Don’t Forget to Order your Green Card

The UK Government has advised that if the UK leaves the EU without an agreed withdrawal deal then motor policyholders may be required to carry a Green Card if they wish to travel within the EU/EEA, including the Republic of Ireland.

At this stage, different insurers are treating the issuing of Green Cards differently.  The advice is that during the transition period, which ends in December, there is no need for a Green Card.  The insured should be able to carry a copy of their Motor Certificate which will show whether their policy extends for cover in the EU.  It is worth checking if your policy does extend for travel in the EU.

A Green Card is a physical document printed on approved green paper.  It shows that the vehicle is insured for the minimum level of cover required by law to be driven in the specified countries. However, it doesn’t confirm comprehensive insurance.

Therefore, we’ll request a Green Card from your insurance company, if it’s needed.

Requests should be made 15 – 30 days before travel to allow time for the Green Card document to be produced and sent out to you.

When requesting a Green Card, please title the Subject Heading in the email ‘Green Card request’ and include the following information:

• policyholder name and number
• dates of travel
• name/s of the driver/s
• name/s of the countries visited
• vehicle registration number, make and model
• trailer details

We also want to draw your attention to the fact that all commercial trailers over 750kg and all other trailers over 3,500kg must be registered before travel, so they can be taken through some EU/EEA countries.  A separate Green Card will be issued for those trailers in addition to the towing vehicle.