Taking your car abroad: Eight top tips
Whether you’re heading somewhere sunny for your holidays or following the boys in green over to France, taking your own car with you this summer has many great advantages. You don’t have to worry about the inconvenience of booking flights, the boredom of queuing at bus stations or the stress of dealing with delays. When you’re the driver you have the freedom to come and go as you please with the added bonus of saving plenty of cash in the process. Here are some handy pointers to help you on your way.
- Contact us before you leave the country. We’ll let you know if you’re properly covered to drive abroad and help you with any documentation you may need to take with you
- Bring your licence, original vehicle registration document and passport
- The legal driving age is 18 in many countries so if you’re 17, a provisional licence may not be enough.
- If you’re travelling outside the EU you must display the IRL national identification letters on your car
- If you want to take a minibus abroad, do your research. If your vehicle can carry ten or more passengers then it’s subject to the regulations governing international bus and coach journeys
- In some countries children under 12 and/or 1.5 metres in height are not allowed to travel in the front seat
- The vast majority of countries drive on the right. The only European exceptions are the UK, Cyprus, Malta and, of course, Ireland. Don’t forget!
- It’s a good idea to look up the rules of the road of the country you’re travelling to before heading off. Many countries will have their own specific regulations, road signs and road markings. The more information you have, the better
