Yup, no need for a 'Green Card' as such. All the green card does is prove that you have the minimum level of insurance required in a country. It is required in some countries, but unless you heading out of the EU it isn't :-)
All insurance issued in the EU must provide third Party cover in other EU countries. So a valid Uk insurance document is proof of that.
However, that doesn't provide any insurance for you or your vehicle. Depending on your policy it's full cover may extend abroad or not, (our current one does, a previous one didn't). If it doesn't you will need to arrange the extra cover with your insurer.
Our current policy has to be extended to maintain full cover in Europe. As that has to be arranged it seems sensible to request a Green Card at the same time. Whilst the GC itself is a piece of history (at least in the EU), in my working life I issued thousands of them, and agree with the MIB's advice:
"...the Green Card is still the insurance document most readily recognized and understood by national police forces. As you may need to produce evidence of insurance other than at a border (i.e. after an accident) you may consider it advisable to carry a Green Card to avoid inconvenience."
We had one in our documents pack for our recent trip to France.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Prague May/Jun 2017
Lake Annecy Aug 2017
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Years ago, there was no "insurance charge", simply an admin fee of £2 for the document.
For our recent trip, Churchill wanted £36 to extend cover and issue a GC. It was impossible to get through on their Contact Us number so I complained to their CEO. Their Executive Office arranged for one to be sent out and waived the charge.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Sure, it's not going to do any harm having one, and may help if you need to show it to someone. And if you have to extend your policy then you may get one anyway. ISTR that we had one via that route a few years ago.
But as someone else entioned up the thread. The trend now seem to be for companies to print a multilanguage statement on the back of the insurance certificate. I've just checked as our new insurance documents came in the post today and ours does indeed have such a statement (Ageas, via John lewis).
And I was replying really to the OP, who is going on Saunday, so probably wouldn't get a Geen Card in time anyway :-)
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Just make sure you extend your cover to fully comp whilst abroad for the duration of your hols, you don't need a green card, you'll be able to do that by phone
Last time I was caught speeding in Spain, they weren't interested in the insurance certificate
Quote: Originally posted by scrumble on 09/8/2013
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And I was replying really to the OP, who is going on Saunday, so probably wouldn't get a Geen Card in time anyway :-)
Indeed. They're in a prescribed format, so unless the insurer can email a pdf formatted to print it correctly, it has to be a paper copy sent snail mail, so maybe too late now.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
Rang ins this morning and asked they gave me a number to ring if in troble abroad and advised me to upgrade my cover to fully comp overseas for the time away ie 3 weeks cost me £55