The motorcycle touring season is upon us. Some say it never stopped; it just got colder. With each year comes the ritual of figuring out the rules, regulations and documentation needed for motorcycle touring in Europe.
Some of the rules only apply at certain times of the year, and others—such as French helmet stickers—are still being debated years after being introduced.
In all the miles we have ridden in Europe, only twice have we almost had a problem. Carle had left the bike’s insurance and registration in the hotel and was stopped at a Portuguese roadside document check.
Thankfully, the Policeman accepted the photographs of the documents Carle had on his phone. The other occasion was when Dave couldn’t figure out why the GPS warned him about riding near Salzburg in Austria, the answer to which is coming up.
So … deep breath … what are the rules, regulations and documents needed for motorcycle touring in Europe?
Passport
This is perhaps the easiest regulation to be caught out by. Your British passport must have been issued less than ten years before the date you plan to enter the EU, and it must have three months remaining on its validity on the day you return to the UK.
I have no idea why this rule exists; it sounds like something a government department would create to generate paperwork.
Nonetheless, to be sure, subtract ten years from the date you plan to enter the EU and ensure your passport was issued AFTER that date. Then add three months to the date you plan to exit the EU and check that your passport expires AFTER that date.
Motor Insurance
For UK-issued policies, the UK Police use the Motor Insurance Database to check whether your motorcycle is insured. We typically no longer get a “Five Day Wonder” and are required to produce our documents at the nearest police station.
In Europe, the local constabulary will want to see a copy of your insurance certificate. Until a few years ago, insurance certificates were issued in English and Spanish, but this seems to have stopped.
Print a few copies of your insurance certificate in case a policeman (or woman) wants to keep one as a souvenir of your visit.
In some out-of-the-way places, retaining the paperwork has been used as a lever to open your wallet. In most of Europe, this is highly unlikely, but you never know.
V5 Registration Document
In the UK, the powers-that-be will check with DVLA (the DMV for our American readers) to see who the motorcycle is registered to, but the European authorities – including Customs – may want to see the V5 registration document.
Take a few colour photocopies with you. They look like the real thing, and if someone wants to keep a copy, you don’t have to apply for a replacement when you get back.
MOT Certificate
Known as a PTI in most of Europe, the concept of an MOT doesn’t apply everywhere, but UK-registered vehicles over three years old need one to prove they are roadworthy and, therefore, insurable.
All you need is one savvy copper to ask for a copy of your MOT (PTI), and if you come up short, it could be interesting. The automated systems used in the UK won’t help when riding in Europe, so a couple of paper copies are always a good idea.
If you don’t have a paper copy of your MOT, you can download one from the UK Government website – Replace a Lost or Damaged MOT Certificate.
Environmental Stickers
This all started a few years ago when cities began imposing rules on which Euro-rated vehicles they would allow in their city. Originally, these rules applied mainly to diesel vehicles.
This has now evolved to cover any vehicle with four or more wheels and, in some cases, every kind of vehicle.
The zones are popping up everywhere. I had no idea that Birmingham requires a minimum Euro 4 rating for ALL petrol-driven vehicles, including motorcycles and mopeds.
There is an excellent map on the Urban Access Regulations website showing:
- Low Emission Zones
- Urban Road Tolls (Congestion Charge)
- Pollution Emergency Zones
- Zero Emission Zones
The one that almost caught Dave out in Austria was the Salzburg Pollution Emergency Zone. When pollution is too high, the speed limit on the A10 and A1 motorways is reduced.
It sounds simple enough, but all vehicles, including foreign ones, that are using the motorways must also display an Austrian-issued emission class sticker when the zone is active.
Having worked out what the GPS was warning him about, the easy answer was to avoid Salzburg by a greater distance than Dave was already trying to do by taking the motorway.
Vignettes and Toll Roads
While I’m thinking about Austria, and Switzerland for that matter, you require a vignette – think road tax – to use their motorways.
You can buy Austrian Vignettes in most garages, with validities ranging from a few days to the whole year. A 10-day Vignette for a motorcycle costs €4.60, with a single day priced at €3.60. You can purchase both from the online ASFINAG Toll Shop and have them start immediately.
The Swiss take a very dim view of you not having a Vignette. The cost is 40 Swiss Francs (CHF), and it is valid until 31 December. The fine for not having one is 200 Swiss Francs – roughly £200 – plus the cost of a Vignette.
The French motorway system is almost entirely toll roads. [see French Motorways on a Motorcycle].
The Austrians are also getting in on the act, with six motorways now charging, in addition to needing a Vignette for all of the other Austrian motorways. There are also a few toll roads in Spain and Portugal.
With so many great roads to ride, staying off the motorways is a much better strategy.
Noise
Some parts of Europe, notably Austria and Germany, have a different tolerance level for noise – especially at weekends. There are reports of “sound cameras” in some French cities. Go past making too much noise, and you get a fine sent to you in the post.
The last time I rode the B500, the Verkehrspolizei (Traffic Police) were present at the Baden-Baden end with a speed gun and a microphone set up, suggesting that they have moved on from the dB rating on your VIN plate to live sound testing.
Since we covered the “news” that there was a noise limit in place on some roads in the Tyrol region of Austria in 2020, everything seems to have gone quiet [that was a dreadful pun ~ Ed].
I can’t find any references to the rules having changed. At least you don’t need to carry any paperwork for this one.
Lane Splitting
We covered that in depth in another article [see Lane Splitting in the UK and Europe], and as far as we know, the rules haven’t changed.
French Helmet Stickers
If you want to start a debate on social media, make a statement about French Helmet stickers.
The background is that there is a rule, be it state or regional, that requires motorcycle helmets in France to have reflective stickers in certain places.
Some say the rule applies only to French riders. Others say it is French law, and in the same way that helmets are required in the UK, helmets worn in France must have reflective stickers.
I have no idea who is right. I’m unaware of anyone who has ever been caught, fined, or warned for not having them, but I’m sure someone has had a different experience.
CE Approved Clothing and Hi-Viz
In France, it is also a requirement to carry Hi-Viz vests. Not having one will get you fined at a spot check (reportedly €11), but if you get caught not wearing one at the roadside due to a flat tyre, accident, or breakdown, you and the pillion can each be looking at €135 fines.
Hi-Viz is also a requirement in Hungary and Romania, with the Romanians also requiring you to carry a fire extinguisher – our thanks to Miklos for that piece of local knowledge.
There is an option for your jacket to have enough Hi-Viz content that you don’t need a Hi-Viz vest, but I can’t find a definition of Hi-Viz, how much of it is needed, or how reflective it needs to be.
For the past ten years, I’ve avoided having that conversation with the French and other authorities by having a cheap Hi-Viz jacket at the bottom of my top box.
In the same way that helmets are a legal requirement all over Europe, CE-approved gloves must be worn by the rider and pillion in France.
My latest information is that the fine is €75 if you are caught not wearing them. The gloves must be CE-approved as motorcycle gloves and carry the appropriate approval label.
Breakdown Cover
This is totally optional, yet with the cost of being recovered from the motorway in most countries being substantially more than a year’s breakdown cover, it is an easy choice. There are numerous companies to choose from, but there is one important distinction to be aware of.
An accident is not a breakdown.
If you hope your breakdown cover will recover your motorcycle from an accident in Europe, carefully check the policy wording. Accident damage is typically not considered a breakdown.
I’ve found only one company that covers both situations in one policy, and that is ETA. There is a detailed article on the differences here: Breakdown and Accident Recovery.
We are not affiliated with them or getting any kickbacks or discounts. We buy our cover with them the same way you do, and we renewed it for the coming year. Thankfully, I’ve never used them.
Medical Insurance
Your UK GHIC will get you emergency medical treatment in most of Europe, but the difference between emergency cover and what you might need can be vast.
We know directly from the person involved how beneficial medical (travel) insurance can be when you need helicopter transport to the hospital, surgery to have all the broken bits attended to, time to heal, and then flying home via private medical plane.
His insurance company was absolutely first-class in ensuring that all of this went without a hitch, even sorting out the French/Swiss border issues.
You don’t need extra medical insurance, but I figure it is worth the money.
The guy at the tea stop, who has never been more than 10 miles from his house, will tell you that travel insurance policies have a maximum 125cc clause and that riding a motorcycle over 125cc isn’t covered.
I checked this with my insurance company, and the 125cc clause applies to motorcycles I hire, not to my motorcycle. It’s worth checking with your travel insurance company, especially if you are planning a fly-ride holiday.
No More GB Sticker
Finally, the GB sticker is no longer valid, and you are now required to display a UK sticker on the rear of your motorcycle.
And to prove that there is always something new to learn … I just discovered that you don’t need a UK sticker if you are touring in Ireland.
Assuming of course that you are riding a UK registered motorcycle.
Get Out of Jail Free
Don’t let any of the rules, regulations or documents needed for motorcycle touring in Europe put you off going. Spend a little time preparing, and 99.5% of the time, everything will go without a hitch.
Having worked out what documents are needed, our standard practice has been to make an extra copy, plus copies of our passport and driving license, and give them to someone we were touring with, along with spare keys.
Sometimes, we wonder why we do it because we have never needed them, but arranging it only takes two minutes.
Today, or when touring solo, I take photos of all the documents and store them on my phone. I still carry spare keys, but I put them in a tank bag or anywhere that doesn’t require me to break a lock to get to them.
I’ve also been known to hide a spare credit card on my motorcycle. Chances are that any thief won’t find the card until I’ve cancelled it, but if I lose my wallet, I have a get-out-of-jail-free card.
