Some might say that digital Green Cards should really have been in use since the late 2000s, rather than people printing off, or waiting for Royal Mail to deliver a paper copy. But anyway, at last a modern 21st century solution is up and running. Next step should be to sync this document to tourist ETIAS Visas via a simple Upload box for all UK and EU travellers.
That would help centralise so much FNOL data in the event of any criminal investigations, accidents, claims and so on. Let’s hope the EU see sense and get busy on that aspect in 2025.
Here’s the word;
From 1 January 2025, all countries that make up the Green Card system will be required to accept Green Cards electronically as proof of insurance, thanks to the work of MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) in partnership with COB, which administers the Green Card system, and its members from 47 countries across Europe and beyond.
This change means that insurers don’t need to ask their policyholders to print and carry a physical Green Card, adding convenience for both motorists and insurers.
In 2020, MIB led the way by allowing motorists visiting the UK to present their Green Cards in “electronic format” upon entry. Now, UK motorists will enjoy that same convenience when travelling to Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Morocco, North Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Angus Eaton, CEO at MIB, said:
“Expanding the use of digital Green Cards is a significant step forward in simplifying cross-border travel experiences for motorists.
“By allowing all drivers to carry a digital Green Card on a mobile device, instead of a physical copy, this makes the process of taking a vehicle abroad quicker and easier for everyone involved.
“We’d like to thank COB and our wider international counterparts, for helping to ensure the digital Green Card scheme could be expanded. As representatives of the UK Green Card system, we’ll continue our vital work to ensure cross-border travel stays hassle-free, to help keep drivers moving across Europe and beyond.”
A Green Card is an international certificate of insurance which gives visiting motorists the proof of minimum compulsory insurance, required by the law of the country visited.
47 countries in Europe, Asia and North Africa participate in the Green Card System.
If travelling within what is known as the Green Card Free Circulation Area, UK motorists are not required to have a Green Card. This includes anywhere in the European Economic Area (EEA), Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Switzerland.
The Green Card system spans 7.5 million square kilometres globally, covering around 500 million vehicles. It is coordinated by COB, an international organisation based in Brussels. MIB looks after the system on behalf of the UK.
The system also protects victims of traffic accidents, providing a platform for settling claims arising from collisions caused by foreign vehicles in the UK and UK-based vehicles in the other 46 countries of the Green Card system.
Over the last 20 years the work of COB and its members have helped nearly 8 million victims of cross border traffic accidents receive compensation.
Find out more about the Green Card system at https://www.mib.org.uk/driving-abroad/
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