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If you are looking to rent a car and maybe cross the border to another country, special rules come into play. This is because border officials are usually on the lookout for people trying to import cars without paying taxes and so focus on vehicles whose drivers are not the real owners. It’s therefore important to have all the necessary documentation to avoid unnecessary complications, otherwise they may suspect that you are trying to sneak in a car and confiscate the vehicle, or even worse send you to jail. In Europe, there are less stringent rules and car rentals are allowed in and out only if they have the required documentation. Here are a few things that you should keep in mind while renting a car and planning to move across borders:
Let the Car Rental Know
Some car rental companies do not allow cross-border rentals. It is therefore important that you let the car-rental agency know that you are going to take their car out of the country. Otherwise you might end up violating some car rental terms, which can be very expensive and cause great inconvenience to you. For example, the insurance would be void if you get into an accident in another country. There also some additional charges that come with renting a car across borders. In addition, some companies need to be told in advance so that they can prepare all the necessary documentations that you will require while in the other country.
Get the Required Documentation
Before crossing borders make sure you have all the necessary documentation such as passports, and driving license. An International Driving License is required by some countries, including the car’s paperwork. These documents are necessary in case you are involved in an accident, get a fine or are stopped by police, and for countless other reasons. Sometimes a car rental agency may require that you take additional cross border insurance. The insurance cover will mostly give you a 24 hour breakdown assistance and vehicle recovery. Prices for the insurance are usually as low as EUR25 to a maximum of EUR60 depending on the duration and type of vehicle.
One Way Rentals
One way international rentals are expensive in Europe. This is because most of the companies, even those with branches throughout Europe still have their own designated fleets of cars. Therefore, most companies will charge high drop-off charges for having them return the cars back to their country-branch. To avoid the high charges, consider booking several cars in separate countries and then move across borders by train or air. In Western Europe, Germany have the lowest car-rental charges, so you can take advantage of this by renting cars near the German border.
France has a lower cost of renting cars than Switzerland therefore renting a car on the French side of Geneva can lower costs. You can check out auto a noleggio Francia to compare car rental rates in France. However, when renting, you should make sure that the car has a Swiss autobahn tax sticker. Italy has one of the highest car rental rates, so if you are heading to Italy, try booking a car in French Geneva to reduce costs. To further reduce costs, one should not pick up the car on arrival and should instead spend a day or two in a city then pick up a car when leaving the city. These are just a few of the many factors that you should consider when renting a car across borders.