Renting a car on Jeju comes with a few local surprises. Bus lanes catch visitors who follow taxis, one popular side trip is closed to most rental cars, and at least one major company says you can’t collect your car at the airport.
This guide covers what to settle before you book. Company terms below come from Lotte Rent-a-Car’s English pages, used as one example. Other companies set their own terms, so read theirs too.
The short answer
- Documents: Lotte’s Jeju guide asks for an original international driving permit (IDP), home license, passport and a credit card in your name.
- Insurance: Lotte lists its damage waiver as mandatory, and waiver types cost different amounts. Discover Cars’ Full Coverage is a separate refund plan.
- Pickup: Lotte says cars can’t be collected directly at the airport, so allow time for its shuttle both ways.
- On the road: stay out of bus lanes, even when taxis use them.
- Udo: plan to leave the car on the main island unless you fall under an exception.
Who can rent, and what to bring
For the legal basics, our guide to renting a car in Korea separates what the law requires from what companies add, and our international driving permit guide covers which permits count.
Lotte’s English rental page sets these conditions:
- Drivers aged 21 to 79 on the pick-up date
- An original IDP stamped for class B, D or E, valid for one year from your date of entry. Copies and digital versions are refused, as are permits from private organizations
- Your passport, plus a local address and phone number in Korea
- Card payment only, no cash
Lotte’s Jeju guide adds your home license and at least one year of driving experience. It also says your IDP stops working for rentals once you’ve lived in Korea for more than a year. If that’s you, see our guide to converting a foreign license.
For questions about whether a permit is legally valid, ask the Korean embassy or consulate in your country rather than the rental company.
Where Lotte’s own pages differ
Two of Lotte’s English pages don’t match. Its rental page accepts a debit or credit card in the name of the renter, driver or companion. Its Jeju guide says you need a credit card in your own name, and that debit and prepaid cards are refused.
The age surcharge differs too. The rental page says no age-based surcharge applies on Jeju. The guide says drivers under 25 might pay one.
Plan for the stricter version. Bring a credit card in the driver’s name, and if you’re under 25, get the final price from the company in writing before you pay.
If you book through a comparison site
Comparison sites make prices easy to scan, but the summary you see isn’t the whole contract. Before you pay on one, find out four things:
- Which company actually supplies the car
- Whether that company rents to foreigners on an IDP
- Which damage waiver and excess come with the price
- Where its shuttle stops, and when its office closes
Read the supplier’s own rules as well as the booking summary. If they disagree, ask the supplier before you travel, because the supplier is the one who hands over the keys.
Insurance on Jeju
Our car rental guide explains how liability cover, damage waivers and repair charges work in Korea. These are Lotte’s published Jeju terms.
| Item | Lotte’s published term |
|---|---|
| Damage waiver (CDW) | Listed as mandatory |
| Excess on Jeju | Zero excess shown for Korean and foreign brands |
| Charge for repair days | Waived with zero excess |
| Tires and wheels | Included with its full exemption waiver at Jeju Auto House |
| Injury to other people | Listed as unlimited |
| Other people’s property | Up to KRW 20 million per accident |
| Your own injuries | Up to KRW 15 million per person |
Don’t read that table as free cover. Lotte says the insurance fee depends on the waiver type you pick, and its guide separates basic CDW from Super CDW. Ask which type you’re buying, what it costs and whether it’s the zero-excess one.
Ask too what happens if property damage passes the KRW 20 million limit. Lotte covers only drivers named on the contract, and it warns that insurance may not apply to incidents caused by traffic violations.
Discover Cars’ Full Coverage is a separate product
Discover Cars explains its Full Coverage plan as a refund policy between you and Discover Cars, separate from the supplier. The supplier can’t see the plan in its system. If the car is damaged, you pay the supplier first, then claim within 90 days of drop-off. You still leave a deposit, and the plan doesn’t cover damage to other people or their cars.
Its help page says you can decline the counter’s extra cover if you have a credit card for the deposit. If your supplier treats its waiver as mandatory, you may not be able to decline it. Ask before you buy, so you don’t pay twice. Other sites may work differently.
Picking up the car
Lotte states that pickup and return aren’t available directly at the airport, by regulation. You check in at its desk, then ride a free shuttle to the rental depot. Lotte’s depot, Jeju Auto House, opens from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. all year.
| Time | Lotte shuttle frequency |
|---|---|
| 6:00 to 7:30 a.m. | Every 10 to 15 minutes |
| 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | Every 7 minutes |
| 7:30 to 10:40 p.m. | Every 10 to 15 minutes |
Lotte says times can vary by about five minutes. Its branch page puts the desk near Gate 2 in the domestic arrivals hall and the shuttle at Zone 1, No. 4. Its Jeju guide tells you to leave through Gate 5 and follow the Rent-a-Car signs. Check your booking confirmation, especially if you land on an international flight, and ask the airport staff if you can’t find your company.
Other companies keep their own hours. Lotte’s guide says most close by 8 p.m., which matters if you land late. It suggests allowing 20 to 30 minutes for the whole pickup.
Once you have the car, photograph every mark, note the fuel level and ask staff to switch any built-in navigation to English. In winter, ask about chains: Lotte says Jeju Auto House provides them at no extra charge.
Google Maps didn’t offer driving directions in Korea when we last checked, so set up an app from our navigation guide first. Traveling with young children? Read our car seat guide and ask about a seat when you book.
Stay out of the bus lanes
Jeju Ilbo reported in 2023 that rental cars can’t use Jeju’s bus lanes, while taxis can. Some tourists follow a taxi into the lane and get a fine later.
The local press has named these sections in Jeju City:
- Seogwang-ro, a center bus lane enforced 24 hours a day from August 2025, according to a June 2025 report
- Gwangyang intersection to Ara Elementary School, a center lane
- Part of Airport Road, a center lane
- The variable lane from the Musucheon entrance to Jeju National Museum, a lane whose use can change along the road
Those reports put the fine at KRW 50,000 for a passenger car and KRW 60,000 for a van. In 2023, the variable lane fine applied after two violations in a row. Lanes were watched by cameras, and the 2025 report adds public reports through a safety app.
We couldn’t confirm the current official route list or hours, so go by the road signs and lane markings. If your navigation app points you toward a lane with bus markings, stay out of it.
Lotte names bus lane driving among the violations you pay for, and after a key-drop return it bills fines to your registered card. Our guide to speed cameras and fines explains who gets the ticket in a rental, and our parking guide covers where you can’t stop.
Can you take a rental car to Udo?
Usually not. Jeju Province has extended its order limiting vehicles on Udo from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2029. It covers rental cars whose garage isn’t registered in Udo, among others.
The province lists exceptions, including rental cars carrying people with disabilities, older or frail passengers or babies and young children, plus Class 1 low-emission vehicles. Don’t assume your car qualifies. Ask your rental company whether it has that status, or call the province’s transport policy team on 064-710-2412, before you reach the ferry.
The order also covers certain rental two-wheelers, mopeds and personal mobility devices, so a rented scooter isn’t an automatic way around it. The province says it will run spot checks and refer violations for investigation.
Returning the car
Lotte’s terms ask you to return a fuel car with a full tank, or pay refueling charges. Jeju Auto House doesn’t require a full charge for an electric car, and our EV charging guide covers public charging. Staff check the car, then you ride the shuttle back. Its guide suggests returning the car at least two hours before your flight.
If you have an accident at any point, our accident guide covers what to do at the scene. Lotte says it takes accident and breakdown calls 24 hours a day at Jeju Auto House.
Before you book
- Get the waiver type, excess and any age surcharge in writing.
- Check the office hours against your flight times.
- Find out whether extra cover would double up on the supplier’s waiver.
- Name every driver on the contract.
- Confirm any Udo exception before you plan around it.
Last checked: November 6, 2026. Sources: Lotte Rent-a-Car Jeju Auto House, rental information and Jeju car rental guide; Discover Cars, What is Full Coverage?; Jeju Province press release on the Udo vehicle order (July 30, 2026, in Korean); Jeju Ilbo reports of August 29, 2023 and June 3, 2025 (in Korean).
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