Drivers planning on taking their company car abroad on holiday this summer have been urged to ensure that they have the correct documentation as soon as possible.
Arval says that every year it receives last minute requests from drivers at ferry terminals who didn’t realise they needed a VE103 certificate to use their lease vehicle overseas.
Arval fleet consultant Richard Cox explained: “The VE103 ‘on hire’ certificate is needed by anyone who wants to use a car that they don’t own in almost all countries where you’d typically take your car on holiday.
“Getting one is quite straightforward but we – and every other leasing company – require a little notice so that we can process the document.
“To process a request for a VE103 typically takes several days but, given the occasional vagaries of the postal system, can sometimes take longer, so allowing even more time is sensible.
“Our advice is, if you know you are going abroad in your company car this summer, you should start the process of obtaining the documentation needed as early as possible.”
Cox added that the original VE103 document always had to be presented when using a vehicle in another country and that a copy was not permissible.
He said: “You may also be asked a few questions when contacting your leasing company, such as the dates you will be abroad, the countries you will be visiting, and whether any additional drivers will be using the car. This is just part of the process.”
The VE103 document is required for the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.
DL - 23/07/2018 10:16
If this is such a problem for Arval, why don't they just issue one every year as a matter-of-course? At least here in the South-East of England, travelling to Calais, Brussels or Paris is much easier and closer than travelling to (for example) Birmingham, Mancheter or Bristol!