Travelling to the EU with LeShuttle

Your passport

If you are looking to travel from the UK to the EU, the UK government recommend you have 6 months left on your passport, the minimum 3 months validity required from the date that you return plus up to 90 days to travel without a visa. Even if it has more than 6 months left, your passport must be less than 10 years old. Full requirements can be found on gov.uk.

Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland need a passport that is valid for the duration of their stay in the UK, unless exempt. Click here for more information.

Your stay

For British passport holders there are now limits to how long you can stay on the continent. For each 180-day period (nearly half the year) you can spend up to 90 of those days in the EU. For full details, check the latest government advice.

Your car

More than ever before, it’s really important to make sure you have the right documents before you drive from the UK to the EU. For full details, check the latest government advice.

For UK driving licence holders:

• You will need a valid Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence with you to drive abroad.
• You will also need a UK sticker on your car, which you can buy at the AA shop in our UK terminal building.
• If you’re taking your own vehicle, you also need to take your log book (V5C) and valid proof of insurance for driving abroad.
• ​Ensure you have valid road tax and MOT as this may invalidate your motor insurance.
• If you’re taking a vehicle abroad that you’ve hired or leased in the UK, you’ll need a VE103 certificate.
• ​It is highly recommended that you take European Motor Breakdown cover whilst driving abroad and cover can be purchased from LeShuttle when you book your trip.

For EU driving licence holders:

• You will not require an international driving permit
• You will need to provide valid proof of insurance

France operates a system of clean air windscreen stickers to identify the emissions status of vehicles. ‘Crit’Air’ vignettes (stickers) are required if you are driving in restricted low-emission zones. Click here for more information.

Your travel insurance

As before, you will need to make sure you have appropriate travel insurance whether travelling from the UK or the EU.

You should make sure your travel insurance has health cover, particularly if you have a pre-existing medical condition.

Comprehensive travel insurance can be purchased from LeShuttle when you book your trip.

Your phone

Many UK networks have said that they have no plans to reintroduce data roaming charges for calls, but we’d strongly recommend you check with your mobile phone provider before you travel - just to make sure there are no surprises.

Your pet

You can still take your pet abroad with you, but here are the headlines of what’s changed:

• If you’re coming from the EU to the UK with your pet, there is no change to the current arrangements.
• If you have an EU pet passport issued in Great Britain, it will no longer be valid for travel from the UK to the EU: these have been replaced by the animal health certificate (AHC).
• You will still need to get your pet microchipped and vaccinated as before, and then go to a vet for their AHC no more than 10 days before you travel to the EU.
• For more details, visit our Pet Travel checklist

Your shopping

You are now able to take advantage of duty-free shopping. Limits have been increased and we’d recommend checking the latest government advice, which has details on exact allowances as well as exactly what you can and can’t carry between the UK and EU. There are also regulations surrounding which perishable goods can be taken into France, which can be found on page 17 of this document.

Remember that at LeShuttle we don’t have ‘red’ customs channels, so you’ll need to declare in advance. If you have more than your allowance, please click here to make a declaration online.