Mandatory or non-mandatory
The international motor insurance card, also known as the green card, is proof that a motor vehicle is at least covered by insurance for civil liability. The purpose of this document is to identify the countries in which motor insurance is valid. The Green Card looks the same everywhere in Europe, so the proof is recognisable and "readable" by everyone.
In this article, we focus on the use of these documents when driving around in Spain with a Spanish car.
No longer compulsory in Spain - Spanish vehicles
The international motor insurance card is an on-board document that you can keepon your mobile phone or with your on-board documents, but it is no longer compulsory in Spain. If you take to the public roads in Spain, you must be insured for at least your civil liability - the public authorities in Spain can check this at any time on the basis of the car's number plate.
If it is advisable to keep your insurance documents on your mobile phone, don't forget to share the document if other drivers are also driving the car. It is always useful to have your details at hand in case of a check-up, an accident or when you go to the technical inspection.
International
The International Motor Insurance Card is valid in the countries which are either not crossed out in the list of countries mentioned on the card. Or in the countries mentioned on the card. If you are travelling to a country which is not covered by the international motor insurance card, you canask your insurerfor a guarantee extension for that country. Alternatively, you can take out additional insurance at the border for the country you are visiting.
When travelling abroad, we recommend that you always carry a paper version with you. That way, if there are technical problems or if your smartphone is stolen, you can still produce the necessary documents. It is also possible that the authorities of the visited country will only accept a printed document.
It is true that in most countries, the police use the number plate to check whether there is insurance cover (so even foreign number plates are included in a central database). But beware, not in all countries the police works this way and they will still ask for your green card. Before you leave, always find out what the rules are in the country you are visiting.
The green card for the caravan or trailer is mandatory in more countries. The idea behind this is that the insurance of a caravan with its own registration plate is often not registered. Spain is, among others, a country where the green card for a caravan or trailer is mandatory if it has a different licence plate.
Digital or paper version
The insurance documents can be provided in various forms and are recognised in the following forms:
- Can be printed on both green and white paper
- Now also exists in electronic form so that you can save it on your mobile
- Has black letters on a white background
- Does not need to be double-sided, can be on 2 documents
Some insurers offer the insurance certificate only in digital form. In that case, you can save your insurance card on your mobile phone or print it out yourself and keep it with the board documents. More and more, the paper version will disappear and you will almost be obliged to save your data digitally.
Advantage of the International Insurance Certificate
It is true that the green card has the advantage that you have all the insurance details at hand which are necessary to fill in the claim form in case of damage. Often the authorities where you should be in case of breakdown, accident, broken windows and theft are also mentioned, both at home and abroad.
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