How is the legal process of traveling across countrys with a car?

Question

How is the legal process of traveling across countrys with a car?

Answer 1

First of all, you need to have all paperwork for the car in order, owners papers, insurance and everything.

Some countries insist on you having an international insurance, go to your local car association to ask for details, or check its website. (In England it will be the AA, in the Netherlands the ANWB.)

If you are a tourist renting a car mention it when you make a reservation, the rental company will have all paperwork you need.

Secondly you need to have access to all countries yourself, having a passport and the needed visa for each. (If you are European and traveling in Europe an ID might be enough, if you are from the USA and traveling to Canada I believe you do not need a passport just yet, better check on it though.)

Then you just get into the car and drive.

When you get to a border with border checks, (like the outside borders of the Schengen Zone) you will be directed to stop and the official will ask you for your papers.

Have your passport in your hand and your car papers and insurance papers at ready, (unlikely he will ask for them, but it can happen.)

At some borders they do not check each car, if so, only stop when told to stop (red light or hand signal) but drive slowly at the control post so you can stop anytime.

But you will see that in much of Europe there is no border control at all. You will see a big sign next to the road mentioning you are leaving the country, one that you enter a new country and one telling you what the speed limits are in the new country. And that is that.

But you still need all paperwork being taken care of.

If you are stopped by the police for whatever reason they will check them, often already when they stop everybody for an alcohol test.

If you travel between countries that are (almost) at war with each other, or between countries with a lot of smuggling, you can expect your car to be checked down to the inside of your tyres, just to be sure that nothing is hidden anywhere.

In that case, make sure that the paperwork is taken care of to the last comma.

Checks for smuggling can be on the border, but also well before or after the border, by border control people or by the police. Just go along with it, protesting does not help you any, just make you more suspect. Just do not smuggle anything.

Answer 2

In the area covered by the Schengen agreement (basically almost all of EU + some more) you just pass a sign telling you that you're leaving Sweden and entering Finland or whatever the case is...