return point as well as a pick-up point. Bring the car back with the fuel level required by the rental company's conditions, and allow time for the handover and for the airport access roads, which have been changed during the works. Returns outside opening hours are on request, for a fee; the rules are summarised above.