This handbook gives you information and hints on driving abroad. It explains what you need to do in the event of an accident, some of the documents you need to take with you, the purpose of these documents, and some of the legal regulations.

Our Foreign Travel Handbook is also available in Adobe Acrobat format by clicking on the link below.

To get Adobe Reader, click on the link below.

Driver's Checklist

You should also try to carry the necessary documents in the vehicle with you. The table below shows the compulsory items required when visiting certain countries. You can also use this handy checklist to make sure that you will have the correct documents in the vehicle with you:

• Certificate of motor insurance and your policy booklet
• A valid full Driving Licence (not provisional), with paper counterpart if you have a photocard licence
• An International Driving Permit, when necessary
• The original vehicle registration document
• Your passport
• Customs documents, if appropriate
• Travel insurance documents
• European breakdown cover documents
• This information pack

In the event of accident, fire, vandalism or attempted theft

Please call us to report the claim as soon as possible. Our Accident Helpline operates 24 hours a day from the UK. When calling, please have the following information to hand:

• Your location and telephone number from which you are calling
• Your vehicle location (if different), make, model and registration number

The phone number to use depends on the country you are calling from. Please remember to use the appropriate dialling code to call the UK.

For accidents in:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France (including Monaco), Finland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy (including San Marino and Vatican City), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (including Liechtenstein)
Call (00 44) 845 722 1300 or (00 44) 1324 606 177

Advice in the event of an accident:

• If possible, take photographs of the accident scene and of the damage sustained by each vehicle involved.
• If the police are involved, make a note of the officer's name and number, together with the police station at which he/she is based.

Green Card

The Green Card is a document that proves that insurance exists on a vehicle in the country where it is normally based. It offers no insurance cover itself, but it shows that the insurance held meets the minimum standard required by the law of the country visited. Your Kwik Fit Insurance policy provides full policy cover within most European countries. A Green Card is no longer required as proof of insurance in EU member countries. Therefore, we will not issue a Green Card unless you are visiting countries outside the territorial limits of your policy (for further details, please refer to your policy booklet, or call us).

Spanish Guarantee

Spanish Guarantees are no longer required if you are travelling to Spain. The Spanish authorities are no longer allowed to impound a vehicle or driver following an accident.

Legal regulations

Obviously legal requirements will differ from the UK, and it is therefore vital that you familiarise yourself with the rules and regulations of the countries you intend to visit. Detailed below are some of the main points, but please note that it is your own responsibility to be aware of and comply with the rules and regulations of each country visited.

Accidents in France

If neither party involved can prove the other's responsibility, the claim is dealt with under Article 4 of the Badinter Law, where each party has to deal with the other's damage in full. As a full recovery is not made, your no claim discount entitlement will be affected.

Accidents in Germany

It is obligatory to report all incidents to the police, however minor (even hitting a parked car). 'Unfallflucht', translated as, 'leaving the scene of an accident', is an offence.

Driving on the right

In all European countries (except Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Republic of Ireland and UK) driving is on the right.

Driving Licence

A current full UK licence is valid throughout Europe except in the following countries, where an International Driving Permit (IDP) is required:

Hungary

IDP required if you have an old style UK licence (i.e. if you don't have a pink EC licence).

Finland

IDP required if you hire a car or stay longer than a normal holiday period.

Italy

Italian translation required if you have and old style UK licence (i.e. if you don't have a pink EC licence).

Spain

IDP required if you have an old style UK licence (i.e. if you don't have a pink EC licence).

C = Compulsory R = Recommended
* GB Signs - These are available as stickers from car accessory shops or if your car has GB registration plates, no sticker is required.
** Warning Triangle - Two warning triangles compulsory.

Lighting

Headlamps should be adjusted for driving on the right by fitting headlamp converters or deflectors. These are available from car accessory shops and motoring organisations. It is no longer necessary to have yellow headlamps in France. In many European countries, sidelights or dipped headlights must be used when driving through tunnels. In Finland you must drive with dipped headlights at all times when outside a built-up area. In Sweden, Norway and Denmark, you should use dipped headlights day and night on all roads.

Mirrors

Most countries stipulate that two wing mirrors and an interior rear-view mirror are fitted. It is compulsory in Italy to have an exterior mirror on the left-hand side as well as an interior mirror.

Speed Limits

Speed limits not only vary from country to country, but are also dictated by the status of the road, age of the driver, and even the weather conditions in certain countries. It is your own responsibility to ensure that you know and comply with the limits applicable.

1. Discount applies to the insured car only at any Kwik Fit Autocentre in the UK.

2. Courtesy car is provided with comprehensive cover when the insured vehicle is being repaired at an approved repairer.

3. With comprehensive policies only.

4. With comprehensive cover, you will receive £20 per day for up to 5 days for hire car costs following the theft of your vehicle.