Ok folks I’m after a bit of advice,
I co own a removal company in Staffordshire (with my Dad) & we’ve got our first overseas removal to northern France, using the Portsmouth to Saint Malo ferry,
I’m a bit worried about potential pitfalls in terms of what to expect at the port & what paper work we may need?
Dad has done overseas before but it was back in the 70’s so I imagine a bit has changed [emoji6]
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Vehicle documents, Passports, CMR, Booking ref for ferry.
At Portsmouth, you enter dock over weigh bridge and get a ticket for weight. Park in Lane for St Malo, Put on Hi Vis and take paperwork, passports and Weight ticket to Brittany Ferries freight office…
CMR is not required for removals.
Height of your truck ■■
Original copy of your authorisation photocopy will result in a large fine first thing they will ask you for when stopped. If coming back through St. Malo good chance that French customs will pull you before you book on just a case of them being nosey as you won’t have been through there before, but make sure everything is ok will hammer you for the smallest thing
Go via the reaper ban in antwerpen and you’ll soon lose your virginity 
As already said, originals of log book etc. Even if youre the registered owner of the vehicle get a nice letter on headed company paper saying " Mr ■■ is authorised to drive veh reg etc etc". Youre unlikely to be asked, but all crew members should have a copy of their contract of employment. Very rarely asked for, but Sods Law applies: they Always want what you havent got. Lots of clean paperwork in a neat folder makes a good impression.
Deeireland:
Go via the reaper ban in antwerpen and you’ll soon lose your virginity
No he wouldn’t and you would never find the Reeperbahn in Antwerp … cos it’s in Hamburg, thru’ the green gates 
Furthermore the Antwerp red light area is behind Central Station, Skipper Strasse area (so I’ve been told) 
Danny’s bar years ago was the best.
raymundo:
Deeireland:
Go via the reaper ban in antwerpen and you’ll soon lose your virginityNo he wouldn’t and you would never find the Reeperbahn in Antwerp … cos it’s in Hamburg, thru’ the green gates
raymundo:
Furthermore the Antwerp red light area is behind Central Station, Skipper Strasse area (so I’ve been told)
You seem to be remarkably well informed on this subject Raymundo
Simon:
raymundo:
Deeireland:
Go via the reaper ban in antwerpen and you’ll soon lose your virginityNo he wouldn’t and you would never find the Reeperbahn in Antwerp … cos it’s in Hamburg, thru’ the green gates
raymundo:
Furthermore the Antwerp red light area is behind Central Station, Skipper Strasse area (so I’ve been told)You seem to be remarkably well informed on this subject Raymundo
And he’s right on all he says, so a friend tells me 
SteveWalsh:
Vehicle documents, Passports, CMR, Booking ref for ferry.At Portsmouth, you enter dock over weigh bridge and get a ticket for weight. Park in Lane for St Malo, Put on Hi Vis and take paperwork, passports and Weight ticket to Brittany Ferries freight office…
dont need cmr for removals
burnley-si:
SteveWalsh:
Vehicle documents, Passports, CMR, Booking ref for ferry.At Portsmouth, you enter dock over weigh bridge and get a ticket for weight. Park in Lane for St Malo, Put on Hi Vis and take paperwork, passports and Weight ticket to Brittany Ferries freight office…
dont need cmr for removals
We dont need a cmr for the work i do, but experience has shown that cmr papers save a lot of time when the police check up on you. Especially when the first thing they ask for is your cmr.
Explaining to a foreign policeman when you cant understand eachother, why you dont have a cmr and what your transporting can take a lot of time.
Concretejim:
burnley-si:
SteveWalsh:
Vehicle documents, Passports, CMR, Booking ref for ferry.At Portsmouth, you enter dock over weigh bridge and get a ticket for weight. Park in Lane for St Malo, Put on Hi Vis and take paperwork, passports and Weight ticket to Brittany Ferries freight office…
dont need cmr for removals
We dont need a cmr for the work i do, but experience has shown that cmr papers save a lot of time when the police check up on you. Especially when the first thing they ask for is your cmr.
Explaining to a foreign policeman when you cant understand eachother, why you dont have a cmr and what your transporting can take a lot of time.
Fairly obvious to any police/customs what a removal vehicle is likely to be carrying though.
I used to do International removals, and even though it is not law for a CMR on removals, It does make life easier when stopped.
For the cost of it it is worth having one
Steve
mazzer:
Original copy of your authorisation photocopy will result in a large fine first thing they will ask you for when stopped. If coming back through St. Malo good chance that French customs will pull you before you book on just a case of them being nosey as you won’t have been through there before, but make sure everything is ok will hammer you for the smallest thing
Are they still being [zb]s in SM? Used to get sunday morning sail,back in 90,s they would pull you at the barrier looking for box of bacca bought in Irun, if they found would confiscate and fine you 200 quid.
PB
As long as you have a jobsheet stating where you loaded and where you are delivering and a full inventory of what you are carrying, you will be fine. Normally when they look at the inventory they wave you straight on as they can’t be bothered to check
Letter of authorisation
Insurance docs
Community authorisation
Ferry booking references
Plus the normal Hi Viz, warning triangle, spare glasses etc
When I was doing Euro removals, we never used cmr’s and never had any bother, what we did have though was a load plan, and that was always plenty to keep the French happy.
chilistrucker:
Simon:
raymundo:
Deeireland:
Go via the reaper ban in antwerpen and you’ll soon lose your virginityNo he wouldn’t and you would never find the Reeperbahn in Antwerp … cos it’s in Hamburg, thru’ the green gates
raymundo:
Furthermore the Antwerp red light area is behind Central Station, Skipper Strasse area (so I’ve been told)You seem to be remarkably well informed on this subject Raymundo
And he’s right on all he says, so a friend tells me
’ Cos in my ‘yoof’ in the merchant navy I was the male equivalent of a ■■■■
My ambition was to turn into a dirty ole man and my much younger wife tells me I have succeeded 
Thanks all for the comments, they where greatly appreciated (including the Antwerp red light)
Got back on Saturday,
40 minutes into France & there dvsa pulled us up, we don’t need a cmr in removals but it’s the first thing they asked me for!
Good job I did a rough 1 while waiting on the docks,
The only thing they told me off for was turning the battery’s off (tach) on the overnight ferry, however I have a 22 year old merc 1317 with a battery discharge & I didn’t fancy flat batteries on the ferry!
Customs where the biggest pain in the arse,
Parked on the port the night before we sailed home with a return load fully padlocked up but that wasn’t good enough, they unloaded a third of my load & then climbed all the way to the front!
When there is a language barrier I couldn’t get across that I wouldn’t bring any foreigners back to Britain for a gold pig!
On return to Blighty the (rough) cmr came in again as the the English customs wanted to do the same but I had got the French to stamp my cmr!
Thanks again
Dan
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