# motor home travel



## EvelynM

We are shipping our motor home to Europe this spring and want to travel for a minimum of 18 months. We would naturally prefer to not leave the Schengen area for 90 days out of every 180. I have read that Germany will allow US citizens to apply for a visa once in Germany. 
I would like to know if anyone has actually been able to obtain a longer than 90 day Visa from Germany for the purpose of travel. How long did it take? Also is Berlin the only city where we can go to apply?


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## Bevdeforges

OK first of all, I would be very wary of shipping a US style motor home to Europe. Campers are common here - but you're limited to 3.5 tons (metric tons, i.e. 3500 kilos) on a standard class B driving license. It has never happened to us, but I've heard tell in the camper magazines that campers are sometimes required to stop at weigh stations and you can run into problems if you're running over weight.

It's also a huge question whether you could manage a large US motor home on some of the very narrow roads you find throughout Europe. There are many well equipped and inexpensive camp grounds in Europe, but are you sure your electrical hook-ups are compatible? 

You need to be working with the German consulate covering the area in which you currently live on the matter of visas. This link will give you some basic information for getting a tourist visa for more than 90 days: German Missions in the United States - Tourist but you should probably put in your request before you leave the US. The general idea for EU travel is that you must select a "base" country. If you're granted a visa, you then may stay in that country for the time permitted on the visa - but trips to other Schengen countries and elsewhere in the EU are still subject to the 90 day in 180 rule, though traveling within the Schengen zone you'll rarely encounter any border officials who can stamp your passports - so it's up to you to prove how long you've been traveling. 

Even if the Germans would accept a visa application after your arrival in Germany (and I haven't heard of that, though I don't really keep up with German visa requirements these days) you could run into problems traveling outside of Germany for a period of longer than 90 days at a time.
Cheers,
Bev


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## EvelynM

Our small motor home is no larger than the European ones as it is on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. We are however, over 3.5 tons and have obtained an International Drivers License in the "C" class that allows us to drive vehicles over 7,700 pounds. We've also addressed the problem of electrical hookups by purchasing at 3000 watt transformer. Additionally, we have 300 watts of solar and have gone a month or more without electrical hookups. All bases covered there.

I took your advice on trying to get a visa before leaving the US and sent an email to the Houston consulate. They responded immediately that we should make an appointment. We'll see how that goes as far as getting a visa good for at least a year.

Thanks Bev for your responses. All very good points.

Evelyn


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## litelfun

EvelynM said:


> We are shipping our motor home to Europe this spring and want to travel for a minimum of 18 months. We would naturally prefer to not leave the Schengen area for 90 days out of every 180. I have read that Germany will allow US citizens to apply for a visa once in Germany.
> I would like to know if anyone has actually been able to obtain a longer than 90 day Visa from Germany for the purpose of travel. How long did it take? Also is Berlin the only city where we can go to apply?


Hallo I would just go for it in the uk their are lots of the really big Campers from the usa going around and the roads are much smaller their as in Germany I have allso come across a few peoplel doing the same as you in Germany on campsites one could fit a car in the back of his  as for 3,5 tons thats will aply to Germans my driverslicence says 7,5tons and a trailer also upto 7,5tons and I wouldent wurry to much aboute vissas they dont have border controls any more normaly each Landratsamt can isue you a vissa you will just have to prove you have suficent funds for your stay and heath insurance I supose but if your heir for that lenth of time vissit uther countrys Italy is nice ok good luck and god bless


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## Bevdeforges

One further item I hadn't thought about before - but a US license is normally only valid for a year in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. Normally, you'd have to exchange it or get a local license within that period of time. Not sure how you can do it if you're not going to have a fixed address over an 18 month period.

An "international" license is nothing but a standardized translation of your home country license, and it only valid when presented with your home country license. 

You may want to check with the German consulate about the possibility of obtaining a German license to use during your trip.
Cheers,
Bev


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## fido

Bevdeforges said:


> OK first of all, I would be very wary of shipping a US style motor home to Europe. Campers are common here - but you're limited to 3.5 tons (metric tons, i.e. 3500 kilos) on a standard class B driving license. It has never happened to us, but I've heard tell in the camper magazines that campers are sometimes required to stop at weigh stations and you can run into problems if you're running over weight.


Interesting, I had not heard about this 3.5 tonne limit. Does this specifically apply to motorhomes or vehicles in general? In UK my car licence allows me to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes but does this not apply when I'm driving in Germany?


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## litelfun

Bevdeforges said:


> One further item I hadn't thought about before - but a US license is normally only valid for a year in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. Normally, you'd have to exchange it or get a local license within that period of time. Not sure how you can do it if you're not going to have a fixed address over an 18 month period.
> 
> An "international" license is nothing but a standardized translation of your home country license, and it only valid when presented with your home country license.
> 
> You may want to check with the German consulate about the possibility of obtaining a German license to use during your trip.
> Cheers,
> Bev


I wouldent wurry are you going to be in germany the hole time proberly not ! second you have no fixed adress hu nows how long your in Germany you could of been in france or itally last week allso how can you register at a adress that you dont have and your camper is not classed as a adress and most campsites will only let you stay up to 2 weeks so i would stick buy theis rulles your touring europe for 18 monthes that way your not legabel to one countrys legistlation really dont wurry to much your not residents your just touring you dont pay tax heir your not working so none of theis things apply to you may be its beter you revise info from a camping club of felow members hu done the same in Europe


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## Bevdeforges

fido said:


> Interesting, I had not heard about this 3.5 tonne limit. Does this specifically apply to motorhomes or vehicles in general? In UK my car licence allows me to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes but does this not apply when I'm driving in Germany?


Not sure the reciprocity arrangements, but the "standard" Euro license for cars has a 3.5 tonne cut-off. I'd assume your UK license is valid for driving in Germany, but I'm not sure whether a different limit applies to the camper itself. (As a category, I think "campers" are limited to 3.5 tonnes, but when a "camper" becomes a "motor home" I have no idea.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## litelfun

Bevdeforges said:


> Not sure the reciprocity arrangements, but the "standard" Euro license for cars has a 3.5 tonne cut-off. I'd assume your UK license is valid for driving in Germany, but I'm not sure whether a different limit applies to the camper itself. (As a category, I think "campers" are limited to 3.5 tonnes, but when a "camper" becomes a "motor home" I have no idea.)
> Cheers,
> Bev


Uk doesent have such laws its just classsed as a vechel up to 7,5 tons be it a camper van Horse box or lorry in germany you even need a licence to windsurf thats if your resident their or drive a boate so I prosume their not driving a big motorhome licke that if its not classed in weight on their licence in the us most vechels in germany classed over 3,5ton gross are regesterd as lorrys because of tax perpasis I now this because thats how my cheep was first classed till they brought aut luxery tax on 4x4 it doesent mater what they do because their under their legistration how come so many armys still drive round on their own plates so long


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## litelfun

Bevdeforges said:


> Not sure the reciprocity arrangements, but the "standard" Euro license for cars has a 3.5 tonne cut-off. I'd assume your UK license is valid for driving in Germany, but I'm not sure whether a different limit applies to the camper itself. (As a category, I think "campers" are limited to 3.5 tonnes, but when a "camper" becomes a "motor home" I have no idea.)
> Cheers,
> Bev


Depens on when you took your Licence in 1987 when I took mine you was classed upto 7,5tons and a trailer allso upto 7,5tons so I can have a totall weight not exeeding 15 tons thats what the pichture shows me on it any way ;-)


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## gus-lopez

litelfun said:


> Depens on when you took your Licence in 1987 when I took mine you was classed upto 7,5tons and a trailer allso upto 7,5tons so I can have a totall weight not exeeding 15 tons thats what the pichture shows me on it any way ;-)


No, You've never been allowed a gross MAM of 15 t . Maximum is 12 T , 7,5 T for the vehicle & 4,5T for the trailer . On a licence obtained before 1997, there are 3 seperate lots of rules depending on when it was obtained. 
Licences issued between June 1990 and December 1996
Licences issued between January 1986 and June 1990
Licences issued between January 1976 and January 1986

All of these allow you to drive on C1+E a vehicle between 3,5T & 7,5T with a trailer with an overall total of only 8,25T.
See here . This is for licences passed after Jan. 1997
The vehicles you can drive or ride and minimum ages : Directgov - Motoring

A licence obtained in 1987 only entitles you to drive with a MAM between 3,500 and 7,500 kg and pulling a trailer, as long as the total weight of both vehicles is not more than 8,250 kg.

This is for licences before 1997:
Driving tests passed before 1 January 1997 : Directgov - Motoring


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