Driving abroad

Repli

I was just wondering does anyone have any information on bringing your car to another EU country, say France for example. Looking for stuff like
1) Will an irish drivers license do?
2) Will I have to get extra insurance?
3) Will I have to pay road tax in that country?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I looked through the stickys and couldn't find anything

Cal

1) Will an irish drivers license do?

Yes

2) Will I have to get extra insurance?

Check your policy. You are usually covered for approx. 30 Days within Europe.

3) Will I have to pay road tax in that country?

No.

All the above are based on a short stay. i.e. Holiday

Cal

Seth Brundle

further to Cal67's reply:-
1. get yourself some headlamp adjusters
2. notify your insurance company, just to be sure
3. consider taking out AA rescue insurance for abroad
4. get a good atlas of the roads in France (AA shop on Suffolk St. does it as do the ships)
5. Be aware of speed limits in France (Autoroutes are 130/110kph dry/wet, motorways are 110kph and normal roads are 90kph. Urban limit is 50 unless otherwise stated).
6. Bring your ownership and insurance (& possibly NCT) documents.
7. Bring a spare set of bulbs, tyre inflator stuff & if possible a warning triangle just in case.
8. See the following:-
http://www.aaireland.ie/toptips/motoringeurope.asp
http://www.aaireland.ie/toptips/dosanddonts.asp

leeroybrown

AFAIK, there are also a few other minor things you should check up on such as light filter colours (used to matter) and equipment (mandatory warning triangles, etc) you need to carry too.

jay567

I know in spain u need the warning triangle , and i thought it was the same in france.
I have driven from north to south france, u will love it, easy to follow signs and roads are great. Once u hit a motor way they have garages with food showers , gift shops the lot!

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by jay567
Once u hit a motor way they have garages with food showers , gift shops the lot!

After being in France a few weeks back (120mph solid on hte autoroutes - ) I don't think light colour (yellow/white) matters as most new cars have white light.
Petrol in France is approx 130-106 cent per litre in the Hypermarkets. Stick 20c per litre if buying from the service stations along the autoroutes.

Imposter

As well as the warning triangle it is now compulsary in some European countries (Italy for sure) to have a reflective bib in case of a breakdown. I presume the AA should have this information on the website. I'm not sure if this is neccessary in France but it's worth checking up on just in case.

Repli

Thanks guys

I can get an IDP which is valid for 1 year only if I have a full drivers license, I only have a provisional at the moment. Can get max 28 days cover in another eu country on my policy but I'd want to travel for longer than that. Also notice on AA site:
Compulsory Items
-Driving Licence
I presume they mean a full license?

Seth Brundle

IMO an International driving Permit is not needed.
If you are not fully licenced then that may pose difficulties when travelling abroad - check it with the AA.
Not motoring related, I would also recommend taking out the J111 Health form (has a new name now) from your local health board

Repli

Thats alright - I got the new EHIC card. I'll contact AA anyway and ask them is a full license required

koneko

In other countries you're not allowed drive on your own on a provisional (if the countries even have prov licences, a lot/most don't).

Driving without a full licence is going to be very difficult abroad, don't think you'll have much luck.

Sleipnir

You do need to have an international driving permit and they are only issued to full-license holders in this country.

From Oasis;
"You cannot be issued with an international driving permit in Ireland if you have not passed your driving test and have a provisional driving licence"

PBC_1966

Repli,

Driver's license
A provisional license is generally only valid within its country of issue, and in some cases only within a certain region of its home country (e.g. American learner's permits are valid only in the state of issue, and sometimes adjoining states).

You will need a full license to drive in any European country, and must also satisfy their minimum age requirement. For example, Irish and British drivers can be licensed at 17, but cannot drive in France until they are 18, the French licensing age.

As you're going to have a new EU-style license if you pass an Irish test soon, don't waste time and money getting an IDP. It's not a requirement for driving in EU countries, or in most other Western places these days either.

Insurance
If you have an Irish policy they must, by law, cover you for third party risks in any EU country for as long as you are visiting, so from the legal point of view you are covered whether you tell them or not. Fire. theft, and comprehensive cover are another matter, and your insurer may provide a limited period of cover or request an extra premium for such cover.

Headlights
The silly French requirement for yellow headlights was repealed a good few years ago. I haven't been in France since 1999, but certainly even then the majority of cars had normal white headlights, and it appeared that the owners of quite a lot of older cars had replaced the yellow lights with normal ones. You'll no doubt see see some cars still with yellow, but they're in the minority now.

Just get the beam deflectors for right-hand driving so you don't dazzle other drivers and you'll be fine.

Other equipment
French motoring law requires locally registered vehicles to carry a warning triangle and a set of spare bulbs for all exterior lights.

I say "locally registered" because one of the international conventions about visiting vehicles states that if you carry all the equipment required by your home country, then you are legal in another, even if that country requires extra equipment for its own vehicles. The only listed exception is the warning triangle, which you can be obliged to carry even if not a requirement in your own country.

That said, however, I have heard of tourists running into problems with French gendarmes if they get stopped for a blown bulb and can't produce a replacement on the spot. As much as I like to catch out bureaucrats when they over-step the law, trying to argue fine legal points in a foreign language gets a little tricky. It's a good idea to take plenty of basic spares on a long foreign trip anyhow.

And....

As Jay said, the French roads are good compared to Ireland (sorry guys, but that's an honest opinion of a Brit who has traveled both countries).

They do have peculiarities though, such as the absence of reflective studs. And be sure to brush up on the infamous priorite a droit rule and the associated priority signs.

aodh_rua

Doesn't a provisional license specifically state that it's only valid within the Republic.

(Slightly off topic - friend of mine was in the states a few years ago on a J1. His mate was driving and got pulled by the cops. When he produced his provisional the bemused officer asked why it said provisional. He responded that it was because we had a provisional government since our independence. Apparently it worked)

jongore

Originally posted by PBC_1966

As Jay said, the French roads are good compared to Ireland (sorry guys, but that's an honest opinion of a Brit who has traveled both countries).

Hey who's arguing, majority of roads here are cr@p.

On the provisional licence thing, it's valid only in the ROI and over here you are also supposed to have a full licenced driver accompany you (Cops have stoped a few recently here in Wexford and they've been done in court)

PBC_1966

Originally posted by aodh_rua
(Slightly off topic - friend of mine was in the states a few years ago on a J1. His mate was driving and got pulled by the cops. When he produced his provisional the bemused officer asked why it said provisional. He responded that it was because we had a provisional government since our independence. Apparently it worked)

Not that surprising as the term "provisional" is a very British/Irish thing. The cop may have initially thought that it was a first probationary-type of full license.

Doesn't apply now with the new photo licenses, but 10 years or more ago Americans were amazed at the 2036 expiry date on my British license!

DMC

One other thing in relating to your insurance and provisional licence. You may check this out, but in almost all cases, if you have only a provisional, your insurance will not cover you if you drive outside the state, as your licence is limited to that country.

eg. If you drove in the North on a provisional, your insurance will not cover you.