Tinted Windows In Europe and Around the World (updated Feb 2016)
So you’ve worked out how to get petrol when you’re abroad. Next on your list of vehicle considerations is how to stop light getting into where you’re sleeping. If you’re thinking of doing a longer term driving expedition, you need to know about the worldwide laws surrounding tinted windows.
It’s probably occurred to you that it would be a Very Good Thing if you could sleep in your camper conversion without having passers-by staring into your lovely portable home while you sleep. Other people like the UV protection, and lone female travellers like to avoid unwanted attention of men in countries like UAE or Iran.
However, while the EU has passed a decisive law on the matter, individual EU member states have still made their own laws about it. One country has completely outlawed any tint. And then there’s the rest of the world; beyond the EU, in Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine, for example, it’s very difficult to find out what the legalities are for tinted windows.
The other complication is that, for the most part, these laws only apply to citizens of the country which made the law, so if you’re passing through, you’ll probably (but not necessarily) be able to get away with it in a UK registered car. Once you’ve stayed in the same country for more than 180 days, it becomes a legal requirement to follow their car maintenance and tax laws, and remember that your car will still have to be fully road-legal for the UK before you drive onto that ferry home, as well.
Here’s a breakdown of the tint laws, ranked by percentage tint.
100% Black tint on all windows – not legal, anywhere. In Britain it was outlawed for front side windows in 2003. It reduces the distance of your visibility and has been shown to increase the chance of an accident (although this could be something to do with the fact that drug dealers etc tend to have tinted windows, and they don’t exactly drive carefully, so perhaps they should be cracking down on drug dealers, not tinted windows).
Rear Windows:
100% black tint on rear window and rear-side windows (after the B post) is legal in these countries:
UK, Germany (must have a manufacturing approval number at least once on each window, and you must carry a document explaining who did the tint and with the same approval number on it), Spain (same paperwork as for Germany), Belgium (but must be certified by the Glass Institute and if you’re putting any tint on rear window, you must have two wing mirrors), France (providing it doesn’t deform or reduce visibility, and has been certified), Czech Republic (but must be certified), Italy (must be certified), Russia, Spain (but film must be approved for use in Spain and certified), Poland (same as for Spain).
From people’s experience, lots of travellers found it impossible to get tinting film that was approved for either Spain or Poland, because they haven’t actually approved any that are reasonably available to buy at the time of writing.
80% tint or 20% VLT (visible light transmission) on rear window and rear-side windows (after the B-post) is legal in Austria (and 20% tint (80% VLT) on front windows),
65% tint or 35% VLT is legal in Australia (all windows)
60% tint or 40% VLT on rear window and rear-side windows (after the B-post) is legal in Denmark.
30% tint or 70% VLT on rear window and rear-side windows (after the B-post) is legal in Finland, Hungary.
Front Windows:
25% tint – 75% VLT – on front windows and front windscreen is legal in these countries: UK, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, and Russia.
30% tint – 70% VLT – on front windows and front windscreen is legal in Belgium, Malta, and United Arab Emirates.
No tint whatsoever on front windows or front side windows forward of B-pillar: Italy, France (you’re allowed a low tint on sides but nothing on front), Spain,
65% tint – 35% VLT is legal in Australia (all windows).
Total Tint Ban:
0% Tint – all windows must be 100% transparent – Portugal, Belarus, Libya, Kuwait, Bolivia, Iraq, Kenya, Pakistan. Almost all of these are recent law changes and are due to violence and the ongoing threat of terrorism. Except Portugal. They’re just being silly for such a hot country. Egypt and Cyprus – unless it’s the actual glass rather than a tinted film. Tinted glass appears to be fine at any transparency in Cyprus and Egypt, but tinted film is totally banned.
Unusual Exceptions:
Greece – they state that all passengers and driver must be visible at all times, so some tint is probably OK but dark tints would not be. I would be a bit concerned about taking a tinted vehicle to Greece because they’re not very specific.
Tunisia – they say tints are allowed but should not be so heavily tinted that it is not possible to see into the car from outside, but they don’t specify a percentage.
Tajikistan – no tinting at all unless you buy a tinting “licence” to own tinted windows – at about $500 per vehicle.
India – total tint ban for film, but if it’s come from the manufacturer, it can be 30% tinted – so 70% VLT – in front and rear windows, and 50% tinted on the side windows.
America – state vs federal law in the USA, and a similar thing in Canada, appears to over-complicate the tinting requirements depending on which state you are in. This helpful article explains it all (near the bottom): http://www.ritrama.com/ritrama/userfiles/file/prodotti/Car_Window_Tinting_Laws.pdf
Turkmenistan – Window tints are totally illegal, but Turkmenistan deserved a separate entry because the following are also illegal: 2 door cars, engines over 3 litres, cars older than 5 years of age, black coloured cars are also banned and so are any kind of sports cars. Source here (about halfway down the article): https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-strange-things-banned-in-countries
Notable lack of information:
There was no information despite hours of detailed searches for the following countries: Romania, Morocco, Mongolia, Iran, China – apparently some tints are illegal in China, but there’s no specifics (see the only reference I could find)
Tanzania – taxis and buses should not have tinted windows but there’s a distinct lack of information regarding the legality of private vehicles.
Got any inside info on countries I could add to this article? Let me know in the comments!
References:
France: http://www.connexionfrance.com/Tinted-car-windows-ban-Pechenard-90kph-80kph-15171-view-article.html
Bolivia: http://www.carthrottle.com/post/the-10-most-awesome-cop-stories-youve-lived-through/
Kenya: http://allafrica.com/stories/201405161523.html
Libya: http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=7778
Tunisia: http://www.ediplomat.com/np/post_reports/pr_tn.htm
Sudan: http://catholicradionetwork.org/?q=node/7211
Tajikistan: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63670
China: http://www.scmp.com/article/376926/tinted-window-law-not-tough-enough
Pakistan: http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/pakistan/main/2013/03/28/feature-01
Any other countries mentioned: http://www.ritrama.com/ritrama/userfiles/file/prodotti/Car_Window_Tinting_Laws.pdf
Mama Adventure 
2 responses to “International Window Tinting Laws for Cars Driving Around the World”
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Thanks! I took a look at your article too – I never knew window tint film was so technological!
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