Vehicle documents for international road haulage

There are various documents you need to bring about your vehicle, or pre-journey permissions obtained, when driving a commercial vehicle carrying goods between countries.

Vehicle insurance and green cards

You must have suitable motor insurance cover when you drive abroad.

In some countries, you will need to carry a ‘green card’ as proof of the insurance cover.

Where you need green cards

You need a green card to drive in:

Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran, Israel, Moldova, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.

When you need more than one green card

You will need to carry more than one green card if:

• you have fleet or multi-vehicle insurance - you’ll need a green card for each vehicle
• your vehicle is towing a trailer - you’ll need one for the towing vehicle and one for the trailer (you need separate trailer insurance in some countries)
• you have 2 policies covering the duration of your trip, for example, if your policy renews during the journey

You must carry a physical copy of your green card when driving abroad. Electronic versions of green cards are not acceptable.

Make sure your employer has got green cards

Make sure your employer either:

• contacts their vehicle insurance provider at least six weeks before you travel to get a copy
• prints green cards their insurance providers electronically send to them (this does not need to be printed on green paper)

When you will have to show your green cards
You will need to show green cards if you’re involved in an accident.

Find out more about vehicle insurance.

If you’re involved in a road accident

Contact your insurance provider if you’re involved in a road accident in the EU.

Any legal proceedings against either the responsible driver or the insurance provider of the vehicle will need to be brought in the EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway where the accident happened. You might have to make your claim in the local language.

You will not get compensation in some countries if the accident is caused by an uninsured driver or if the driver cannot be traced.

Get legal advice if you need more information about this.

Goods insurance

In some countries, you may need to produce a certificate of insurance for the goods carried to avoid paying a premium.

Check the rules with the British Embassy in the countries you’re travelling through or to.

UK stickers (previously a GB sticker)

You do not need a United Kingdom sticker if either:

• your number plate includes the UK identifier on its own or with the Union flag (also known as the Union Jack)
• you're driving in Ireland

You will need to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of your vehicle if your number plate has any of the following:

• a Great Britain identifier with the Union flag (also known as the Union Jack)
• a Euro symbol
• a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
• numbers and letters only - no flag or identifier

If you’re in Spain, Cyprus or Malta, you must display a UK sticker no matter what is on your number plate.

If you have a GB sticker, cover or remove it.

Find more details on vehicle flags, symbols and identifiers.

Vehicle security checklist

You must secure your vehicle to stop people using it to enter the UK illegally.

Record the checks you do on the vehicle security checklist.

Vehicle tolls, charges or taxes

You may have to pay a:

• vehicle toll or charge in EU countries
• vehicle tax in some non-EU countries

Some non-EU countries have an agreement with the UK that means that registered goods vehicles are exempt from these taxes.

Countries currently charging visiting foreign goods vehicles to use their roads include:

Austria, Belarus, Bosnia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Check locally for the latest, most up-to-date information about road charges and taxes.

You may need to carry paperwork, stickers, payment cards or electronic toll devices to use roads abroad.

Vehicle emission levels and controls

Many European towns and cities are Low Emission Zones (LEZ). This means that vehicles are not allowed in (or charged a fee) if their emissions are above a certain level.

Check the European Low Emissions Zone website to find out which areas are LEZs and what you must do to enter them.

Fuel duty and value added tax

When you buy motor fuel in the UK the price includes tax. When you take your vehicle abroad some countries may charge additional tax on the fuel in your tanks.

Taxes on UK fuel entering EU countries

There’s no limit on the amount of fuel that you can carry between EU countries in ‘standard tanks’, provided that it remains in these and is not off-loaded.

Some EU countries (including Belgium and France) interpret a ‘standard tank’ differently and say that supplementary tanks fall outside this category.

In these countries, for a tank to qualify as a ‘standard tank’, you must be able to show that:

• it’s of a type that was permanently fitted by the manufacturer to all motor vehicles of the same type as the vehicle in question
• its permanent fitting enables fuel to be used directly for propulsion or, where appropriate, by refrigeration or other systems

In Belgium and France, authorities might say that ‘catwalk tanks’ and ‘belly tanks’ do not meet these rules. You might be charged additional duty or fined when carrying fuel in these tanks.

Find information on the fuel you can legally use in a road vehicle.