Leave plenty of time to check your essential documents, in case you need to renew your passports, or send away for any other documentation.
Passports - requirements can vary by country. For most of the EU your passport must be: less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’) AND valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’). Check both the issue date and the expiry date in your passport. If you renewed your passport early, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. This could affect the requirement for your passport to be less than 10 years old. You can check if you need to renew your passport here.
Driving Licence - you may need an international driving permit to drive in the EU if you have:
- A paper driving licence
- A licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
If either of these things apply to you, contact the embassy of the country you’re visiting to check what documents you’ll need.
Green card - if you are taking your own car on holiday to Europe, ask your insurer for a green card as proof of insurance and ensure you take it with you. Your insurer might issue your green card by post, or they may tell you how to download one to print at home. Request your green card at least six weeks in advance to make sure it arrives in plenty of time.
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is still valid in EU countries until its expiry date. If your EHIC is about to expire or you don’t have one, you can apply for a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). This entitles you to necessary medical care in an EU country for the same cost as a resident of that country. Note, neither the EHIC or GHIC will cover you for medical treatment in Switzerland. Details of how to obtain your GHIC card can be found here. GHICs are issued free of charge, so beware of scam sites which charge a fee for them.