Vienna Convention On Road Traffic - Cross Border Vehicles

Cross Border Vehicles

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognise the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

• Cars must display their registration number at the front and rear, even if legislation in the jurisdiction of registration does not require a front vehicle registration plate on cars. Motorcycles need display their registration number only at the rear. Registration numbers must be displayed in Latin characters and Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the registration number may optionally be displayed in a different alphabet.
• A distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle. The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the convention, which states that it must comprise black writing on a white oval background and that it must not form part of the vehicle's registration number. In practice, the requirement to display the white oval is mutually waived between some countries, for example between the European Union countries (where the white oval may be substituted by a blue strip on the vehicle registration plate), and between Canada, the United States, and Mexico (where the province or state of registration is usually embossed or surface-printed on the vehicle registration plate).

• The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g., right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.
• The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate, and if the vehicle is not registered in the name of an occupant of the vehicle (e.g., a hire car), proof of the driver's right to be in possession of the vehicle.

Mainland China is the most notable example of a non-signatory country. Short-term tourists are not allowed to bring cars into Mainland China at all. All foreign registered vehicles in mainland China must display a mainland Chinese vehicle registration plate. This requirement even applies to vehicles from China's special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

The convention also addresses minimum mechanical and safety equipment needed to be on board and defines an Identification mark (Annex 4) to identify the origin of the vehicle.