Some words of caution for taking a vehicle to Europe

[Andy Bav]

I posted this in our marina chat.. Both of concern, so sharing to a wider audience...

_____________

We arrived by ferry at Santander a few weeks ago, but decided to go home via the Eurotunnel.

At the Eurotunnel passport control I noticed that the officer didn't stamp our passports, and asked him to do so. It took some convincing, before he very reluctantly agreed, and then after quite a heated discussion...

His argument was that we entered via Spain and should have had our passports stamped as we left Spain, or should have had them stamped in either Bilbao or Santander before driving through France!

My concern was that, without a stamp, there would be no official record of us leaving the EU, and when we return to the continent it could look like we had exceeded our 90 days.

Finally, we filled up c10 miles from the tunnel. As we pulled up to the pumps at around midnight there was a commotion around a British registered transit van. It transpired that as the chap was filling up with fuel, a local drove past and told him to check the back of the van. As he opened the door, two illegal immigrants were sitting there. When he opened the doors they were startled by the owner and ran off into the night, as we arrived he was checking all the nooks and crannies of his van. Thankfully the local saw them sneaking into the van as the chap was looking for toilets at the service station before he started to fill up, and alerted him..

 

[DavidJ]

Very interesting re going in through one country and leaving by another. I’ll watch out for that in the future.

We came back on the eurotunnel a couple of days back and everyone had to open their boot. Having two guys in the back would have leant to some difficult explaining.

 

[BobnLesley]

Drive on the right and remember that the posted speed limits are in kph, not mph.

 

[Hurricane]

Drive on the right and remember that the posted speed limits are in kph, not mph.

And another thing that we Brits have to do now that we have left the EU.
As of the end of this month, all UK number plates have to have the UK badge - both front and back plates.
I am taking a few stickers out with me for friends who are out there at the moment.
Officially there is a fine for not displaying the UK on your number plate.
This is the kind of stupid thing that drove the UK to leave

 

[kashurst]

This is the kind of stupid thing that drove the UK to leave

pretty sure that UK Gov decided to change from GB to UK - to show solidarity with NI, etc. Its the kind of stupid thing that happens now - pointless.
Filled the car yesterday no, queue no limit. Then went shopping shelves stacked high. Guess where I am.

 

[Hurricane]

pretty sure that UK Gov decided to change from GB to UK - to show solidarity with NI, etc. Its the kind of stupid thing that happens now - pointless.
Filled the car yesterday no, queue no limit. Then went shopping shelves stacked high. Guess where I am.

So, why is there a threat of punishment in Spain?

 

[kashurst]

So, why is there a threat of punishment in Spain?

because the British "Government" registered UK sticker as the now international symbol to be displayed when driving abroad. Using a GB one is no longer valid hence possible fine in EU land. Nothing to do with EU per se. just idiocy by guess who. I seriously doubt anyone will get fined, no-one in EU land gives a monkeys what the UK does anymore. - unless of course some one gets shouty with the cops. Never a good idea.

this might help: International vehicle registration code - Wikipedia

 

[Jim@sea]

Drive on the right and remember that the posted speed limits are in kph, not mph.

And if you are doing 53 in a 50 you will get done.

 

[prv]

As of the end of this month, all UK number plates have to have the UK badge - both front and back plates.
I am taking a few stickers out with me for friends who are out there at the moment.
Officially there is a fine for not displaying the UK on your number plate.

As Kas says, this change was unilaterally decided by the British government earlier this year:

GB stickers no longer valid for driving abroad | Auto Express

the UK Government has written to the United Nations to effect the change, stating: “The United Kingdom is changing the distinguishing sign that it had previously selected for display in international traffic on vehicles registered in the United Kingdom, from “GB” to “UK”...this change will take effect on 28 September 2021.”​

Amusingly, it also renders invalid the Union Jack “GB” plates the same government had introduced only a few months previously. Arse, elbow.

This is the kind of stupid thing that drove the UK to leave

No, it‘s the kind of pointless and poorly-implemented disruption the UK government has specialised in since leaving.

Pete

 

[BobnLesley]

And another thing that we Brits have to do now that we have left the EU...

Even before we left the EU, I found that driving on the right and heeding kph limits tended to make life easier, it worked better in the non-EU countries too.

 

[BobnLesley]

And if you are doing 53 in a 50 you will get done.

If those Jonny-Foreigner Europeans irritate you and Hurricane to extent that it appears, I believe - but will concede that I haven't checked - that you're not actually compelled to cross the Channel If you don't want to, you could instead stay at home in your own parochial Eutopia.

 

[Portofino]

If you left before the change over date on GB ( copy of travel ticket ) you can bum around with GB stickers .

I often swop cars about twixt CH and U.K.
Go from RHD U.K. spec to using it in the EU and also the reverse take a LHD EU car back to the UK .
Like amber dexterity you , or your brain gets trained to which car on which side at what time .

 

[DavidJ]

Just ordered my UK stickers for the number plate from Amazon £1.89 incl del.
Oh! the cost of Brexit! (actually nothing to do with Brexit but the opportunity for a moan)

 

[longjohnsilver]

It will be irrelevant fairly soon as no one will be taking their cars abroad if we can’t get enough fuel to drive to the ferry port. Said only slightly tongue in cheek as I’m due to travel in 2 weeks time, and my car is approaching it’s reserve level.

 

[Hurricane]

It will be irrelevant fairly soon as no one will be taking their cars abroad if we can’t get enough fuel to drive to the ferry port. Said only slightly tongue in cheek as I’m due to travel in 2 weeks time, and my car is approaching it’s reserve level.

Just a quick thread drift.
I cocked up big time yesterday.
We were due to fly to SC via Barcelona.
I forgot to do the Spanish locator forms.
I must have been thinking that our vaccine certificate was good enough. Easyjet wouldn't let us on the plane. The forms are too complicated and virtually impossible to do from a mobile phone at the airport.
We got a bit lucky . Ryanair flew us this morning to Valencia so not lost much apart from extra tickets and a room overnight in Bristol Airport.
But, be warned.
Do your location forms.

 

[KDee]

It will be irrelevant fairly soon as no one will be taking their cars abroad if we can’t get enough fuel to drive to the ferry port. Said only slightly tongue in cheek as I’m due to travel in 2 weeks time, and my car is approaching it’s reserve level.

I hope it improves quickly…Plymouth to Santander on Wednesday. Got my UK sticker, fortunately filled the car at the weekend as no diesel in Penrith this morning, QA codes this evening.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I hope it improves quickly…Plymouth to Santander on Wednesday. Got my UK sticker, fortunately filled the car at the weekend as no diesel in Penrith this morning, QA codes this evening.

I’m on the same ferry 2 weeks after you?

 

[Asm]

Just a quick thread drift.
I cocked up big time yesterday.
We were due to fly to SC via Barcelona.
I forgot to do the Spanish locator forms.
I must have been thinking that our vaccine certificate was good enough. Easyjet wouldn't let us on the plane. The forms are too complicated and virtually impossible to do from a mobile phone at the airport.
We got a bit lucky . Ryanair flew us this morning to Valencia so not lost much apart from extra tickets and a room overnight in Bristol Airport.
But, be warned.
Do your location forms.

Another thread drift! Tut, tut Mike, it’s easy to do the forms on an iPhone!

 

[Hunterlees]

We returned from France by ferry a few days ago. Other than passport, no checks either side.

 

[BruceK]

We arrived by ferry at Santander a few weeks ago, but decided to go home via the Eurotunnel.
At the Eurotunnel passport control I noticed that the officer didn't stamp our passports, and asked him to do so. It took some convincing, before he very reluctantly agreed, and then after quite a heated discussion...
His argument was that we entered via Spain and should have had our passports stamped as we left Spain, or should have had them stamped in either Bilbao or Santander before driving through France!

Bit of thread drift but take the chaps advice. When I worked for the marine diamond industry we used to do 3 weeks on two weeks off onboard ship and always flew to and from via helicopter and then plane. Sometimes the ship would be in local waters and sometimes in foreign waters often changing mid shift. This resulted in sometimes leaving international and returning local and vice versa creating a confusing mess of entry and exit stamps. The passport was new at the time and for the next 10 years every time I travelled it had the potential to give me grief. Even when returning to my own country. It raised all the flags of being a smuggler and because I was in the diamond game IDB (illicit diamond buying) which carried a hefty sentence in my country, I was almost never let back in without having to have a "discussion" in a private room.
Just get the damn thing stamped.