The Green Card System is designed to fulfil two principal objectives:

1. To facilitate the movement of vehicles across international borders through an internationally acceptable document proving the existence of insurance (the green card or International Insurance Card).

2. To ensure that victims of accidents involving foreign registered vehicles are not disadvantaged.

Green Card

The green card is an international certificate of insurance providing visiting motorists with proof of the minimum compulsory insurance cover required by the law of the country visited. 47 countries in Europe, Asia and North Africa participate in the Green Card System.

Green cards are issued by motor insurers. If you are planning to take your UK-registered vehicle abroad, you should contact your insurer to find out whether a green card is necessary. Where possible, this should be done at least one month before travel.

The UK is part of the Green Card Free Circulation Area (GCFCA), which comprises all 30 European Economic Area (EEA) countries as well as Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Switzerland. UK-based drivers do not need to carry green cards for their vehicles when travelling to these countries.

Whilst there is no charge applicable for issuing a green card, insurers may charge an administration fee to cover their internal costs. If cover is increased at the same time the green card is issued, the insurer is entitled to make a charge for the extension of cover. The provision of this additional cover is at the discretion of the individual insurer.

Full details of the scope of the Green Card System can be found on the Council of Bureaux website, which includes an interactive map of the countries in the system.

The functions of national Green Card Bureaux

A National Insurers' Bureau (Green Card Bureau) guarantees that a victim of a road traffic accident caused by a foreign vehicle, originating from a country participating in the Green Card System, will be compensated in the country of accident. The National Insurers’ Bureau

of the country of accident can then recover all compensations paid from the Bureau of the country where the responsible vehicle is normally based.

Each Green Card Bureau has two functions:

• As a "Bureau of the country of the accident" or “Handling Bureau”, it has responsibility, in line with national laws governing compulsory motor insurance, for the handling and settlement of claims arising from accidents caused by visiting motorists.
• As a "Guaranteeing Bureau" it guarantees the settlement of claims arising from UK vehicles in the entire Green Card System.

Green Card Information for Members

Information on issuing green cards is given in MIB’s guide and Green Card Q&A, available to MIB members on request.