Green Card

From the Second World War onwards, the increase of the road traffic made it necessary to design a system which managed and accelerated the traffic of vehicles through international frontiers.

This question was tackled by the United Nations, which decided to recommend a solution based on a system originally introduced in the Nordic Countries in the 30s.

The above-mentioned recommendation was tackled in the so called "Recommendations of Geneva" where the current "System of the Green Card" was born.

The Green Card System is designed to fulfil two main aims:

• To facilitate the traffic of vehicles through international frontiers with the use of an internationally accepted document that proves the existence of insurance.
• To make sure that victims of accidents caused by foreign vehicles do not find themselves at a disadvantage.

This system came into force in 1952. Currently there are more than 40 countries subjected to this system, including all the European countries except Russia.

The Green Card does not offer a specific insurance coverage on itself, but if it is in force in the moment of the accident, it guarantees at least the minimum coverage of the compulsory insurance in the country where the accident has occurred.

A Green Card has to be issued by any of the countries that belong to the System, but taking into account that the vehicle can only be insured in its country of registration.