Green card and car insurance in Spain

What is the green card?

The "tarjeta/carta verde" or green card is a document to prove that the driver has adequate insurance cover ( third party liability insurance) for driving abroad.

What is it for?

This green card was designed to serve two purposes: to facilitate the movement of cars across international borders and to ensure that victims of accidents caused by foreign vehicles are not disadvantaged.

In which countries is the Green Card compulsory?

The countries are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Israel, Iran, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Russia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine .

Do I need the Green card to drive to UK, with Brexit?

The UK government has indicated that it is not compulsory to carry a "Green Card" (International Insurance Certificate). It is necessary to have any document issued by the insurer that proves the existence of compulsory insurance cover, whether it is the Green Card or another document, and it can be either in paper or electronic format. This document must contain the name of the insurer, the registration number to be insured, details of the insured vehicle (make/model), as well as the period of coverage.

What should I do if I have an accident abroad?

If you have an accident abroad, you will have to fill in an accident report. The model is the same in all European Union countries.

How do I get a Green Card?

In Spain, insurance companies are not legally obliged to issue the Green Card with the motor insurance policy. Despite this, there are insurance companies that provide it with the rest of the documentation when the insurance is taken out. However, you will have to apply to your insurance company every year, as the company will not send it to you automatically.

Note that: After many years of work initiated at the international level by OFESAUTO, the Council of National Offices (the international body that governs the format and structure of the "Green Card" document for the 48 countries that make it up) approved at its last General Assembly the decision to generate the document in PDF FORMAT so that it can be emailed to the insured and printed in black and white, in A4 format.

Circulation in Spain: what documents should you carry with you?

You should carry in your car  the following document to avoid having to pay a fine in the event of a police check:

• Driving licence
• Vehicle registration document ("permiso de circulación/logbook") and technical data sheet of the vehicle “ficha técnica”
• Technical inspection (ITV ):  sticker on the front windscreen

Note that: Proof of payment of your insurance policy:

With the new regulations on civil liability of motor vehicles (Royal Decree 1507/2008, of 12 September BOE 13.9.2008), it is no longer obligatory to print the receipt of the insurance policy with the rest of the documentation, since police officers will check whether the vehicle is insured via a computer system called FIVA.

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