DOCUMENTS & EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR INTERNATIONAL JOURNEY

[Wheel Nut]

Here are a couple of documents you should read, it will help you decide which country is the best one to use the magnets

Fine comparisons in the EU

Sanctions of the EU

[470bhp]

DONT FORGET A SPARE WHEEL ON THE TRAILER IN SPAIN, IT COST ME A LOT OF MONEY AT THE SANCTI SPIRITUS TRUCK STOP ON MY WAY TO LISBON.

[koxybadankle]

DOCUMENTS FOR VEHICLE & DRIVER

Vehicle Registration Document V5 Original, or VE103 if vehicle is on hire.
Full Passport. Visas are also required for certain countries outside of the EU
Driving Licence
Written authority to drive the vehicle, if the driver is not the owner.
Certified copy of the Community Authorisation. NOT the original copy which must stay in the office.
International Insurance Certificate. Green Card if issued by insurance company.
Permits, for certain countries outside the EU
Tachograph Charts should record the full 24 hours and remain set on time of country of vehicle registration.
Vehicle Nationality Plate (GB plate)

For France.
Proof of Employment, for employed drivers.

PAPERWORK FOR THE GOODS

CMR Note (for all hire and reward operations)
TIR Carnet (for certain countries outside of the EU)
T Forms or EUR Forms (for certain countries outside of the EU)
ATP Certificate (for perishable goods)
ADR Certificate (for Hazardous goods)

EQUIPMENT
A Warning Triangle (compulsory in most countries)
Snow Chains (compulsory in some countries during winter months)
Spare Light Bulbs (compulsory in some countries)
First Aid Kit (compulsory in some countries)
Wheel Chocks (compulsory in some countries)
Hi Viz vest (compulsory in some countries, Austria, Italy and Spain for example)
Fire Extinguisher (compulsory in some countries)

USEFUL ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK
Drivers' Attestation Form, to cover periods when tachograph charts are not available because of holiday or a rest day.
Tachograph Clock Setting, details the EC regulation that states Tachograph clock must be set to time of country of vehicle registration.
Incident Report Form, to assist making notes at the time of an accident.
International Phrase Book and Dictionary.
List of European Driving Restrictions.
Illegal Immigrants Check List, covers instructions to driver, vehicle security, Immigration & Asylum Code of Practice etc.
European Health Insurance Card, apply online HERE, by phone, on 0845 606 2030, or pick up the EHIC form and pre-addressed envelope from the Post Office.

Adequate Medical Insurance Coverage;

Make sure you have got adequate medical insurance coverage in case you have serious "knock" while abroad as a "EHIC" card will only cover you for a certain amount of cover....companies with less than 10 employees have no need to supply medical insurance...you could end up footing the hospital bill!!

[Wildrover]

Heard a rumour that trucks now have to display speed limit stickers in France by law, was driving through France a couple of weeks ago and there did seem more trucks than usual with these plastered all over the back. Can anyone out there shed any light on this please?

[Simon]

Heard a rumour that trucks now have to display speed limit stickers in France by law, was driving through France a couple of weeks ago and there did seem more trucks than usual with these plastered all over the back. Can anyone out there shed any light on this please?

Speed limit stickers are a national requirement in many European countries.
They are not a national requirement in the UK. If you're driving a UK registered truck, you don't need speed limit stickers.
It's the same thing as European trucks driving around with no mud-wing tops on their unit. It is legally ok in their country, but you'd get pulled for it here because it isn't legal for our trucks.

[orys]

It's the same thing as European trucks driving around with no mud-wing tops on their unit. It is legally ok in their country, but you'd get pulled for it here because it isn't legal for our trucks.

But surely you can't get a ticket for it? Due to Vienna convention and all? As I am afraid to go to Poland now, as it's illegal to have RHD car there...

[Simon]

It's the same thing as European trucks driving around with no mud-wing tops on their unit. It is legally ok in their country, but you'd get pulled for it here because it isn't legal for our trucks.

But surely you can't get a ticket for it? Due to Vienna convention and all? As I am afraid to go to Poland now, as it's illegal to have RHD car there...

A foreign registered vehicle has to comply with their own Construction & Use Regs, even over here in the UK. The majority are fairly common throughout the EU and further afield. There are some variation in the exact details, for example artic unit mudwing tops. Some EU countries C&U Regs allow you to drive a unit and trailer without them. UK Regs do not, so a UK registered vehicle can't do that without risking a ticket.
If that's due to the Vienna Convention, then fair enough.

You should be ok in a rhd car in Poland, if it's a UK registered car. I suspect you wont be able to re-register your rhd car in Poland though
I wouldn't know about Polish C&U regs, or import regs on this.

We can't register a newly built lhd motorbike and sidecar in this country. They are illegal here.
I know a bit about this, because I've got one. Mine was built specifically for me to export to Germany. I lived and used it there for 7 years and then re-imported it. I was able to re-register it in the UK because of its history and had all the supporting documentation.

[orys]

It's the same thing as European trucks driving around with no mud-wing tops on their unit. It is legally ok in their country, but you'd get pulled for it here because it isn't legal for our trucks.

But surely you can't get a ticket for it? Due to Vienna convention and all? As I am afraid to go to Poland now, as it's illegal to have RHD car there...

A foreign registered vehicle has to comply with their own Construction & Use Regs, even over here in the UK. The majority are fairly common throughout the EU and further afield. There are some variation in the exact details, for example artic unit mudwing tops. Some EU countries C&U Regs allow you to drive a unit and trailer without them. UK Regs do not, so a UK registered vehicle can't do that without risking a ticket.
If that's due to the Vienna Convention, then fair enough.

You should be ok in a rhd car in Poland, if it's a UK registered car. I suspect you wont be able to re-register your rhd car in Poland though
I wouldn't know about Polish C&U regs, or import regs on this.

I know I can drive it there, I do it regularly (only last summer spent 6 weeks between Czech republic and Poland with my car).

My point is, the Vienna convention says (simplyfing): "if the vehicle is legal in the country of its registration, and both countiries are signataries of Vienna convention, then bugger of, mr Copper". So I just assumed, that it should be the case: if UK made something illegal, then it can chase it's own registered vehicles for it only. Same as if RHD cars are illegal in Poland, my car would not pass Polish MOT for this very reason. But they cannot say that my car is not roadwhorty because of that, as I have British MOT and it's all up to British standards, and both countries agreed (with the convention) to respect each other standards on their roads...

I had such a situation once, when I was driving my British car with two different tires on my rear axle, which, as you propably know, is perfectly OK in britain as long as they are the same type and size. In Poland they have to be identical. I was stopped, guy wanted to do me for that, I told him it's legal in UK, he asked me to wait, went to his car, spoke on the radio for few minutes, and then came back to say I am free to go... I would expect same thing to happen here to vehicles that are legal in their country, even if something is not legal here...

Of course there is a different thing if countres allow MORE than the commonly agreed bit, for example dimensions - you can't go to most of EU countries with your 5 m high trailer, and Norwegians cannot come here with their 25,25m 80t road trains...

And btw: what's mud wing top?

[Simon]

And btw: what's mud wing top?

Eh? I've no idea what else they might be called.
A mud wing is the moulded plastic shroud that goes over a wagons rear wheels, to stop mud and water being thrown up.
Many artic units have these things in 3 separate parts, so that the top part can be removed when pulling low trailers. It saves them from being ripped off by the trailer when turning on uneven ground.
As the whole thing is called a mud wing, where I come from anyway. The top, removable, section would be a mud wing top.

Hanging down from the rear section is a mud flap

[orys]

Ah, ok, thanks. I know what you mean

[Looksexpensive]

Hi all,
looking for some advice, although I've travelled the uk for over 10 years, I've got a job to recover a vehicle in Poland... although the job itself doesn't worry me, the whole international bit of paperwork does! Any tips?!

Thanks
Al.

[Simon]

Other than needing the normal documentation for your own recovery truck, as listed in the first few posts, I've no idea what you'd need for a recovery job.

You will need a Eurovignette for the part of your journey across Belgium and/or Holland to get to Germany.
This is a daily tax of £5 or €8 per day. You can buy it on-line now at Eurovignette

You'll also have the road toll for Germany to pay to get to Poland.
You must have prepaid this before you join the autobahn system, there's a hefty fine if you're caught without it. Plenty of gantries to catch you even if you don't see anyone.
It's called MAUT, the toll is calculated on the Euro class, number of axles and the distance covered.
You can get some info here HGV-Toll-Germany
You pre-book your route, the machine looks up the shortest route from your entry point to exit point. If you don't like the route it gives you, add in via points to get the route you want now.
Once your route is booked, you have to stick to that route. Again, being caught off route is liable to a hefty fine.

[sonflowerinwales]

See new thread...

Paul

[bullitt]

sonflowerinwales, you would be better off putting your question as a proper thread further down the page! It may well get missed on this one.

[madmackem]

I have read the previous pages on this post and I’m after the most up to date list of documents/equipment required for an international journey.

I’m just asking as the last post on this was last year.

Thanks in advance

[Simon]

I have read the previous pages on this post and I’m after the most up to date list of documents/equipment required for an international journey.

I’m just asking as the last post on this was last year.

Thanks in advance

Nothing has changed recently, regarding documentation.

[Where r u 2]

And a DKV for the+

[Midlife64]

I'm an expat living in the Czech Republic,
I've been doing the same route every week from the Czech Republic to Solihull for. The last six years,
last week was no problem but this week I've just been told that I need a covid test before entering France but I can't find any info about it ,any help ?? .
Heading over to the UK via Dunkerque today around 22:00.
Thanks smifffy.

[Mazzer2]

I'm an expat living in the Czech Republic,
I've been doing the same route every week from the Czech Republic to Solihull for. The last six years,
last week was no problem but this week I've just been told that I need a covid test before entering France but I can't find any info about it ,any help ?? .
Heading over to the UK via Dunkerque today around 22:00.
Thanks smifffy.

You can get the test at Manston airfield in Kent also Hopwood services which would be handy for Solihull

[Mazzer2]

I'm an expat living in the Czech Republic,
I've been doing the same route every week from the Czech Republic to Solihull for. The last six years,
last week was no problem but this week I've just been told that I need a covid test before entering France but I can't find any info about it ,any help ?? .
Heading over to the UK via Dunkerque today around 22:00.
Thanks smifffy.

You can get the test at Manston airfield in Kent also Hopwood services which would be handy for Solihull

[Midlife64]

Thanks for your reply Mazz , I know I can get a test done at Cherwell valley services on the M40 (like last week) but I've been told that I need a test to enter France from Belgium.
Thanks smifffy.

[Mazzer2]

Thanks for your reply Mazz , I know I can get a test done at Cherwell valley services on the M40 (like last week) but I've been told that I need a test to enter France from Belgium.
Thanks smifffy.

Didn't realise that was now a requirement fair one, would imagine this is going to cause all sorts of problems both in terms of testing and policing, during the last lockdown the French authorities at the borders seemed to work office hours. Although easier to enforce for drivers heading for boats as I'm sure it'll be no proof of test no booking.

[OwenMoney]

https://wiki.unece.org/display/CTRBSBC/France

This is an up to date site which may be of interest - coming to France