Guides

Driving in Europe from the UK: Documents, Stickers and Kit

By Colin Bragg · October 31, 2026 · Checked against gov.uk and each country's official sites

Taking your own car to Europe means you can pack what you like and go where you please, from a theme park in Belgium to a ski resort in the Alps. It also means paperwork: the right documents, a UK sticker, sometimes an emission sticker or a vignette bought weeks ahead, and kit that some countries fine you for not carrying. Here's what you need, and what changes country by country.

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Documents

• Your driving licence. You don't need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein if you have a photocard licence issued in the UK. You might need one in some EU countries and Norway if you have an old paper licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. An IDP costs £5.50 from some shops with PayPoint, and you must be 18 or over.
• Your V5C log book if it's your own car. It must show your current UK address, and a new one takes 5 to 7 working days if you apply online, or 4 to 6 weeks by post, so check it well before you go.
• A VE103 certificate instead, if the car is hired or leased in the UK. It's available for a fee from the AA, BVRLA, RAC or RHA. If you're borrowing a car, carry written permission from the registered owner.
• Your insurance certificate. All UK car insurance gives the minimum third-party cover needed to drive in the EU, including Ireland. Since August 2, 2021 you don't need a green card in the EU, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia or Switzerland. You may still need one for Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine. Check what your policy covers beyond the minimum, and for how long.
• Passports for everyone in the car. See our guide to passports and entry to Europe.

Your car must also stay taxed, have a valid MOT if it needs one, and stay insured while it's abroad.

The UK sticker

The old white oval GB stickers are no longer valid; if you still have one, cover or remove it. What you need now depends on your number plate:

• No sticker needed if your plate shows the UK identifier with the Union flag.
• A UK sticker needed if your plate has letters and numbers only, a GB identifier with the Union flag, the EU flag, or the national flag of England, Scotland or Wales.
• Spain, Cyprus and Malta: you must display a UK sticker whatever is on your plate.
• Ireland: no UK sticker needed, whatever is on your plate.

Don't put the sticker on the number plate itself.

Kit for the car

Depending on the countries you drive through, you may need:

• Reflective jackets and a warning triangle, which are compulsory in many countries. In France, the jacket must be kept within reach.
• Headlight converters, usually stickers, so your headlights don't dazzle oncoming drivers when you're driving on the right.
• Winter tyres or snow chains on some roads in winter, in the mountains especially. The rules for France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland are below.

Our packing list has a checklist for road trips.

Emission stickers, low-emission zones and vignettes

Many European cities limit which cars can enter, and some countries charge for their motorways with a vignette instead of tolls. Several of these take days or weeks to arrive, so sort them out before you go.

Country by country

France

• Warning triangle and high-visibility vest: both compulsory. The vest must be CE-marked and kept within reach. Not having them at a check can mean a fine of up to €38, and not using them when you've stopped somewhere dangerous, generally €135 and up to €750. Put the triangle at least 30 meters behind the car.
• Breathalyzers: carrying one is no longer compulsory.
• Radar warnings are banned. Any device that warns you in real time of a fixed or mobile speed camera or a police check is illegal, including the speed camera alerts in satnavs and phone navigation apps. The fine is up to €1,500, and the device can be confiscated. Turn the alerts off before you cross.
• Winter: in certain mountain areas, from November 1 to March 31, cars must have winter tyres or carry chains.
• Crit'Air sticker for low-emission zones: see above.

Spain

• A UK sticker whatever your number plate shows.
• The V16 beacon: since January 1, 2026, Spanish cars must carry a connected V16 warning light instead of triangles. Spain's traffic authority, the DGT, has confirmed that foreign cars comply if they carry the warning triangles, or similar device, required in their own country.
• Insurance: carry your certificate. A UK certificate is generally only valid for stays of under 3 months.
• Phones: using a phone while driving is illegal even if you've pulled over, and so are earpieces.
• Fines on the spot are halved if you pay within 20 days.

Germany

• Environmental zones: you need the green sticker to enter (see above).
• Winter tyres are required in wintry conditions, such as black ice, snow, slush or frost, rather than between fixed dates.
• Licence: a UK photocard licence is fine for visits of up to 6 months.

Belgium

• Carry your licence, registration documents, insurance, MOT certificate if your car has one, and passports for everyone.
• Low-emission zones in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp: register first (see above).

Netherlands

• Watch for trams and bikes: trams have priority, and cyclists and mopeds often have right of way.
• Speed cameras are widely used.

Italy

• Limited traffic zones (ZTL) in many historic centers: don't drive past the sign without a pass (see above).
• Winter: from November 15 to April 15, on signed stretches of road, cars must have winter tyres or carry chains, even if there's no snow. Tyres marked M+S count.

Austria and Switzerland

• Vignettes for the motorways (see above).
• Winter: in the Alps, fit winter tyres and carry snow chains.

Ireland

• No UK sticker and no IDP needed.

Hire cars

• Taking a UK hire car abroad: you need a VE103 certificate, available for a fee from the AA, BVRLA, RAC or RHA. Check the hire company allows the car abroad.
• Hiring a car in Europe: hire companies often have stricter rules than the law, such as a year's driving experience, a higher minimum age, or an IDP. Check before you book.
• Kit: it's your responsibility to check the car has the equipment the country requires, so look before you drive off.

Plan the drive

A road trip has a lot of moving parts: the ferry or tunnel crossing, hotels along the way, parking, a vignette bought for the right dates, and the booking references for all of them. Neatrip puts the whole trip on one timeline, day by day, with each stop's address, a link to drive there, and the times in each place's own time zone. Share it with everyone in the car, and keep it on your device for when there's no signal.

Or use Neatrip in your browser.

Sources

• gov.uk: driving abroad, international driving permits, number plates and UK stickers, driving in the EU, vehicle insurance abroad, taking a vehicle out of the UK, and the foreign travel advice for France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy
• France: service-public.gouv.fr (safety equipment), Sécurité routière (radar warnings), certificat-air.gouv.fr
• Spain: DGT on the V16 and foreign vehicles (January 24, 2025)
• Germany: Berlin environmental zone sticker, road traffic regulations, section 2
• Belgium: Brussels low-emission zone registration
• Italy: Polizia di Stato on winter tyres
• Austria: ASFINAG vignette; Switzerland: BAZG vignette and e-vignette

Rules change, often from January 1. This guide explains them in general and isn't legal advice: check gov.uk's travel advice for each country you'll drive through before you go. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at support@neatrip.app.