Driving license
The principle of mutual recognition of licenses issued by Member States
is enshrined in current Community legislation. This means that if you have
a valid driving license issued by a Member State of the European Union it
will be valid, throughout the EU, for the class or classes of vehicles for
which it was issued in the Member State of origin.
Highway code
When motoring abroad you are required to follow the highway code of the
country concerned.
The only equipment and accessories Member States may require you to
carry on board your vehicle are those that are compulsory under the
legislation of the Member State in which the vehicle is registered.
However, Member States may require the carrying of a hazard warning
triangle in your car, even when this is not compulsory in the Member State
of registration.
The rules on driving are largely the same throughout the Union. The
wearing of helmets by motorcyclist and their passengers is compulsory
throughout the Union, as well as the use of safety belts and child
restraints if the vehicle is fitted with them. In addition, road signs
provide some information on specific provisions, such as maximum speed
limits. Some rules are not always displayed, however, e.g. the maximum
permissible level of alcohol in the blood, which varies from 0.2g to 0.8g
per liter depending on the Member State.
If guilty of a breach of the highway code you are liable to the same
penalties as those which apply to nationals of the Member State concerned.
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Vehicle registration certificate
The registration certificate issued for your vehicle in a Member State
of the Union allows you to use that vehicle of everywhere in the Union.
Accordingly, subject only to your vehicle being registered in the Member
State in which you reside, and that you are in possession of the
registration certificate concerned, you are entitled to travel to any
other Member State in your car or on your motorbike.
If you are driving a vehicle in another Member State and the person in
whose name the vehicle is registered is not on board, you must be able to
justify your possession of it (for example, by carrying a paper signed by
the owner confirming that he has lent it to you).
Insurance
Normally, you do not have to produce your "green card" or insurance
certificate, when crossing an internal frontier of the European Union,
because the license plates of your car are taken as evidence that you have
taken out compulsory civil liability insurance in your Member State.
If, however, you are responsible for a car accident while traveling in
another Member State, your insurance certificate or card will constitute
proof that you are covered by an insurance policy enabling the victim(s)
to obtain compensation. Moreover, if you are the victim of a car accident
for which you are not responsible while traveling in another Member
State, you will be indemnified either in accordance with the rules in
force in that Member State or in accordance with the rules in force in
your country of residence if the level of indemnification in the latter
country is higher. These rules still differ from one Member State to
another but you have, irrespective of the Member State, minimum coverage
which can reach EUR 350 000 for personal injury and EUR 100 000 for
material damage. The overall amount paid out may however be limited in
certain Member States where the same accident results in a number of
victims.
If the accident is caused by an uninsured or unidentifiable car, you
are entitled under Community law to compensation from the motor vehicle
guarantee fund of the Member State in which the accident occurred.
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source: European Commission
