Hi All,

A simple question really, In July my wife and I are driving to the UK via Calais. I am wondering what documents are required to enter the UK at this stage in time?

I was particularly interested in regards to any car insurance papers.

Could anyone who's done this recently please tell me how it was and in Calais is it particularly strict at the moment?

All the best,

Not done it for a while but you will need both green, car documents, proof of insurance and an ECO sticker for both Spain and France (they're different)

I believe the need for a green card has now been dropped. It was required immediately following Brexit but I believe requirement now dropped and it's same for UK cars in EU. I went back shortly after Brexit and did get one as needed then. Check with your insurer to be in safe side.

A valid driving license, car insurance, vehicle registration documents plus passports for the driver and any passengers (and pet's passport if you have any animals with you) are the main requirements. Prior to embarkation on the ferry or Eurotunnel train, only the passengers and pets passports are checked normally. As mentioned above, it might be useful to get a French Crit'Air ECO sticker but most of the roads you will be using to travel to Calais are not ULEZ controlled and any that are can be easily avoided.

Your original post doesn't state whether you will be driving a UK registered vehicle or whether the driver has a UK or Spanish driving license. If you are driving a Spanish registered car and have a Spanish driving license you may be subject to additional questions when presenting a UK passport.

I returned to the UK last December with my wife and our dog in our UK registered car. We first took our dog to the Eurotunnel Pet Reception where our dog's passport was checked and his microchip scanned. They gave us a label to stick on our windscreen and we then proceeded to the vehicle/passenger check-in. The French border guard checked and stamped our passports before we moved forward to the UK border checkpoint where our passports were scanned/checked before we boarded the train. On arrival at Folkestone we drove off the train and up the slip road onto the M20 with no further checks.

Thanks for the in-depth response. We will be driving my mother-in-law's Spanish registered car, I hold a Spanish driving licence/UK passport and I will be driving in the UK, my wife (spanish citizen) will drive a little in France.

Okay great thanks for notifying me about the situation with pets, as we will also be taking our dog too, so its handy knowing the order of doing things prior to heading onto the train.

A dog with a valid Spanish pet's passport is valid for travel into the UK but you need to take your dog to a Spanish Vet not more than 5 days before the date of your entry into the UK. The Spanish Vet will check that the dog's rabies jab is up to date, certify on the passport that the dog is fit to travel and administer a tapeworm tablet. The cost of this check is about 18 Euros. I always book our dog in with our Spanish Vet to have this check done the day before we set off home to the UK. On your return to Spain, there is no need to take your dog to a British Vet before taking your dog to Pet Reception at your port of departure to have its passport checked.

On the subject of the anti worming, this must be administered no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before your arrival in the UK.
This can make timing tight and it's important to check that your vet records the time and date correctly in the pet passport.

On a separate note, I found this last year.
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ent-of-animals
In 9 years of travelling to and fro I've never been asked for it. Has anyone?