Please, don't forget the green card!

hi Bruce,aim travelling over to Bulgaria in June.I have asked my insurance company twice for a green card.They say its not needed for eu countries.If they won't provide one,what to do?.

Bruce, there is no need of a insurance green card at the border of Romania, as it is an EU country.  Your insurance company is full of it.

Bulgaria is also party to the EU and shouldn't require it, but I cannot speak on that side of the border definitively.

Romaniac
Expat.com Experts Team

Hi,,,Romaniac is correct,,,,You don,t need a green card,,i drove thro Europe to BG last year,,my UK Insurance covered me for 90 days in Europe

Hi Bruce

What a very stressful experience!  But what Green Card?  What is a green card?  We travelled over in our Tranny loaded to the hilt, drove around Bulgaria quite a lot and drove home again.  We didn't have  green card but we were covered for EU travel and breakdown cover.  Is this mysterious green card something you need when leaving once and for all?

Corter wrote:

Hi Bruce

What a very stressful experience!  But what Green Card?  What is a green card?  We travelled over in our Tranny loaded to the hilt, drove around Bulgaria quite a lot and drove home again.  We didn't have  green card but we were covered for EU travel and breakdown cover.  Is this mysterious green card something you need when leaving once and for all?

This will explain it   It is mostly relevant for non-EU member countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internati … ard_System

Romaniac
Expat.com Experts Team

From Confused.com

What’s a Green Card?

It's an internationally recognised document that acts as proof of insurance in Europe.

While it’s no longer required in most countries, taking one will make it easier if you need to make a claim or exchange details with another driver or the police.

Countries that still need a Green Card are: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Israel, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Thank you Corter,
Even confused .com seem to be ignorant of the fact that Bulgaria and also Romania , need this as well. You even have to specify the exact date's you intend to cross the border! Big Brother...

You DO NOT need any green/blue/yellow card to tavel thro europe from UK,,,all you need to carry is your Euro Driving licence & Ins Docs for car,,i told my Ins company what route i was taking & no card required,,,you do not have to give any dates you are crossing borders

Eddie

I have to agree with you

Well Eddie, I can only convey to others that which was conveyed to me by Admiral Insurance! This, In hopes of maybe preventing any conflict with the authorities! If however you can supply me with some legal stuff or the exact whereabouts of such information which totally contradicts the opinion of the people who have the power to end my journey in an instant, then I would welcome such input!  I was very much of the same opinion as yourself, until I made one phone call  to my insurance to inform them I was travelling across to Bulgaria, and within minutes my plans had gone out of the window! They asked exactly which countries I would be travelling through and the exact date I intended to cross the borders! I said I couldn't be certain and was then pushed to make the decision as to the date! They then also insisted I allow 14 days for a green card to be delivered and signed for! We may both be right or wrong, I'd rather be safe than sorry myself, it's a long road to get caught out. All the best .

Terry says cancel your insurance with Admiral - we've had nothing but trouble with them.  He's using One Call and is very pleased - covered for both EU travel and breakdown without a green card

Terry, how ironic is that I was with one-call up until x mas last year, but admiral came in £136 cheaper. now I know why! We live and learn. :-)

Hooray! Finally, the verdict is in! Admiral insurance this morning admitted much to my annoyance that as expressed by the MIB (Motor Insurers Bureau) no green card is mandatory, it is only advisable in the case of any need for a claim! I am therefore claiming reimbursement for the cost of changing my travel dates and ferry booking! The journey will now go ahead with or without the green card!  For those who don't know what the green card is, it is merely an official certificate of compliance and an international agreement between insurers to cover the driver for the minimum requirement in a country or group of countries such as the EU! Apparently cover outside of the UK is third party only, yet to be confirmed by others I suppose someone will know as usual! :-)

Both myself, and others have pointed all of that out last week Bruce 

Romaniac, your unnecessary and unhelpful sarcasm directed at me,  is duly noted!  I was only relating my fiasco as it unfolded, to my friends on here, but should have known someone not among them would have a go at me! Thank you for that!

Now,  Since your attention has fallen on me, tell me something I don't already know! Like the answer to my other query since you, unlike myself,  are gifted with infinite knowledge of all things and labelled as an expert!

What would have been the result if I had been found over the GVW of my vehicle, half way across Europe? Since had it not been for the green card issue I would not have thought to check the weight of my Sprinter but instead,  set off on my journey because it both looked, drove and handled fine!

We were weighed for the first time in Bulgaria  as we exited the car ferry from Romania to Nikopol in Bulgaria.  We were hugely over weight and no one batted an eye.  We were also checked at customs in Calais and they didn't bat an eyelid either.  Now considering the van was extremely low and we had definitely circumvented the 3.5 tonne limit we had no problems what so ever.  I would like to hazard a guess that those on a commercial license are probably those who are checked as if they supersede the 3.5 tonne a Tacho has to be fitted to the vehicle.  It matters not really - some of us are cautious Caroles and some of us are devil may care Dudleys.  We makes our choices and takes the consequences!

We take the green card because we go through Serbia, it's very nice trip through Slovenia and Croatia