Border controls in EU

[matt]

...so you could also store images of the documents on a PDA, but I guess this is getting a bit OTT. Why can't the EU states sort this out with a one document 'clearance' form. Taking original documents around with you always runs the risk of someone nicking that and your bike. Then you'd be stuffed. RF-id tags. Much better idea.

[RuftyTufty]

There's two things here, the EU and Schengen. Some countries within Europe signed up the Schengen Agreement in 1985 to make it easier to travel within those countries. The UK isn't part of Schengen, which is why we need passports to travel to France, Germany, etc. which are part of it. Whereas a Frenchman can waltz into Germany with only his personal ID. There's something like 30 countries in the Agreement, but as I recall some haven't actually implemented it yet.

In the UK, as with the rest of Europe, it's actually part of the law that you carry your vehicle documents with you. But conversely the UK is one of the last places where we don't have to carry personal ID. So if you're travelling around Europe it's best to have both with you, but in most cases wait until you're stopped by the police before volunteering your papers.

(On the subject of photocopies, I tend to take a couple of copies of my documents with me, and if stopped present a copy, but make it clear that it is a copy, otherwise they may get a little shirty about forgeries/fraud/etc.)

Quite right - the UK is the problem as it wont sign Schengen. We are so far behing other European countries it's unreal. Fool, Britannia!

[spain]

you might get stopped on motorway crossings though its very unlikely...as for small village crossings you may not even noticed you've crossed them.Coming back into the uk is a different story though.....

[babybadger]

Save them onto a clipdrive/USB hdd cost about a tenner.