It's summer and for many the long-awaited time to set off for their future holiday destination. For families and all those who wish to have a maximum of autonomy during their stay, the car remains a privileged means of transport to reach the holiday rental, hotel or campsite. Before getting behind the wheel, a whole series of checks must be carried out so that you can leave with peace of mind and in order from an administrative point of view. Car registration, license, insurance: here are the good reflexes to have before putting the suitcases in the trunk
Car registration and driving licence: be careful to leave legally
The driver's licence and the registration certificate are logically two documents that you must carry with you when you go on holiday by car. In the event of a roadside check by the police, motorists who are unable to provide both documents are liable to a fine and are obliged to present them to the gendarmerie or police within 5 days of the check. This is a major inconvenience when you are being checked hundreds of kilometres from home
For the licence, it is never useless to remember that driving a car without a licence is a crime in the eyes of the law. For the car registration document, and especially in the case where holidaymakers have purchased a car shortly before leaving on holiday, drivers have 30 days to comply with the administrative situation of the vehicle on French territory. This means that yes, it is possible to go on holiday with a crossed-out car registration document, within the limit of one month. However, this does not exempt you from applying for a registration certificate as soon as possible after purchase. Moreover, applying for a vehicle registration certificate is now very simple, as it is possible to apply directly online from home. Once the application for a vehicle registration document has been made on the Internet, it only takes a few days to receive the document at home. And while waiting to receive the final document, a provisional registration certificate is issued, which also allows you to travel legally on French territory for up to one month.
How to change your address on your car registration document? How to report a move? There is no need to stress about these updates before going on holiday, as the steps are also very simple and quick on the Internet. The dematerialization of the procedures is only intended to save you time. It's up to each person to be sufficiently far-sighted when buying a new car, for example, by buying the vehicle to go on holiday in the two to three weeks prior to departure
Check that everything is up to date for car insurance
Applying for a registration certificate or a change of address on one's car registration document is very simple, and the same goes for checks concerning car insurance. In the case of a recent purchase, a simple appointment at the agency allows you to insure the vehicle in a few minutes. In order to drive in perfect legality with regard to insurance, the vehicle owner must have affixed to his windshield the green sticker that mentions the start and end dates of the insurance contract, the insured and registration numbers of the vehicle as well as the name of the insurer. You should also have the insurance certificate with you, which contains the information on the green sticker as well as the identity and contact details of the insurer and the insured. Driving with an out-of-date sticker or not having the insurance certificate with you can also result in a fine in the event of a roadside check
Before leaving on vacation, and depending on where you're going, it may also be a good idea to review your insurance contract and coverage. We often tend to use our car a lot on holiday, to discover the smallest corners of a region or even as part of a road trip. This is the time to ask yourself whether a simple third-party insurance is sufficient or whether an all-risk insurance is not more prudent...
