Driving in Europe: a kit and documents checklist for UK drivers

Print this checklist Prints the checklist without the menus.

Do this now

1. Check your licence. You need your GB or Northern Ireland photocard licence, in date (GOV.UK).
2. Pack the car papers. Your log book (V5C) and insurance certificate. Hired or leased UK car? You need a VE103 instead.
3. Look at your number plate. No UK identifier with the Union flag? Fit a UK sticker. Going to Spain, Cyprus or Malta? Fit one anyway.
4. Check each country's kit rules. GOV.UK says many countries ask for reflective jackets and a warning triangle. Some also need headlight converter stickers or a city emissions sticker.
5. Order emissions stickers early. GOV.UK says some may need buying weeks before you go.
6. Add a breakdown kit for the trip: torch, phone charger, warm layers, first aid kit, food and water.

The printable checklist

Tick each line before you set off. The rules come from GOV.UK pages we read on 3 November 2026.

Documents

• GB or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence, in date
• Log book (V5C), if it's your own car
• VE103 certificate, if the car is hired or leased in the UK
• Insurance certificate (Spain: GOV.UK says always carry it in case you're stopped)
• Passport or other ID (Spain: GOV.UK says you must carry a valid licence and ID)
• International driving permit, only if GOV.UK's checker says you need one
• Licence check code, if you're hiring a car (you can get one up to 21 days before your trip)

On the car

• UK identifier: on the plate with the Union flag, or a UK sticker on the back of the car
• Old white oval GB sticker removed or covered
• Headlight converter stickers, where needed
• City emissions sticker, if you'll drive into a low emission zone

In the car

• Reflective jackets, where the country asks for them
• Warning triangle, where the country asks for one
• Winter tyres or snow chains, if you'll drive in French mountain areas from 1 November to 31 March

For you (Be Ready's vehicle kit)

GOV.UK Be Ready says a vehicle emergency kit can include:

• Torch
• In-car phone charger or power bank
• Warm clothes and blankets
• High-visibility clothing
• Jump leads
• Food and drink
• First aid kit
• Shovel

Our car emergency kit guide goes through each item, and adds a winter list.

Your licence and the international driving permit

• GOV.UK says you don't need an IDP to drive in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein if you have a UK photocard licence.
• You might need one in some EU countries and Norway if you have a paper licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. GOV.UK says check with the embassy of the country.
• GOV.UK lists the IDP at £5.50 from certain PayPoint shops.
• Germany: GOV.UK's travel advice says you can drive for up to 6 months on your UK photocard licence. Staying longer, you need the 1968 IDP as well, and you can't buy an IDP outside the UK.
• Spain: GOV.UK says provisional licences are not valid for driving in Spain, and you must be 18 or over to drive a car.
• Lost your licence? GOV.UK says get a new one before you go. Online replacements should arrive within 5 days.

The UK sticker

GOV.UK's rules:

• Put the sticker on the back of the car, not on the number plate.
• The old white oval GB sticker has been replaced. Cover or remove it before you drive outside the UK.

Insurance

• GOV.UK says all UK vehicle insurance gives the minimum third party cover to drive in the EU and some other countries.
• You don't need a green card in the EU (including Ireland). You still need valid insurance.
• Check your policy covers every country you'll drive through, and what proof you need to carry.
• Towing a trailer over 750kg? GOV.UK says you need category BE on your licence, and you may need extra insurance for a trailer or caravan.

Country notes from GOV.UK

GOV.UK's travel advice for each country links to the RAC's country guides for the full list of equipment. We couldn't open the RAC or AA country pages on 3 November 2026 (they blocked our check), so this table only uses GOV.UK. Read the RAC guide that GOV.UK links to before you go.

GOV.UK also says hire car companies often have stricter rules than the law. And if you hire a car, it's your job to check it has the equipment you need.

If you break down abroad

• On French motorways, GOV.UK says use the orange emergency phones if you're involved in or see an accident.
• Write your breakdown cover's phone number and policy number on paper, in case your phone dies.
• Follow the local rules on reflective jackets and warning triangles in the RAC country guide GOV.UK links to.

Our stranded in travel disruption guide covers long waits in the car.

Planning a spring trip?

There's no rush, but emissions stickers can take weeks to arrive by post, so it's worth ordering one when you book. GOV.UK says some may need buying weeks ahead. Use the official French government site linked from GOV.UK's France travel advice, not a look-alike site.

What we couldn't check

• The RAC and AA country guides blocked our check on 3 November 2026, so we haven't listed country-by-country equipment that GOV.UK doesn't state itself (for example spare bulbs, breathalysers, first aid kits or warning lights in specific countries). Check the RAC guide GOV.UK links to for each country.
• We haven't given fine amounts, because we couldn't confirm them from an official source.

Last checked

Checked against GOV.UK's driving abroad, driving in the EU, number plate, insurance and FCDO travel advice pages on 3 November 2026. Rules change: read GOV.UK's travel advice for each country you'll drive through before you go. This is general information, not legal advice. In an emergency abroad, call the local emergency number.

Related guides

• Car emergency kit UK: what to keep in your car (and a winter list)
• Travel disruption: what to carry and what to do if you're stranded
• Keeping household documents safe and to hand

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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