Car hire
Can I collect a car in one city and return it elsewhere?
Information checked 18 October 2026.
The short answer
Yes, some suppliers offer one-way rentals, subject to the locations, dates and vehicle being available. A different-city return is most useful when it follows the natural end of your route and removes a journey back to the collection city.
Compare the complete one-way offer with the complete cost of returning the car where you collected it. Include fuel, parking, travel time and the onward journey from the exact return address.
Begin with your final departure
Suppose you spend several nights in Sarajevo, drive to Mostar and then leave Bosnia and Herzegovina from Mostar. Returning the car there may remove a drive back to Sarajevo and another journey to your departure point.
If your flight home leaves from Sarajevo, the return drive may already be part of the route. Dropping the car in Mostar could then create an extra bus, train or transfer back to Sarajevo. Start with the arrival and departure you have actually chosen.
A city stay before the driving part can also favour hiring for only part of the trip. In that case, include the later collection time as well as the one-way return in the same request.
Compare both versions of the route
| Same-city return | Different-city return |
|---|---|
| Rental price for the full period | Complete one-way rental price |
| Fuel, tolls and parking for the return drive | Any one-way or return-location fee not already included |
| Time spent driving back | Time saved by avoiding the return drive |
| Accommodation or onward travel affected by the return | Journey from the agreed drop-off to the hotel, station or airport |
Yes.ba’s FAQ says one-way pickups and returns are available, while its terms make them subject to location availability and possible additional fees. Ask for both versions using the same vehicle category, drivers, equipment and rental period. That produces a useful comparison rather than comparing a base rate with a complete offer.
Agree the exact handover
A city name is not a return instruction. Confirm the full return address, time, person or desk receiving the car, key handover, fuel condition and method for recording the car’s condition. Build the next journey from that point into your timetable.
Keep the approved arrangement with the rental documents. If the route changes, obtain an agreed amendment before leaving the vehicle at another place. When budgeting, allow for the rental payment and security deposit as separate amounts.
Keep foreign returns separate
A domestic one-way policy does not settle a return in another country. Driving to Croatia and bringing the car back is also different from leaving it in Croatia. A foreign return needs the supplier’s explicit agreement, the cross-border documents and a price for that exact location. Read the Bosnia-to-Croatia rental guide before combining the two requests.
Choose the version that fits the whole route after return, not simply the option with fewer kilometres in the rental car.
Keep planning
Do I need to hire a car for my Bosnia and Herzegovina trip?
Can I take a rental car from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Croatia?
Can I hire a car using a debit card, and what deposit should I check?