Minibus Club Article Archive

Many individuals and organisations take vehicles to Europe with minimal trouble. However, while cars, caravans and motorhomes can be used in the EU with little more than the essentials, taking a minibus to Europe requires a little more in the way of legal documentation. The aforementioned essentials are also necessary but the addition of EU-legal number plates or a GB plate, the relevant insurance cover and breakdown insurance are obvious requirements. However, you need a number of other items, as the following explains.

To travel in the EU, and in the ASOR signatory states Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and some Eastern European countries, you need either a ‘waybill’ or an ‘own account certificate’. This applies to any vehicle with more than eight passenger seats.

Which do you need? That depends on whether the organisation involved with the trip is profit making. If it is, you need a waybill, or EU Journey Form. This is for use in the European Union and is available, for a fee, from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (tel. 020 72403131) or the International Road Freight Office (tel. 0191 2014090).

Should a non profit-making concern be involved, you can use an Own Account Certificate (OAC). One is available, at no cost, from the International Road Freight Office (tel. 0191 2014090). It will remain valid for five years but an OAC can’t be used if the organisation is using a hired vehicle.

As is usually the case in such circumstances, still more documents are required. You must carry a minibus insurance certificate, the vehicle’s registration document and a European accident form. An insurance Green Card is recommended; your insurance company will see to this for you. The driver’s licence must also be carried and will be valid in EU and EEA member states. You don’t need an IDP (International Driving Permit).

The final piece of essential paperwork is a formal letter verifying permission to drive. Assuming the driver is not the vehicle’s registered keeper, he’ll need a statement, on the relevant organisation’s stationery, that the organisation is the registered keeper and that the bearer of the letter has permission to drive it.

Just as an aside, the Section 19 Permit, which has been referred to in these articles, isn’t valid abroad. The authority concerned recommends that a minibus being operated for hire or reward may not be driven abroad unless the driver has attained a full PCV D or D1(unrestricted for hire or reward) licence. Acquiring one involves both theory and driving tests.

Lastly, minibus drivers must comply with EC Driver’s Hours rules on all international journeys. More importantly, they must prove this and to do so, a tachograph is needed. This must begin recording from the start of the journey in the UK and keep recording until the end of the homebound journey. One tachograph disc per driver per day is required. Should you be tempted to not install and use a tachograph correctly or falsify it in any way, you can expect a heavy fine.

Taking a minibus to Europe is made a touch tricky by these requirements. However, it can be - and is - done without too much trouble. That said, this short article is only a guide. For more detail, see the Scout’s excellent document about this subject on the web.

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