Run international bus or coach services and tours
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-09)

What UK bus and coach operators need to do to provide services, tours, holidays and trips into the EU and other countries.

You can run 3 main types of international bus or coach services:
- a regular service - this follows a timetable and picks up and drops passengers at fixed points on a specified route
- a special regular service - this is a regular service that only carries specified types of passengers (for example, taking workers between home and work)
- an occasional service - this covers all types of journeys not counted as a regular or special regular service (for example, one-off tourist trips)
How you apply and the fees you need to pay depend on:
- which type of service you want to run
- which countries you want to operate in
Apply for an operator licence

To transport passengers internationally by road, you need either a:
- standard international operator licence for Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/psv-operator-licences)
- standard international operator licence for Northern Ireland (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/driving-or-operating-taxis-and-buses/bus-operator-licensing)
Register your vehicle trailers

You must register these types of trailers before you drive to or through most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway:
- commercial trailers weighing over 750kg
- non-commercial trailers weighing over 3,500kg
Register your trailer to take it abroad (https://www.gov.uk/register-trailer-to-take-abroad).

Get approval to run a regular service or a special regular service

Regular services

A regular service follows a timetable and picks up and drops passengers at fixed points on a specified route.

It can take up to 6 months to get a regular service authorised.

Special regular services

A special regular service is a regular service which only carries specified types of passengers. For example, it might take workers between home and work. It’s not allowed to transport any other types of passengers.

It can take up to 6 months to get a special regular service authorised.

Where you can run regular services and special regular services

You can only run a regular service or special regular service to EU countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Moldova (and Ukraine from 1 May 2025). Your service must either start or end in the UK.

You cannot run a service that both starts and ends within the EU, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova or Ukraine (this is called cabotage), except for services operating between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Apply to run your regular service or special regular service

To apply, download and fill in an application form.

(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e5806655be617e1490d68a/apply-international-regular-coach-service.odt)

Apply to run a regular or special regular international bus or coach service (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e5806655be617e1490d68a/apply-international-regular-coach-service.odt)

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If your service uses the UK landbridge to Ireland or involves cabotage on the island of Ireland

To apply, download and fill in this application form if your service either:
- uses the UK landbridge to Ireland
- involves cabotage on the island of Ireland
(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e580b7bb6002588a90d68c/apply-international-regular-coach-service-cabotage-ireland.odt)

Apply to run a regular or special regular service that uses the UK landbridge to Ireland or involves cabotage on the island of Ireland (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e580b7bb6002588a90d68c/apply-international-regular-coach-service-cabotage-ireland.odt)

ODT, 13.8 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-open-document-formats-odf-in-your-organisation) format

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

How to send your application form

Send the completed form to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) with:
- the application fee of £180 (this is non-refundable if your application is unsuccessful)
- supporting information for your application
You can email your application and supporting information to DVSA if you’re paying by credit card.

DVSA International Road Haulage Permits Office xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Or you can send your application by post.

International Road Haulage Permit OfficeQuarry HouseQuarry HillLeedsLS2 7UE

You need to send the following information with your application form:
- the service timetable
- fare scales
- information about the type and volume of the service that you plan to provide
- a map on an appropriate scale that shows the route and the stopping points where passengers are to be picked up and set down
- a driving schedule so that driving and rest periods can be checked for compliance
- a list of partners or sub-contractors (if there are any), with a copy of their operator licence
- any extra information you think is relevant to support your application
If you’re applying as a consortium

If you want to act as a consortium with other operators to provide a pooled service, nominate one to apply on behalf of all the partners. They should be based in the country where the route begins or ends.

What happens next

DVSA will ask each country on the service’s route to approve the application.

The countries will tell DVSA if they’ve approved your application. If they do not give DVSA a decision within 4 months, they’re counted as having approved your application.

DVSA will make a final decision on your application within 6 months of the date you sent it.

If your application is approved, DVSA will ask you to pay the ‘grant charge’ - this is a fee for each year you want the service to run.

Pay the grant charge and pay for certified copies of your authorisation for each vehicle.

DVSA will send your authorisation and certified copies.

Pay the grant charge

The grant charge validates your authorisation for each year you want the service to run.

You can choose to validate the service for between 1 and 5 years. After 5 years, you need to renew your service and pay the application fees again.

You get one free copy of your service authorisation. You need to pay for each extra certified copy of your service authorisation you need. These must be carried in your vehicles.

Example You apply to run a regular service between London and Paris. You want the service to run for 5 years.

You pay the grant charge for 5 years (£38 multiplied by 5 = £190).

You need 10 copies of the service authorisation for your vehicles (£13 multiplied by 10 = £130).

You pay DVSA a total of £320 (£190 plus £130).

Getting your authorisation documents

DVSA will send you the service authorisation and certified copies when you’ve paid the grant charge and for the copies.

The service authorisation includes:
- the authorisation pages, which give details of the service - it has a unique number on it
- the timetable
- the fare table
- the drivers’ hours schedule
- a map of the route
- a list of subcontractors involved in running the service (if applicable)
Documents your driver needs to carry about the service

Your driver needs to carry copies of:
- the regular service’s authorisation
- the contract (or equivalent document) between you and the company providing any additional vehicles, if applicable
For special regular services, the driver also needs to carry copies of the contract between you and the service’s organiser.

Your driver also needs to carry other vehicle documents (#vehicle-documents) and driver documents (#driver-documents).

What your passengers need

Your passengers need to have either an individual or collective valid travel ticket throughout the journey. This needs to show:
- the departure and destination points, and where appropriate, the return journey
- the period of validity of the ticket
- the price of the transport
The tickets might need to be shown to authorised inspecting officers during the journey.

Make changes to your regular service or special regular service

How you make changes to your service depends on how big the change is.

Make small changes to departure times

Email DVSA if you want to change departure times for your service.

DVSA International Road Haulage Permits Office xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

It’s free of charge to make these changes.

Add, change or remove a partner from the service

Email DVSA if you want to change add, change or remove a partner from the service.

DVSA International Road Haulage Permits Office xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

You’ll need to pay for updated copies of the service authorisation. DVSA will tell you how to do this when you request the change.

Make a complete change to the services

You need to send a new application (#apply-regular-service) if you want to make a complete change to the service, for example, changing the start or end destination. You’ll have to pay all the application fees again.

You then need to send your old service’s authorisation documents back to DVSA.

International Road Haulage Permit OfficeQuarry HouseQuarry HillLeedsLS2 7UE

Renew your regular service or special regular service

You should apply to renew your regular service or special regular service at least 6 months before your current authorisation expires.

To renew your service, follow the same process as you do to apply to start a new service (#apply-regular-service).

Run an occasional service

An occasional service is a service that is not classed as a regular service or a special regular service. It includes things like one-off tourist trips.

Occasional services can be either:
- liberalised
- non-liberalised
You need to apply for approval from DVSA if your service is non-liberalised.

Where you can run occasional services

You can run occasional services in:
- 36 countries who are part of an international agreement called the Interbus Agreement - it covers all EU countries (https://www.gov.uk/eu-eea) and 9 non-EU countries
- other countries the UK has separate agreements with
Interbus countries

The Interbus Agreement covers all EU countries, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK. Your service must either start or end in the UK.

You cannot run a service that both starts and ends within the EU or other Interbus countries (this is called cabotage), except for services operating between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Non-Interbus countries the UK has agreements with

The UK has agreements with Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, and Tunisia.

You cannot currently run bus or coach services in Belarus or Russia because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

What you need to do if your service is liberalised

Your service will be liberalised if it:
- is a closed-door holiday tour
- leaves the UK with passengers, drops them off at their location, and returns to the UK without passengers
- leaves the UK without passengers, picks up all passengers at a single location to bring them back to the UK, under certain conditions
Example of a liberalised occasional bus or coach service A holiday tour that takes a group of passengers from the UK to various destinations in the EU and back. The passengers book the trip in advance and there are no extra passengers picked up or dropped off along the way.

You do not need to apply for approval to run this type of service, but you must buy a journey form that gives the service’s details.

What you need to do if your service is non-liberalised

If your service does not meet the requirements of a liberalised service or the arrangements in place between the UK and the EU including those on the island of Ireland, it will be a non-liberalised service.

Your service will usually be a non-liberalised service if:
- you do not have a contract with the passengers you are transporting
- it does not have a fixed passenger list
Example of a non-liberalised occasional bus or coach service A shuttle service that transports passengers between stadiums in the UK and France for a sports tournament. There is no fixed passenger list or contract with the passengers you are transporting.

You need to:
- apply for approval from DVSA
- buy a journey form that gives the service’s details
Buy and fill in a journey form

You need to buy a journey form for all occasional services.

You need to buy either:
- an ‘Interbus Journey Form’ for services in EU and other Interbus countries
- a ‘Transit Journey Form’ for services on the island of Ireland, and services to non-Interbus countries the UK has agreements with
If you travel through EU countries to reach non-Interbus countries the UK has agreements with, you only need a Transit Journey Form.

You need to carry the journey form in the vehicle during the international journey.

Order the journey form online from the Confederation of Passenger Transport. (https://www.cpt-uk.org/shop/)

It can take up to 5 working days to get the journey forms after you’ve ordered them.

How much the forms cost

The price includes postage and VAT.

Apply to approve your non-liberalised service

To apply, download and fill in the application form.

(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e5803987cebda7c4ca4cfa/apply-non-liberalised-occasional-service.odt)

Apply to run a non-liberalised occasional service (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e5803987cebda7c4ca4cfa/apply-non-liberalised-occasional-service.odt)

ODT, 24.7 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-open-document-formats-odf-in-your-organisation) format

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Send the completed form to DVSA with scan or photo of your PSV Certified Copy (previously called a community licence).

DVSA International Road Haulage Permits Office xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Or you can send your application by post.

International Road Haulage Permit OfficeQuarry HouseQuarry HillLeedsLS2 7UE

What happens next

DVSA will ask:
- the destination country to approve the application - if the journey is between the UK and the EU
- each country on the service’s route to approve the application - if the journey is between the UK and a non-EU country
The countries will tell DVSA if they have approved your application.

DVSA will make a decision on your application within 30 days of the date you sent it.

If your service is approved, DVSA will send your authorisation in the post.

Get the right vehicle documents

Your driver will need to carry the right vehicle documents with them during international journeys. These include:
- vehicle registration documents
- vehicle and trailer insurance documents
- UK stickers (previously GB stickers)
- vehicle operator licences and permits
Your drivers do not need an insurance green card to drive in the EU (including Ireland), Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia or Switzerland. You must still have suitable insurance.

Check what vehicle documents your drivers need to carry during international journeys (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-bus-or-coach-services-and-tours-vehicle-documents).

Make sure your driver is eligible to drive abroad

Your driver will need to carry the right documents about themselves with them during international journeys. These include:
- a valid UK driving licence
- a valid Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) card
- a valid passport
- an international driving permit (IDP) if they need one for the countries they’re travelling in
- healthcare documents
Check what documents your driver needs to carry about themselves during international journeys (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-bus-or-coach-services-and-tours-driver-documents).

Check local road rules

Contact the British Embassy in the country (https://www.gov.uk/world/embassies) for advice on whether restrictions will apply to your route.

Check the road rules for European countries on the AA website (https://www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-europe/country-by-country).

Check travel advice for countries outside Europe (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice).

What to do if your vehicle is involved in a road accident

Your drivers should contact their insurance provider if they’re involved in a road accident in an EU country.

Any legal proceedings against either the responsible driver or the insurance provider of the vehicle need to be brought in the EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, depending on where the accident happened. You might have to make your claim in the local language.

You may not get compensation in some countries if the accident is caused by an uninsured driver or if the driver cannot be traced.

Get legal advice (https://www.gov.uk/find-a-legal-adviser) if you need more information about this.