International Insurance
Certificate: the definitive guide
Do you need the CIS (formerly the Green Card) in order to drive your vehicle abroad? Here are all the answers.
If you have got this far, it is because you have doubts about the CIS: what it really is, which countries you need it in, how to obtain it or what happens if you do not have it…
You will find the answers to all these questions in this guide.
We are OFESAUTO, the Spanish National Bureau for the International Insurance Certificate.
Your vehicle's International Insurance Certificate
It is the International Insurance Certificate for third-party liability of motor land vehicles. It was commonly known as the Green Card because it was printed on green paper. However, in Spain it has had a digital format since 2021 and is printed on a blank sheet of paper.
Consequently, the official name of the insurance, previously “Green Card” colloquially, is now the CIS: International Insurance Certificate.
The International Insurance Certificate is internationally accepted as proof of the existence of motor insurance outside the European Economic Area, and it protects Spanish victims of accidents caused by foreign vehicles.
In fact, when we talk about the CIS, we should be talking about the International Insurance System. Thanks to it, back in the 1950s the use of this document was agreed to identify motor insurance between various countries. It was then that the National Insurers’ Bureaux were created, along with the CoB. In Spain, OFESAUTO is the National Insurers’ Bureau.
Thanks to this agreement between countries, an International Insurance Certificate can only be issued by a country that is a member of the System. Consequently, it will always refer to a vehicle that is insured and registered in those countries.
How do they differ?
In no way!
They are the same document.
The difference is that this document used to be colloquially called the Green Card because it was printed in green.
But that is no longer the case.
ReCIS exclusively for insurance companies
If you work for an insurance company, this is of interest to you.
Since 2021, OFESAUTO has launched a unique online platform with which you can request or check the International Insurance Certificates issued. Contracting is direct, with automatic PDF download and real-time queries.
This is the ReCIS platform, a pioneer within the EEA. Thanks to it, the following is guaranteed: ease of processing and verification of legitimacy at the moment of an accident.
It is no longer the Green Card, it is now the CIS
Although we have been calling it the Green Card for many years, in 2021 it stopped being green. This is why the name changed to CIS: the International Insurance Certificate for motor vehicles.
You can now receive the CIS from your insurance company in your email and print it on ordinary paper (white A4).
But remember, your insurance company is not obliged to give you the CIS. Even so, do not worry, you will still be able to travel abroad with your vehicle, but you will need Frontier Insurance when entering the countries on your route.
State Security Forces
If you belong to the State Security Forces in relation to traffic, and you want to verify the authenticity of one, I advise you to read specifically what it should be like in: Valid formats of the CIS or former Green Card or find specific information about the lawful movement of vehicles.
How long is the International Insurance Certificate (CIS) valid for?
The maximum duration is 1 year from its date of issue, and the minimum is 15 days.
Maximum duration
from its date of issue
Minimum duration
What does my vehicle's International Insurance Certificate cover?
The purpose and cover of the vehicle’s International Insurance Certificate are as follows:
1
Prove that you carry valid insurance when driving your vehicle in certain foreign countries
Typical question:
When do I need the CIS for my insurance?
Whenever you drive your vehicle in the 13 non-EU countries where it is required, it will prove, to any authority, that you have compulsory third-party liability insurance for your vehicle in force.
If you fail to carry it, depending on which country you are in, you could be committing an offence by not proving that you are insured.
2
Guaranteeing compensation for the victims of an accident involving a foreign vehicle
Even more importantly, the International Insurance Certificate (CIS, formerly the Green Card) guarantees, as a minimum, the compensation cover of the Compulsory Motor Insurance in the country where the road accident occurred.
You may be interested in reading our article:
Where is the International Insurance Certificate (formerly the Green Card) required in order to drive?
Check whether or not your destination requires the International Insurance Certificate.
It is NOT required
EEA countries
The CIS (International Insurance Certificate) IS NOT REQUIRED in the European Economic Area. Nor is it necessary to present the CIS in Andorra, Switzerland (including Liechtenstein), Iceland or Norway.
The cover of an insurance policy issued in any of the aforementioned countries allows you to drive between them without needing anything else.
YES, you need the CIS
Countries outside the EEA
In all these countries YOU NEED THE CIS, or failing that, Frontier Insurance.
On our blog you will find articles that answer recurring questions about:
How to obtain the International Insurance Certificate for your car
Similar to what the Green Card used to be, as it is a document linked to your car’s compulsory third-party liability insurance, it will be your insurance company that issues it for you. But bear in mind that insurers are not obliged to provide it to you.
If you cannot get it, you always have Frontier Insurance as an alternative. You can take out this insurance at the border of each non-European foreign country you are going to drive through.
If you have an accident abroad
If you still have doubts about whether or not to drive your vehicle abroad, I recommend two reads: how to find out the financial cover of the compulsory motor insurance according to country?, to know how far you are financially insured; or exactly what measures to take in the event of an accident abroad with another vehicle.
Log in
First, if you cause an accident outside Spain, identify yourself, providing your vehicle and insurance details. Always try to use the Accident Statement Form (European Accident Statement) and, if you can, take photos of the accident. Do this wherever you are and regardless of nationality.
Show your CIS
If the country in which you are driving your vehicle requires the International Insurance Certificate (CIS), or you have a Green Card that is still valid, show it to the injured party or to the Authorities assisting you. This will allow your insurance details to be understood and recorded and your cover to be verified.
Notify your insurer
Call roadside assistance and report the accident to your insurance company in Spain and to the National Bureau of the country in which the accident occurred. Your insurer will normally take care of all the paperwork, so call them first. Use this tool to find out which entity should handle your claim.
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