This is some advice for those of you who, like me, enjoy the odd trip over to France and prefer the speed and comfort of Eurotunnel. Beware of the website ferrycheap.com, it is to be avoided at all costs because, despite its name, it is generally more expensive than booking direct with the Operator.
Furthermore a "protocol" exists which prevents Eurotunnel from amending your ticket (if this is required) without conferring with ferrycheap's "call centre" at Travel-Market in Dover. This so called "call centre" is nothing of the sort and consists of their normal office which is open 0900 to 1700 Monday to Friday only. This means that, at weekends particularly, if you need to change your travel arrangements this cannot be done and, if a period of 24Hrs. elapses before you can contact Travel-Market you will lose your entire booking and your money with it. Be warned!:=

Last time we used Eurotunnel, we booked a train at around 6.20 am. Arrived around 5.30 am and checked in. Proceeded to the terminal facilities and around 6.00 am discovered that our booked train had simply vanished from the information board without explanation. Re-scheduled for a departure at 6.50 am.

Could have used the ferry in more or less the same time (and it would have been cheaper).

20 minutes delay on a 35 minute crossing is 55 minutes.
The ferry is scheduled for about 1 hour 30 minutes so you were still quicker - even without the considerable queue to get through passport control on the other side if you go by ferry.
(is it just me, or was there another thread on this yesterday?)

passport control on the other side if you go by ferry

Used the ferry a fair lot over the last few years (nephew posted to Germany), never found any great queues there, certainly no worse than the frog passport control here.

Prefer the tunnel but the ferry is always miles cheaper. Going to Germany or any points north we use Dunkirk now rather than Calais as it leaves you less time at the mercy of the frog plod.

Cheers
UFO

Having travelled to France for over half a century by car, and lived there for the last score, the ONLY time I have had my passport checked by French border officers was last Friday - 20 July, presumably because of the upcoming Olympics. This was at Calais, prior to passing through to the UK Border Agency control point.

In my personal experience Calais ferry port has never been over-zealous in its passport controls, and am surprised to read UFO's comment

Going to Germany or any points north we use Dunkirk now rather than Calais as it leaves you less time at the mercy of the frog plod.I suppost this may be based on the hypothesis - and maybe fact (though I've never been here myself) - that the distance covered from Dunkerque's ferry loading ramp to the port's gates is shorter than that at Calais.

(is it just me, or was there another thread on this yesterday?)

Eggsackerly what I thought, Lon......

Alsacienne,

No it's based on the habit of frog plod of stopping english cars on sight and finding something wrong with them, Dunkirk is a lot nearer the border than Calais.

Never had any trouble with border officials, an occasional queue of 10-20 cars to go through (at either end), occasionally pulled in for a check by security and once took an hour to get through customs at Dover, but that was when the marshalling area was being worked on and all incoming vehicles funneled through one customs point.

UFO

No it's based on the habit of frog plod of stopping english cars on sight and finding something wrong with themAh. OK. Something wrong with the car or something missing from the legal requirements?


(Alcohol test kit, warning triangle, hi vis jacket, headlamp deflectors, GB sticker, fuses, spare bulbs, green card/insurance documentation ..... all required by French law regardless of the licencing country or nationality of the driver....)


Think you might have been unlucky ... but sorry you've had this inconvenience.

UFO Try smiling and saying Bonjour.
Never had any problems in France.
I asked a friend in Immigration, yes it's because of the Olympics.Is that a bad thing considering the reactions in the UK because a kid managed to wander through security and a reporter flew to France and back without being checked. Full cavity body search for him the next time then

Ah. OK. Something wrong with the car or something missing from the legal requirements?


GB sticker, fuses, spare bulbs, green card/insurance documentation ..... all required by French law regardless of the licencing country

So my German registered car requires a GB sticker because I am British? :D

So my German registered car requires a GB sticker because I am British? :D

I'll try to explain

UFO was talking about English car being stopped by French police.

Alsacienne correctly said that UK cars need a GB sticker.

Your car, being German registered does not need a GB sticker, but a German one, which is a D, this regardless of your nationality.

Hope this is now clearer to you.

;)

You do not need a "GB" sticker as long as you have EU standard plates with the vertical blue bar on the left which includes the "GB" reference.

Nor do you need spare bulbs anymore, the requirement has been removed.

GB stickers for GB registered cars, D stickers for German registered cars .... and of course you don't need a sticker if you have an EU plate with the nationality on. HOWEVER .... not all cars do, especially if you have what I believe was termed a 'vanity plate' ... in which case let's hope your car has a metal casing if you buy a magnetic 'sticker' .... and isn't aluminium!

And whilst the spare bulbs may not be mandatory, it's a hell of a lot easier having them to hand if you need them rather than have to find a dealer or spare parts shop ... but I'm grateful for the heads-up.

Mr Mouse

Nor do you need spare bulbs anymore, the requirement has been removed.

Any back-up for this ? I certainly haven't seen/heard anything to confirm that .

Was there ever a "requirement" to have spare bulbs? I was always under the impression that you carried them because the law said that your lights must work at all times, so carrying spares meant you could change a bulb at any time, and you also had to have the necessary tools to do so as well.

But hasn't that requirement been watered down due to the rise in the use of LED's instead of bulbs, as well as the small matter of it being almost impossible to change a bulb in some modern cars without removing several ancillary parts and/or panels?

Was there ever a "requirement" to have spare bulbs?

Yes.

But hasn't that requirement been watered down due to the rise in the use of LED's instead of bulbs

No.

as well as the small matter of it being almost impossible to change a bulb in some modern cars without removing several ancillary parts and/or panels?

Illogical but not taken into account.

Again, AS, was there a law that says you must carry spare bulbs!

There is one that says that all lights must be working at all times, so if you drive as much as a metre after being told by plod that you have a dud light you are breaking the law and are liable to a fine, but NOTHING I find says that there is a law stating you MUST carry spare bulbs!

And even the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office backs that up, no mention of the carrying of spare bulbs being MANDATORY here (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/france1#roadtravel), and I reckon they would tell everyone about that.

Or is this another one that has been sneaked in like the ban on any device which can show where speed cameras are, not just radar detectors, irrespective of whether it is in use or not? Basically, if you even possess a GPS you are going to break the law as every GPS has the capability to show where speed cameras are.......

from euroroadlegal (http://www.euroadlegal.co.uk/country/france.html)

Regardless of local requirements it is always a wise precaution to carry a spare set of vehicle bulbs and adjust headlamp beams for driving on the right. A spare bulb kit will not prevent a fine if you are travelling with faulty lights, but it may avoid the cost and inconvenience of a garage call out. On some cars it is inadvisable or impossible for anyone other than a qualified technician to change a headlamp bulb or lamp unit e.g. high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and carrying spare bulbs is not an option. However, it is recommended that spare bulbs are carried for any lights which may be easily and/or safely replaced by the owner/driver. Do not forget to ensure that you also carry any tools that might be required to change the various bulbs.

UFO Try smiling and saying Bonjour.

Yes, didn't work for me, was kept about 30 minutes while they tried to find something wrong and weren't very happy when they couldn't. However I was luckier than a mate who was pulled into a layby for speeding, when in a long string of cars heading for Calais, all doing the same speed (below the limit). Only the GB registered cars were being pulled in and an instant fine demanded by an officer without a speed meter of any sort on display.

Cheers
UFO

No it's based on the habit of frog plod of stopping english cars on sight and finding something wrong with them, Dunkirk is a lot nearer the border than Calais.

In my limited dealings with the French police, particularly the Gendarmes, I have found them unfailingly polite, respectful, and fair. I have driven a fair amount in France with non French registered cars (including UK) and never had a problem. There are many things I do not like about the French but the above comment is unfounded and unfair.

unfounded and unfair

You may think it is unfair, but hardly unfounded when based on an experience I have personally had as well as that of a friend.

Cheers
UFO

Fair enough, but then you should say that in your experience the French police stop English cars on sight. I possibly have more experience of driving in France than you (I don't know how much you have, but I have a lot) and have never had a problem, nor have any of my friends and aquaintances other than one who got stroppy with a policeman after being stopped for exceeding the speed limit, illegal ovetaking, and then being over the limit. Not surprisingly, they threw the book at him, which had he shown some contrition, might not have been the case.

That's my experience, obviously yours is different.

I have never had any problem with French police, customs or immigration officers. I usually visit France two of three times per annum and have found that a smile and a few words in French can work wonders.

I have encountered some other nationalities , yes some English speaking, who discusted me with their attitude. My only complaint is that some people mistake me for an American, I'm not, just a Canadian.

In essence guys 'lighten up' it is their country.

@<hidden> Lon

Looks like I may be wrong about the nbulbs. Looked up a couple of forums and nobody quoted any regs and the balance of answers was about 3:1 not mandatory.

and a few words in French can work wonders.

Exactly.:ok:

and a few words in French can work wonders.

Interestingly, the worse your French is, the pleasanter they are!

Interestingly, the worse your French is, the pleasanter they are!

Not if you are from a country where they expect at least your second language to be French (Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, etc.).

That's probably true, but I start with English, then go to Afrikaans, then into my theatrical French act. "Je desolay monsewer mais pas parlay le Fronssay." Always with a smile.

Somebody asked if I had a reference for the spare bulb issue in France. I have regularly driven in France and endeavour to comply with their rules. My main source of reference is the AA.

I recently read (about two months ago shortly before my last trip) that spare bulbs were no longer compulsory.

The definitve AA guide is here. (http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/countrybycountry.html)

Had a quick look at the French part and it seems to be inaccurate in major ways.

Example

If the level of alcohol in the bloodstream is 0.05 per cent or more (0.02% for bus/coach drivers), severe penalties include fine, imprisonment and / or confiscation of the driving licence and / or vehicle.

As far as I am aware, between 0.05 and 0.069 percent is regarded as a low-level offence which gets you a fine ( E 70 or so ) and loses three points ( ?) of the 12 on the licence. It is only when you reach the 0.07 percent that the nasties listed above come into play.

Sorry, didn't get as far as the bulbs .

By the way, it was me asked for confirmation about the bulbs and it seems Iwas wrong anyway:\

and a few words in French can work wonders

It all depends which words !

Madonna 'Booed' At Paris Gig | Madonna | News | MTV UK (http://www.mtv.co.uk/news/madonna/360707-madonna-booed-in-france)

Has anybody here had a similar experience with SANEF (the operators of French motorways in the north and east of France?

They advertise an electronic toll payment system (RF technology, basically), which their UK subsidiary sells you for a nominal amount and then any toll charges incurred are charged to your bank account via DD.

You go through their application process (bank account details and a lot more) and then....... you're told that - according to their financial partners "Equif*cks" - you do not exist. What a bunch of w@<hidden>

@<hidden> VI

I shouldn't worry too much - exactly the same thing happened to a friend of mine with French bank account details.

If you wanted , you could open a bank account with La Poste with an English address, but might take some time as they insist you see the "conseiller financier " which usually means an appointment.

Thanks, Alpine Skier.

I've just decided to adhere to my usual route from Calais/Dunkerque via Lille (no toll), then on to Mons-Charlerloi-Luxembourg-Metz-Nancy (no toll) and via the N59/N159 on to Alsace and then Switzerland. Their loss. My only incentive was that French toll motorways tend to be less frequented by trucks than the toll-free ones in Belgium.

"Bonjour Monsieur, Je suis Ecossais"

"Have a good day sir"

sorted :ok: