Passport:And make sure it's valid. That doesn't mean just 'not expired yet'... The EU/Schengen requirement is that your passport much have been issued less than ten years before your outward travel date, AND that it has three months' validity on your planned return date. Most road safety organisations recommend a break of at least 15 minutes every 2 hours. Mind your load Tools/spares/puncture kit: Not compulsory, but potentially useful. It’s up to you whether you carry any spares, but a small toolkit is always handy, even if it's only so you can tighten up the odd loose sat-nav mount or trim a frayed luggage strap. Depending on which countries you're visiting, you may need extra paperwork, equipment and/or knowledge. Here's a start for the most popular destinations for Brit bikers… We didn’t have any photos of someone having fun riding in Switzerland, so here’s another one from Spain

As your motorbike will be loaded up, this changes your machine’s performance. So, anticipate that braking and acceleration might be slower and less responsive. Be respectful of local traffic laws After the date comes your initials, unless you’ve only got one initial in which case the second character is replaced by a 9. Depending where you go, noisy pipes can get you into hot water, and some roads are sometimes closed to motorcycles completely at certain times as a result of noise problems.A puncture kit is well worth having too, but completely pointless unless you know how to use it, so make sure you practice a couple of times on an old tyre before you go. Every comprehensive UK motorbike insurance policy should have some basic measure of EU cover. But some policies might be more generous than others. You need a full UK motorcycle licence to ride in Europe. The Compulsory Basic Training(CBT) assessment isn't enough. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The majority of people drive to France blissfully unaware of most of the rules of the road there, that differ from the UK.

If you have a paper driving licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle on Man then you may need an international driving permit. This also means that if your motorbike is stolen while riding abroad, your policy might not cover you. You might need to use separate EU, EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss lanes when queuing. Your passport should also now be stamped. Share this articleInsurance: You no longer need a Green Card to ride in the European Union, but you will need your insurance certificate (again, not a copy, though if it’s supplied digitally, you can print it out). Even derestricted motorways still carry an advisory limit of 130km/h (80mph) – if you ride faster, you accept the consequences if it all goes wrong, and you also expose yourself to prosecution for even minor driving faults. Even if you're not actually going to France, you’ll probably be passing through and you need to be legal while you're there. All of the other lines remain unchanged, but it’s good to know what the information on your licence actually means and why it’s important to keep an eye on it…

Contrary to popular wisdom you do NOT need to carry a spare bulb kit… although it's not a bad idea anyway. Often the motorways are too congested to go fast anyway, in which case remember filtering's only legal in completely stationary traffic. Old style ones include a GB identifier with the Union flag, the Euro flag, any national flag for England, Wales, or Scotland. Standard comprehensive motorbike insurance policies tend to give you third-party cover in Europe for up to 90 days. This covers other riders and their property, not your own. Different EU countries have different rules around slow-moving or stationary traffic. Some allow filtering. Other countries, like France, don’t.

Line 5 displays your driving licence number, which is made up of a mixture of your family name, date of birth and some random code. But it’s not that simple…

A very popular destination for UK bikers with great scenery, fine roads, excellent beer and the opportunity to go as fast as you want, legally. What's not to like? Well, not that much, but as you might expect those high speeds come with a warning… The good news is that because the Government has reached an agreement with the 27 EU member states, we can ride in those countries without the need for an international driving licence. This also applies to Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, but only as long as you’ve got a photocard licence. If you’ve got an A1 UK licence– which lets you ride up to 125cc motorbikes– you’re still limited to the same engine size in Europe. Switzerland's far too law-abiding to be fun on a bike for very long, although it does have some magnificent scenery of course. Mainly it's just easier to go through it than around it when you're on your way to Italy, Austria or places further East (speaking of which, have a look at our guide to riding in Croatia here. Travel/breakdown insurance: This is not obligatory, but it is highly recommended, and should include repatriation for you AND you bike if it's going to be worth having. You need to make sure the policy you choose actually covers you not just for riding bikes, but for the type of bike and the type of riding – you don't want to find out the hard way that it doesn't cover a spot of off-road, for example, or a trip into the Armco at the Nürburgring.

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In January 2021, as part of the post-Brexit fallout, the old ‘Euro’ number plate which showed the EU stars symbol, was replaced with a new plate showing the Union flag and a GB symbol. The motorcycle must not be derived from a vehicle of more than double its power. So you can’t ride a Ducati Panigale V4R that’s been restricted to 35kW At time of writing (December 2022) the ETIAS application portal wasn't live, but you can sign up to be informed of developments here.