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Crossing borders in your RV could be irritating and contain days of preparation when you collect your passport, insurance coverage, vaccine information for pets, and visas.
We’ve by no means had a easy border crossing in our dwelling on wheels. During our final border crossing in our RV, the customs agent locked himself within the RV and broke two door handles attempting to interrupt out…
Related: Crossing the Canadian Border In Your RV
So once we deliberate to cross from France into Switzerland, we mentally deliberate on needing to get out of the RV, have it searched, present our passports, reply questions—the entire gamut. Switzerland will not be a part of the EU, so whereas we deliberate to cross into Spain and Andorra within the RV simply, we assumed this may be barely completely different.
We crossed from the small city of Les Rousses, a ski village within the Jura Mountains. Watch our border crossing ⤵️
Schengen versus the EU
While Switzerland isn’t part of the EU, it is part of Schengen. This was one thing that we hadn’t realized in our fast Google search.
“Schengen Area signifies a zone where 26 European countries, abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people” (supply). We knew we didn’t want a visa, however we didn’t notice that Schengen additionally meant that there wouldn’t be any bother on the border. (Plus we crossed in a really small city, making the crossing much more easy!)
Swiss Driving Permit (Required!)
You can not drive in Switzerland in case your car doesn’t have a vignette. Anywhere Campers, the place we rented our RV, consists of the Swiss driving allow affixed to the windshield. (They additionally embrace permits for Czech and Austria the place comparable permits are required by regulation.)
If the car you’re in doesn’t have a driving allow, you’ll have to buy one for round $40. They can be found at fuel stations close to the Swiss border or could also be accessible out of your rental firm.
Documents
Switzerland requires foreigners to hold identification always, so that you’ll want your passports shut by. We additionally saved our rental settlement helpful in case we have been questioned about our RV. Since the border station the place we crossed was deserted, we didn’t find yourself needing both.
Crossing different French Borders
During our month of RVing throughout France, we crossed into Italy, Monaco, and Andorra as effectively. We by no means as soon as wanted to offer our paperwork to French border management.
However, whereas taking a cab from Italy into France (to then hop a practice to Monaco), we did undergo a border checkpoint. Our Italian driver was requested the place we have been going and waved by means of with out fuss. We didn’t want to indicate our paperwork at any border crossing, however we didn’t maintain them on us.
COVID-19
We toured Europe in September and October 2022. There weren’t any COVID restrictions in place, so no assessments or proof of vaccination have been required.
My Best Border Crossing Tip
We’ve solely crossed just a few borders in our RV, however the best are at all times in small cities. We discovered a waterfall off our Google Maps route that allowed us to get away from the primary highway and cross into Switzerland from a tiny border crossing versus the bigger crossings close to Geneva.
If you’re planning to cross borders in your RV, pull up Google Maps (or an old-school atlas) and have a look at potential border crossings round your vacation spot. The smaller the city, the better your crossing will doubtless be.
Related: What’s It Like RVing in France?