Standard return

You hand the car back at the return location you chose when booking — the airport, your address, a station or our office. Our agent meets you there, checks the car with you and takes the keys.

Before the handover

• Fill the tank, unless you took prepaid fuel
• Take out any rubbish and heavy dirt (to avoid extra charges), and make sure the car is clean enough for us to inspect properly
• Check the boot, glovebox, door pockets and under the seats for your belongings

At the handover

1. Meet our agent at the return location and time in your booking
2. We check the car together — mileage, fuel level and condition
3. Hand over the keys and the vehicle documents
4. If you would like a written return protocol, just ask — it is optional, not something we issue automatically

Anything left to settle

Your booking states whether the rental was prepaid online or is payable at pick-up. At return, known additional items are reviewed with you and documented under the signed agreement. Evidence-based items discovered later—such as damage visible after cleaning or an official notice—may be handled afterwards under that agreement:

• Missing fuel, if the tank is not full and you did not take prepaid fuel
• Extra days, if you kept the car past the agreed return time
• Cleaning, if the car needs more than normal preparation
• Damage, up to the excess of the protection plan you chose

After the return

The security deposit is released once the car is back and everything is in line with the rental agreement. On a credit card the hold simply drops off; on a debit card the refund usually takes 5 to 10 business days, depending on your bank.

Need to return it somewhere else?

The return location is the one you selected when booking. If you need a different place anywhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina, get in touch in advance and we will arrange it with you.

Next step

Check your return location and time under "Manage bookings" on the ETERNAL website.

The return protocol is a written record of the car at the moment you hand it back. It is optional — we do not issue one automatically and there may not always be one to hand. If you would like the return in writing, ask our agent at the handover and we will complete it with you.

What it records

• The date and time of the return
• The odometer reading
• The fuel level
• Any new damage found during the check

If you have one, keep it

Keep the protocol, and the receipt for anything you paid at the handover, until your deposit has been released and you are satisfied everything is correct. If a question ever comes up about the mileage, the fuel level or the condition of the car, the protocol is what settles it.

Tip: take a few photos of the car when you hand it over, inside and out, with the date visible if you can. Since a written protocol is optional, your own photos are the simplest proof of the state the car was in.

If the car comes back so dirty that its condition cannot be properly seen, we record that at the handover and inspect the car again once it has been washed.

If damage appears after the wash

If cleaning reveals new damage, ETERNAL assesses it under the signed agreement, sends the supporting evidence and itemised basis, and identifies the available dispute route. Any charge or settlement from the deposit follows the agreement; it is not automatic merely because damage was noted.

What we send you

• Photographs of every new damage found after the wash
• A written explanation of what the damage is and how it was assessed
• A breakdown of the amount charged

What the amount covers

• The cost of repairing the car
• The days the car is out of service while it is being repaired
• Any reduction in the value of the car caused by the damage

How much of that you pay depends on the protection plan you chose for the rental.

How to avoid this

Return the car clean enough to be inspected and stay for the inspection. Damage recorded in front of you at the handover is settled there and then, and never comes as a surprise afterwards.

Get in touch as soon as you notice — by phone, WhatsApp, email or chat. There is no form to fill in. We check the vehicle and let you know what we find.

What to tell us

• Your reservation number
• What the item is — type, colour and anything that makes it recognisable
• Where in the car you think you left it
• When and where you returned the vehicle

What happens next

• We check the vehicle, wherever it is at the time
• We come back to you with an answer either way
• If we find it, we agree with you how to get it back — collection from our office or delivery

Please note: personal belongings are never covered by any protection plan. We will do everything we can to find your item, but we cannot take responsibility for things left in the car.