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PassportTravel Documents

Documents can seem such a small matter when  arranging holidays but if you don't take care to make sure you have the correct ones, it can cause real problems later!.  We've all heard horror stories of people arriving at the airport without their passport, but you will also have trouble if you are stopped by the French police and don't have the correct documents for your car, or if you have an accident without a European accident claim form.

 

  EHIC Card            European Accident Report             Passport

           EHIC                      European                   UK
           Card                   Accident Report          Passport

  

Important Travel Documents:

Get them together a few weeks before your holiday in case you cannot find any!  Check they are valid (your passport needs to have at least 6 months until expiry). We recommend you take:

  • Passports + tickets

  • Driving Licence

  • Car Registration Document V5

  • Car Insurance

  • European Vehicle Recovery Insurance

  • European Accident Statement form

  • Travel Insurance

  • EHIC card

  • Travellers cheques

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Travel Insurance:

If you have a valid EHIC card then you should be able to get treatment by a doctor or hospital in France.  For the best treatment it is worthwhile having travel insurance.  For winter sports we consider it mandatory.  Travel insurance also offers some  protection if you have made your own holiday arrangements and subsequently have any problems.

If you have an accident on the road:

Get witnesses to come forward quickly.  You, the third party, and witnesses need to complete the European Accident Statement form.  The third party should have an identical document in their own language.  Take photographs of the damage and the scene.  We can’t give any other advice here - you need to follow the guidelines of your insurance company to ensure you can recover any losses.

Important note about the E111 and EHIC cards

 

Please note that the rules about the E111 form have changed and from the end of 2005 it will be replaced by a new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC card).  For more details, see the Department of Health website.
Footnote: Please note that European Health Cards which were issued at the beginning of 2006 when the scheme first started have an expiry date of 1st January 2009....so make sure you get them renewed in time, especially if you're planning a winter skiing holiday!