Documents to take on the Continent (1 Viewer)

[stephsol]

Hi All,
Will be leaving for France, Spain and Italy in a couple of weeks. As most things are electronically checked in UK, what hard copies should I take with me ?
Thanks
Steph

 

[Lenny HB]

Copies are not acceptable you must carry original documents.

V5
Insurance Certificate
MOT if applicable
Driving Licence

 

[Jim]

Hi Steph, Passport, Driving Licence, Insurance, MOT, Van Logbook. Make sure the addresses on each are all the same. I have a good quality colour copy of each in the glove box, while the originals are hidden in the van, but somewhere with reasonably quick access. I also keep scans of all those documents in a dropbox account

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[Lot lover]

If you need specs for driving take a spare pair - a good idea even if gun-toting flics don't demand them.

 

[denisejoe]

If you need specs for driving take a spare pair - a good idea even if gun-toting flics don't demand them.

It's a legal requirement in France, I believe, to carry a spare pair of specs if you need them for driving.

 

[Lot lover]

I should know if that is true but as I am a good boy and carry mine anyway I have never bothered to find out.

Also don't forget that, in France, you are supposed to carry identification e.g. passport when out and about.

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[44658]

Further advise to the above, sil vous plait!
As a 50 squid note is not always acceptebale in the UK, what paper money isn't on the continent?
Many moons ago when working in Switzerland and earning about 350 S Francs a month, was in a nice shop in Berne buying a Christams Card to send to Mum, at about 3.50SF. The guy next to me at the till produced a 1000 SF. After tax, which was about 3 months wages, on 1 piece of paper. Literally walked away in shock. Nothing to do with the info required, but thought I would share it with you.

 

[Lot lover]

Common decency says that you do not offer a note larger than sat €20 to pay for a baguette (that is how to get rid of shrapnel). Many shops will have signs telling you what value notes are not acceptable but I have never even seen a €100 let alone a €200 or €500.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Further advise to the above, sil vous plait!
As a 50 squid note is not always acceptebale in the UK, what paper money isn't on the continent?

A lot of ATMs will dispense €50 notes so you will get them quite often but as @Lot lover says use your common sense. Don't use one to pay for a baguette or a cup of coffee.

Using one to pay for your shopping in a supermarket or a meal in a restaurant is fine.

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[The Nomad]

A bit of info about Spain which may help.

In Spain you must by law carry Proof of ID with you at all times.
For Spanish citizens that's easy; they just carry their National ID card.

For Brits (who unlike most other European countries citizens don't have a national ID card system); there are only two forms of such ID that must always be accepted under Spanish law: your passport, or a Notary produced copy of that passport on their special Notary paper, signed and sealed by that Notary. These are called "Copias Compulsadas".

(A Notary is a sort of official Recorder of legal transactions/documents in Spain. There are Notaries in every town around the country).
You can get such a copy done at any Notaries office here in Spain, usually whilst you wait, for maybe 4 or 5 euros. You can fold it (it comes on A4 paper) but don't plastic-film cover it or alter it in any other way.

Despite a lot of Authorities/shops/petrol stations etc being prepared to accept your EU photo driving licence as proof of ID, it's actually not an acceptable form of ID in law here

Same goes for any other documents in your MH - you can use Notary-produced copies of any of them and they are just as valid as the originals. Because it's an utterly balls-aching rigmarole to obtain replacements versions of Spanish vehicle documents here, millions of people get Copias Compulsadas of them and carry those instead, with the originals kept safe at home.

Other docs to carry in the MH:
Driving licence.
V5.
MOT certificate.
Proof of Insurance (European Accident report form is also useful).

 

[44658]

Only been to Spain thrice or three times, as the young ones say. Never new you had to have a paper from a notary, That office must be mega busy in Benidorm, with all those brits outside. Assuming that is, the hotels have confiscated their passports and daren't go to the beach otherwise.
Only pulling your leg, surely dosn't apply to everyone. Can understand Brit residents having a back up plan. But week-end tourists!

 

[The Nomad]

Only been to Spain thrice or three times, as the young ones say. Never new you had to have a paper from a notary, That office must be mega busy in Benidorm, with all those brits outside. Assuming that is, the hotels have confiscated their passports and daren't go to the beach otherwise.
Only pulling your leg, surely dosn't apply to everyone. Can understand Brit residents having a back up plan. But week-end tourists!

You don't have to have the Paper at all.
Up to the individual; it's just an alternative to carrying your passport.
But even for short stayers, getting a Copia Compulsada made of your passport means you then don't have to carry your passport around all the time whilst here, with all the inherent risks of losing it/getting it stolen, and the nightmare (and BIG cost) that then ensues in order to get an Emergency Travel Document from the British Consulate in order to get back to Blighty; then getting a replacement once home.

Getting arrested by Spanish Police for not having legal ID isn't fun. Getting arrested for anything by Spanish Police is NOT fun.

Your choice of course; I'm just making people aware of this option for Brits in Spain.

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[gus-lopez]

Common decency says that you do not offer a note larger than sat €20 to pay for a baguette (that is how to get rid of shrapnel). Many shops will have signs telling you what value notes are not acceptable but I have never even seen a €100 let alone a €200 or €500.

come here &have your eyes opened Atm's pay out in
50's . I've seen 2 people one after the other in an estanco/bar pay for coffee's with a 500€ note. No one would bat an eye lid at anyone paying with 50's here.

A bit of info about Spain which may help.

In Spain you must by law carry Proof of ID with you at all times.
For Spanish citizens that's easy; they just carry their National ID card.

For Brits (who unlike most other European countries citizens don't have a national ID card system); there are only two forms of such ID that must always be accepted under Spanish law: your passport, or a Notary produced copy of that passport on their special Notary paper, signed and sealed by that Notary. These are called "Copias Compulsadas".

(A Notary is a sort of official Recorder of legal transactions/documents in Spain. There are Notaries in every town around the country).
You can get such a copy done at any Notaries office here in Spain, usually whilst you wait, for maybe 4 or 5 euros. You can fold it (it comes on A4 paper) but don't plastic-film cover it or alter it in any other way.

Despite a lot of Authorities/shops/petrol stations etc being prepared to accept your EU photo driving licence as proof of ID, it's actually not an acceptable form of ID in law here

Same goes for any other documents in your MH - you can use Notary-produced copies of any of them and they are just as valid as the originals. Because it's an utterly balls-aching rigmarole to obtain replacements versions of Spanish vehicle documents here, millions of people get Copias Compulsadas of them and carry those instead, with the originals kept safe at home.

Other docs to carry in the MH:
Driving licence.
V5.
MOT certificate.
Proof of Insurance (European Accident report form is also useful).

Not being pedantic but they actually did away with the requirement for spanish nationals to carry ID around 2012.
Most still do ,& you are required to be able to prove who you are, but most out running/cycling/walking around here wouldn't be carrying anything, Same goes for me. I have never carried my passport as it is too much trouble if it got lost. Nor have I ever carried a copy. I asked the question of the Guardia & was told that my spanish driving licence, replete with NIE number , was perfectly sufficient, Passport was only required when dealing with anything legal. Everyone accepts the spanish driving licence as proof of ID.
Also , now they no longer require a national to carry ID they cannot ask the legally resident foreigner to do so either.

Just as an aside . On the one occasion I did have to have my passport notarised , for a UK bank, for the princely sum of
3,60€, as soon as I requested a receipt I was required to provide Photo ID.But you aren't allowed to use anything that is being 'notarised' ...........I,e, the passport You can't make the stuff up here, so the driving licence was perfectly acceptable.

Must be dodgy where you live as I don't know anyone here who doesn't carry the originals in the vehicle.

 

[magicsurfbus]

Always worth keeping your EHIC card handy - easy to overlook it in all the preparation, and there's no paper equivalent.

 

[The Nomad]

come here &have your eyes opened Atm's pay out in
50's . I've seen 2 people one after the other in an estanco/bar pay for coffee's with a 500€ note. No one would bat an eye lid at anyone paying with 50's here.


Not being pedantic but they actually did away with the requirement for spanish nationals to carry ID around 2012.
Most still do ,& you are required to be able to prove who you are, but most out running/cycling/walking around here wouldn't be carrying anything, Same goes for me. I have never carried my passport as it is too much trouble if it got lost. Nor have I ever carried a copy. I asked the question of the Guardia & was told that my spanish driving licence, replete with NIE number , was perfectly sufficient, Passport was only required when dealing with anything legal. Everyone accepts the spanish driving licence as proof of ID.
Also , now they no longer require a national to carry ID they cannot ask the legally resident foreigner to do so either.

Just as an aside . On the one occasion I did have to have my passport notarised , for a UK bank, for the princely sum of
3,60€, as soon as I requested a receipt I was required to provide Photo ID.But you aren't allowed to use anything that is being 'notarised' ...........I,e, the passport You can't make the stuff up here, so the driving licence was perfectly acceptable.

Must be dodgy where you live as I don't know anyone here who doesn't carry the originals in the vehicle.

We're going up a side alley a bit with this, but according to my Spanish friends (Alicante Province) they haven't heard of any repeal of the law requiring DNI to be carried by all Spanish citizens (over 14 years of age).
The legal requirement seems to have been most recently repeated/reinforced in a law enacted in year 2000.
The legal requirement is also showing as current on the Spanish Governments own website:
http://en.administracion.gob.es/pag...ites/miBoletin.htm?idBoletin=129&idMateria=21

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[stephsol]

Thanks everyone, ....I believe we must also carry our own breathalyzer ?

 

[The Nomad]

Thanks everyone, ....I believe we must also carry our own breathalyzer ?

No.
Whilst that regulation in France is still in theory on the Statute book there, it was (as the result of national uproar) declared by the Transport Minister as moribund only very shortly after; and it was announced that no-one would ever be subjected to the 12 euro fine for not carrying one.

 

[stephsol]

Thanks to everyone for their comments, I've got everything now and hope it may have been helpful to others who were curious.
thanks all
Steph

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[MillieMoocher]

Thanks everyone, ....I believe we must also carry our own breathalyzer ?

Per @The Nomad is right.

However, I still took one to France because I have a cynical view of their police and attitudes towards Brits. Although you could successfully argue the lack of consequences of not carrying the kit with the police, I think they may get arsey and find some other technicality to get you on...so thought for the price of the kit, it might help avoid unnecessary confrontation.

BTW the brethalyzer kits do have a use by date, so if you do take one for similar reasons to me, it's worth making sure it's in date.

BTW 2, it's even more frustrating for me as I've been tee total for over 15 years so dont even run the risk of bring over the limit!

 

[ceejayt]

On my recent trek through Spain, a friend had brought 500 euro notes with him. There was not a single shop that would accept one and not all the banks would even consider changing them for him. 50s are the biggest note you want to carry IMHO

 

[The Nomad]

On my recent trek through Spain, a friend had brought 500 euro notes with him. There was not a single shop that would accept one and not all the banks would even consider changing them for him. 50s are the biggest note you want to carry IMHO

The current 500 euro note (often still referred to as the Bin Laden....you know he exists but never see him) is being withdrawn from circulation as almost all of them are now apparently in the hands of people who earned them through criminal or illegal "black" money untaxed undeclared earnings....drugs etc. If you have a stash of them you'll have to be answering some rather searching questions when you take them to a bank to try to exchange for other notes...

I agree with others that 50 euro notes are the biggest denomination you ever need, as many shops and bars won't or can't give change for a 200 euro or sometimes even 100 euro note.

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[Lot lover]

IIRC the Indian govt has done something similar with 500 and 1000 rupee notes, though in GBP terms they are worth a teensy bit less than 500€

 

[stephsol]

Saga original insurance doc and my m.o.t original are black and white, I did query both as they look like copies, but they said it was no problem on the continent??? any thoughts

 

[gus-lopez]

If the green card isn't green then you could well have a problem with it even though it is perfectly legal.

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[The Nomad]

Just a thought, but I seem to remember reading somewhere about the "Green Card" not being required any longer for travel outside of your home country within the EU, as all motor insurance policies issued within the EU now automatically include at least the minimum "Third Party" requirements of such insurance in any EU Member State.

Can't remember the source of that though, so not sure........