- Czech Republic
No visa required. However, drivers should have a valid
International Driving License. A vignette is required for
travel on motorways. This can be purchased at the border.
- Slovak Republic
No visa required. Drivers can drive on their UK driving
license. A vignette is required for use of certain
motorways. This can be purchased at the border.
- Hungary
No visa required. Drivers may use the 'new EC style driving
license'. If you still have the old green license, you will
need to have an International Driving License. Some motorways
operate 'Pay as you go' toll systems.
- Romania
Visa required. Obtain application forms from: The
Romanian Consulate, 8 Palace Green, London, W8 4QD. Tel: 020
7937 9666 Fax: 020 7937 8069. You can obtain the visa by
post or in person at the above address. If applying by post,
allow plenty of time to process the application. An
application in person takes 24 hours to process. A passport
photo is required with completed applications. A visa
processing fee is required, but I can't remember exactly how
much. The visa allows for 30 days travelling in Romania and is
valid for 3 months from date of issue. You have the option of
single or multiple entry so remember to apply for the appropriate
one.
Drivers can drive using their UK license. A Green card is
compulsory. There are tolls on bridges across the Danube from
Giurgiu to Ruse in Bulgaria and from Giurgiu to Oii. On
leaving Romania for Bulgaria, we were charged two fees: one of US$10
(the bridge toll, I think) and an ecotax of 120,000 lei. Beware
of conmen at both borders! Only hand your money over once you
have an official receipt. If you are unsure if someone is
legitimate, ask to see ID. Keep windows and doors locked
(people tried to get into our car even while we were
driving!). Also be on your toes when changing money.
- Bulgaria
No visa required for short stays. Drivers can only use
their UK driving license if it is accompanied by an official
Bulgarian translation, otherwise an International Driving License
should be carried. A Green Card is compulsory. We paid
two fees on entering the country: a road tax of US$9 and an eco tax
of US$2.
- Turkey
A visa is required but can be purchased at the border.
Remember to take £10 per person to pay for this. The money
should be in newish £10 notes. They will not accept torn
notes. They might also object to taking a £20 note for two
people, it depends on who you deal with. Other border fees are
2,460,000 turkish lira for vehicle entry and US$4 road tax.
Drivers can use their UK driving license. Tolls are charged
on major highways and on the Bosphorus bridge.
- Iran
A visa is required. This must be obtained in advance.
Application forms can be obtained from: 16 Princes Gate, London,
SW7 1PT. Tel: 020 7225 3000, Fax: 020 7589 4440.
Website: (update with URL). 2 passport photos should be
submitted with the application. Women must remember to cover
their hair, arms and shoulders in the photographs! Allow
plenty of time to process the application. It takes a minimum
of 2 weeks and can take several months. There are two types of
visa that you can apply for. The transit visa is the easiest
to obtain and lasts from 5-12 days (rumour has it that it is very
easy to extend these visas once in Iran. See Iran Lonely
Planet for details of how to achieve this). The visa is valid
for entry up to 3 months from the date of issue. The tourist
visa is much harder to obtain and is usually valid for a one month
stay. In order to stand a chance of being issued this type of
visa, you need to have a contact in Iran (friend, family, tour
operator, travel agent etc). A transit visa costs £32 which
needs to be paid to the Bank Melli. I think that a tourist
visa costs more.
An International Drivers License is required. Third Party
insurance is compulsory. Some insurance companies will cover
Iran on a Green Card. Check with yours, otherwise insurance
must be purchased at the border town. Tolls are charged on
major highways, particularly around Tehran.
A Carnet de Passage en Douane is
required for your car.
Check the current list of items that are not allowed into the
country, or that require permits. This is a long list and
includes things like: satellite phones, some western music, some
videos, photos of scantily clad women (including your other half at
the beach!), some western magazines, alcohol etc etc.
- Pakistan
A visa is required. This should be obtained in
advance. Application forms can be obtained from: 35-6
Lowndes Square, London, SW1X 9JN. Tel: 020 7235 2044.
Website: (update with URL). A passport photo should be
submitted with the application. The visa costs £40 and is
valid for entry into Pakistan up to 6 months from date of
issue. The visa allows a stay of up to 30 days in
Pakistan. If the application form is submitted to the above
address before lunch, the visa can be collected the same afternoon.
An International Drivers License is required. A Carnet
de Passage en Douane is required for your car. Tolls are
levied on main routes and some bridges.
Remember to keep track of the current political and regional
situations. Permits may be required to enter certain regions.
- India
A visa is required. This should be obtained in
advance. Application forms can be obtained from: India
House, Aldwych, London, WC2B 4NA. Tel: 020 7836 8484 Fax: 020
7836 4331. Website: (update with URL). A passport
photo should be submitted with the application. The visa costs
£19 and is valid for 6 months from the date of issue (ie you can
stay in India for up to 6 months). Remember to apply for a
multiple reentry visa if you plan to take a trip to Nepal or Sri
Lanka and then return to India. I don't think that it cost any
more to do this, just check the correct box on the application
form. If you submit the application in person the visa will be
processed and issued within 1-2 hours. But that depends on how
busy things are.
An International Drivers License is required. A Carnet
de Passage en Douane is required for your car. Tolls are
levied on main routes and some bridges.
Remember to keep track of the current political and regional
situations. Permits may be required to enter certain regions.
