International Drivers License Information on www.idlicense.com

There is special auto insurance for the drivers who want to commit the trip abroad. You must be covered in other country as well as you are in your own one. So it is not reasonable to go with your usual coverage because in different country the different conditions of the car insurance are possible.

Quite often those drivers who make up their minds to cross the border don’t want to put at risk their own vehicles. As a rule they prefer to rent a car. By the way in this case a driver needs the international driver license( international driver licence ) or international driver permit. You will be able to visit 150 countries having this kind of the permission ( international driver's license, international driver's licence, international driving permit). The data which is in your usual license( licence ) will be translated into 10 widely spread languages. Being stopped by the road police in the country you are visiting at the moment you will have a lot of troubles without the international driving license (international driving licence). The car insurance companies that can provide you with international drivers license(international drivers licence ) will put in front of you some special conditions. For example you will have to obtain a valid U.S license within 30-45 days.

You shouldn’t forget that the car insurance policy for the International Drivers is going to cover and to protect only the car but the driver. You can avoid such a situation if some friend of yours makes a call from the country you are going to visit and gives his or her agreement for adding you to his or her own car insurance policy. But this scheme work in case you decided to borrow you friend’s car. You must have at least a basic knowledge of the laws regulating car insurance in the foreign country you are going to visit. Besides the international drivers liscense ( international drivers liscence ) you will need the local valid driving license(valid driving licence).

If you decide to rent a car after you arrive the country you must obtain a special coverage for it. Of cause you can refer to your current car insurance provider but it would be better for you to get insurance from the company where your rental car is from. You must be ready for the situation that your own provide doesn’t have this type of coverage at its disposal.

New driving license( driver's licence) as a rule mean the new car insurance policy. Driving without the car insurance coverage is not only a dangerous thing for your future financial state it is illegal in any American or European country. You will have a lot of problems with the local law system. It is better to think it over in advance and to get your car properly insured for the period of your trip or visit abroad.

Anyone who is realistic about finding auto insurance must start from a simple step – go and gather auto insurance quotes all over the Internet. As much as you can.

Driving licenses, road pricing & condition of roads

Driving in Bulgaria is not for the faint-hearted and finding your way is often difficult or next-to-impossible, as most road signs are in Cyrillic script.

If you plan to drive to Bulgaria you will need an International Driving Permit (as well as your national licence) and an international Green Card from your insurance company. If you will be driving through the countries of the former Yugoslavia you will have to pay for a local insurance policy at the border.

Getting to Bulgaria by car

Be aware of high motorway tolls in France and Switzerland; travelling via Germany is toll-free. If you don’t travel through Switzerland, there are no border checks or formalities until you reach Bulgaria.

The recommended route from Vienna is via Budapest and Belgrade to Sofia. It will take around three days to drive the approximately 2,300km (1,400mi) from London to Sofia. A longer, but more enjoyable, journey is through Italy to catch a ferry to Greece, then drive on to Sofia. There are ferries throughout the year to Greek destinations departing from Venice, Ancona and Brindisi.

Bulgarian Roads

Years of underinvestment have also left many roads in a poor state, and there’s only one motorway-quality road, running from Sofia to the border with Turkey. Bulgaria’s mountainous terrain and harsh winter conditions leave most roads potholed and dangerous and some impassable.

Bulgarian roads have a reputation for being potholed tracks frequented by farm animals and agricultural machinery. For the most part, that’s correct. There are only four major sections of dual-carriageway in the country. Otherwise even main roads are often narrow, with long stretches of damaged tarmac. In rural areas and in the mountains there are numerous hairpin bends and wandering livestock to negotiate.

Main Roads

There are only four major sections of dual-carriageway in the country: from Sofia to Plovdiv, from Harmanli to the Turkish border, from Varna to Novi Pazar, and between Sofia and Jablanica (on the way to Pleven), only the first two of which are of motorway standard. The section of the A1/E80 between Plovdiv and Harmanli is under construction; when completed, there will be a dual-carriageway ‘motorway’ all the way from Sofia to the Turkish border, which should reduce some of the heavy, constant freight traffic on local roads between Plovdiv and Turkey.

The Bulgarian government signed a contract early in 2005 for a private company to build a motorway running from the Serbian border in the west to Sofia and on to Varna; when complete, this road will have a user-pays toll. There are currently no other toll roads in Bulgaria, as the vignette system (see above) functions as a road toll for all drivers.

Other Roads

The Bulgarian government is working to bring the main roads linking cities up to European standards. These are designated ‘E’ roads and are being slowly improved with EU funding. While some are in reasonable condition, be prepared to dodge potholes and to be stuck behind slow-moving HGVs en-route to western Europe for long periods.

Common hazards on Bulgarian roads include cars driving at night with damaged or no headlights, slow-moving or stationary livestock and farm machinery, people driving erratically (e.g. changing lanes with no indication and stopping suddenly for no apparent reason) and pedestrians. It’s usually recommended not to drive after dark in rural areas.

Road Pricing

Bulgaria recently introduced a user-pays system for all roads. If you drive to Bulgaria, you will need to purchase a ‘vignette’, available at the border when you enter the country. Vignettes for a passenger car cost €59 for a year, €10 for a month or €4 for a week and cover you for travel on all roads. Police check vignettes and issue an on-the-spot fine of 1,000 lev (€500) for vehicles without one or with a vignette that has expired.

Speed Limits

Speed limits are 60kph (35mph) in built-up areas and either 80kph (50mph) or 120kph (75mph) on main roads; speed limit signs are in Roman numerals. If you commit a traffic offence, the police are authorised only to issue you with a ticket (citation) and there are no on-the-spot fines, yet drivers of cars with foreign registration plates are sometimes stopped and ‘fined’ for minor (or non-existent) breaches of road rules. It is, however, compulsory for all vehicle occupants to wear seatbelts, and talking on a mobile phone while driving is illegal.