Driving in Europe, car insurance and car accidents

Civil Liability for vehicles: for those travelling across the EU

Within the European Union, it is possible to sign a contract for the insurance policy – compulsory for civil liability and optional for the other risks like theft, fire etc) – with every insurance company operating in a Member State. Nevertheless, it is mandatory to send a communication to the insurance control authority of the country where the vehicle is registered: such a communication is sent by the correspondent authority of the country where the insurance company is established. Furthermore, the company has to be a member of the National Insurance Office and of the Guarantee Fund in all the countries where intends to sell its insurance products, besides of course having an authorized representative for the settlement of accidents.

When the insurance policy is started, the Green Card (the international insurance certificate) is automatically issued: its expiry date is the same of the insurance policy itself. The Green card is not necessary for EU vehicles to travel within the European Union. The Green Card may be issued, upon request, even at a later stage, by the same insurance company issuing the policy, or purchased at the Borders Offices.