CAR RENTAL IN TIMIȘOARA
Car Rental in Timișoara – Pickup at Traian Vuia Airport
by meet & greet or at the office next to the airport
Pick-up and return
Pick-up points
- Timisoara Office
- Timisoara – Airport (TSR) Meet & greet
Opening hours
- Sun–Sat 08:00–20:00
Book your rental car
With Car-Rentals.ro you book car rental in Timișoara online. Both pickup points are at or next to Timișoara International Airport – Traian Vuia (TSR): a meet & greet handover at the airport, or the rental company's office, which is also next to the airport. Neither is in the city centre. Booking online costs nothing: you pay the company directly when you collect the car, and you need a credit card for the deposit.
Airport or office: where do you collect the car?
The booking form above starts with the office next to the airport selected; choose the airport as your pickup location if you want a meet & greet handover at the terminal. Here is what to know about each option.
Meet & greet at Traian Vuia Airport (TSR)
The airport is in Ghiroda, about 12 km north-east of the city centre, reached from the DN6 (E70) towards Bucharest. The rental company has no desk in the terminal: at the airport the car is handed over by meet & greet. Your booking confirmation shows the pickup details it provides (address, phone, instructions), and you can open them again at any time on Check reservation.
- Which terminal. Flights arrive at T1 or T2; check yours on the airport's arrivals board.
- Delayed flight. Let the rental company know. An unannounced late arrival at pick-up can lead to the cancellation of the booking; the exact rule is summarised below.
- Late landing. The handover hours are in the “Pick-up and return” panel above. Outside them, handover and return are possible on request for an extra fee per handover and/or return, set by the rental company (the amount is in the conditions summary below). The booking form flags those times.
At the rental company's office
The office is not in the city centre but next to the airport; the exact address is in your booking confirmation. If you are already in Timișoara (you came by train or coach, or only need a car later in your trip), bear in mind that both options mean getting out to the airport area. Taxis and the STPT express buses (lines E4 and E4b) link the city with the airport; routes and timetables change, so check stpt.ro before you travel.
Returning the car
You return the car to the point in your booking, at the airport or at the office. The booking form may also offer other return points; if the rental company accepts the combination, any extra fee shows up in the price details. One-way drop-off cities are currently offered only for pickups in Bucharest. After pickup, returning to a different place needs the company's consent and carries a relocation fee, and doing so without telling them is invoiced as an extra fee; the radius within which this is possible and the amounts are summarised below.
Driving and parking in Timișoara
- The historic centre (Cetate) is closed to general traffic, including Piața Victoriei, Piața Unirii and Piața Libertății. Cars need an access permit, so park outside the zone and walk in.
- Street parking in the centre is paid (TimPark) and split into zones. Follow the zone signs and pay by phone or app. Parking during the rental is at your expense, under the rental company's conditions.
- The rovinietă and other road costs. What the rate includes, such as the Romanian road vignette (rovinietă), and which road tolls, fuel or fines remain yours to pay are set by the rental company's conditions; you will find them summarised below.
The A1 motorway
From the airport you join the A1 by heading east on the DN6 to the Timișoara Est junction.
- Westbound, the A1 runs without a break to Arad and on to the Hungarian border at Nădlac II, where it meets Hungary's M43.
- Eastbound towards Deva, a short section near Margina–Holdea is still under construction, and traffic leaves the motorway there.
Book your rental car
Choose your pick-up point and dates to see the available cars and prices.
Day trips from Timișoara
Watch the mileage on long trips: on short rentals, the rental company's conditions can cap the kilometres per day, and extra kilometres are charged as set in the contract (the limit is below, in the summary of the conditions). Approximate road distances from the city centre:
- Arad – about 55 km, on the A1 or the DN69.
- Corvin Castle, Hunedoara – about 170 km, on the A1 towards Deva, then on to Hunedoara. Opening hours and tickets: castelulcorvinilor.ro.
- Băile Herculane – about 185 km (around 370 km there and back), on the A1 and A6 to Lugoj, then the DN6 (E70) through Caransebeș. The spa town lies in the Cerna valley, a few kilometres off the DN6.
Crossing into Hungary or Serbia
Szeged (Hungary) and Belgrade (Serbia) are both roughly 150–160 km from Timișoara. Before you go, bear in mind the rental company's conditions:
- The rental company's written consent is required for any trip outside Romania. Cross-border travel cannot be booked online: when you book, write the country you want to visit in the “Observations” field; the request reaches the rental company with your booking.
- Only to the permitted countries. Hungary is in the EU, while Serbia is in neither the EU nor the EEA; which countries the rental company allows, and for which you need its express approval, is below, under “What the rental company’s conditions say”.
- Check the deposit and roadside assistance for the trip abroad: the rental company's rules for trips abroad are summarised below.
- Green Card extensions and foreign road tolls are not included in the rate, under the rental company's conditions. Hungarian motorways require an e-vignette (e-matrica).
- Expect border checks at the Serbian crossing (Moravița – Vatin). Romania and Hungary are both in the Schengen area; carry your passport or ID card anyway.
- Leaving Romania without consent triggers contractual penalties, and the car may be reported stolen, under the rental company's conditions; the penalties are summarised below.
Before you collect the car
- Your original driving licence, an identity document and a credit card. An International Driving Permit is mandatory in certain cases, listed in the Rental Conditions; check whether they apply to your licence.
- You need a credit card for the deposit. Not every card is accepted for the deposit, so check the accepted cards in advance. The deposit depends on the car class and is shown in your booking summary.
- Included and optional protection. Check which protection the rate includes, which optional protection you can add when booking, and their exceptions, including those linked to the driver's age.
- You pay at pickup, directly to the rental company. Prices are shown in euros; the accepted payment methods, the currency of the invoice and the exchange rate used are set in its conditions.
- Fuel: check how much fuel the car must have when you return it.
- Roadside assistance: check what it covers and where.
The main rules, each with its clause number, are below, under “What the rental company’s conditions say”. The full rules are in the Rental Conditions, and general questions about booking are answered in the FAQ. If you are flying into Bucharest instead, see Bucharest Airport car rental and car rental in Bucharest. For Cluj-Napoca, see car rental in Cluj-Napoca; every other pickup point is on the home page.
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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Driver’s age: If a driver named in the contract is between 18 and 21 years old or over 65, a fee of €170 is charged and the liability limit cannot be reduced with SCDW or SCDW+. Rental Conditions, art. 4.3
On Car-Rentals.ro you can book for a driver aged at least 19.
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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
See all conditions (20) Show fewer
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Returning the car elsewhere: If, after pick-up, you want to return the car to another place within a 100 km radius, you need the rental company’s consent and pay a relocation fee of between €30 and €250, communicated by SMS or e-mail. If you return it to another location without notifying the rental company in advance, the fee is €550. Rental Conditions, art. 3.3, 3.4
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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
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Invoice: The rental invoice is issued by the rental company, in lei, at the euro exchange rate of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) plus 2% on the day the invoice is issued. Rental Conditions, art. 6.2
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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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SCDW (optional): Reduces your liability in the event of damage or theft to the amount set in the contract, with the exceptions of art. 4.4 and chapter 5. Rental Conditions, art. 4.2.3, ch. 5
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SCDW+ (optional): Removes your liability in the event of an accident or theft, with the exceptions in chapter 5 (for example rims and tyres, the underside of the car, keys and documents, wrong fuel). Rental Conditions, art. 4.2.4, ch. 5
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When the excess is invoiced: With CDW or SCDW, the excess is invoiced in the cases listed in the conditions, for example for damage caused by bad weather and for damage to the glass. Rental Conditions, art. 4.4
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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
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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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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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Leaving the country: You may leave Romania only with the rental company’s written consent and only for countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area or countries it has expressly approved. The deposit is doubled and the kilometre limit in the contract applies. Rental Conditions, art. 3.17, 3.19, 3.20
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Leaving the country without consent: Without consent, penalties apply, and outside the permitted countries you are liable for the entire value of the car in the event of damage or theft. Rental Conditions, art. 3.18, 3.20
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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
Rental conditions published on 9 October 2026 Read the full conditions
Road trips and driving guides
Other pick-up locations
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where can I pick up a rental car in Timișoara?
At or next to the airport, not in the city centre: by meet & greet at Timișoara Traian Vuia Airport (TSR), or at the rental company's office next to the airport. You choose the pickup point in the booking form, and the details the rental company provides (address, phone, instructions) appear in your booking confirmation.
Does the rental company have a desk at Timișoara Airport?
No. At TSR the car is handed over by meet & greet rather than at a counter in the terminal; the meeting details the rental company provides are in your confirmation and on Check reservation.
What happens if my flight is delayed?
Tell the rental company as soon as you know. An unannounced late arrival at pick-up can lead to the cancellation of the booking under the Rental Conditions; for the delay from which the rule applies, see the summary of the conditions above.
Can I collect or return the car outside opening hours?
Yes, on request, for an extra fee per handover and/or return set by the rental company; the amount is above, in the summary of the conditions. The standard hours are in the “Pick-up and return” panel above, and the booking form flags times outside them.
Can I return the car somewhere else?
Only if the rental company agrees. The booking form may offer other pickup points as return locations; only the search shows whether a combination works, and any extra fee shows up in the price details. One-way drop-off cities are currently offered only for pickups in Bucharest. If you want to change the return place after pickup, you need the company's consent and pay a relocation fee; the radius within which this is possible and the amounts are on this page, under “What the rental company’s conditions say”.
Do I pay anything when I book?
No. Booking on Car-Rentals.ro needs no online payment: you pay the rental company at pickup; the accepted payment methods are in the summary of the conditions above. You also need a credit card for the deposit, whose amount is shown in your booking summary.
Do I need a credit card?
Yes, for the deposit, but not every card is accepted: which card types are refused for the deposit and which cards can only pay for the rental is set by the rental company. Its rules are summarised above, on this page.
Can I drive to Hungary or Serbia?
Only with the rental company's written consent, requested before you book. Hungary is in the EU, while Serbia is in neither the EU nor the EEA; which countries the company lets you drive to, and what changes for the deposit and roadside assistance when you leave Romania, is above, in the summary of the conditions.
Is there a mileage limit?
There can be, above all on short rentals, with extra kilometres charged as set in the contract. The limit, the rentals it applies to and the rule for trips outside Romania are set by the rental company: you will find them above, in the conditions summary.
Can I drive into the historic centre of Timișoara?
Not without an access permit. The Cetate district, including Piața Victoriei, Piața Unirii and Piața Libertății, is closed to general traffic, so park outside it and walk in.