The Green Card system is an insurance treaty by which member countries agree to cooperate on the settlement of third-party liability car insurance claims across borders. The Green Card system was initiated in 1949 in order to facilitate automobile travel between countries in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
Currently, 48 countries participate in the Green Card system. These include: Albania; Andorra; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; France; Finland; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Iran; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Moldova; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands; North Macedonia; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Serbia (not including Kosovo); Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom.
Each country which participates in the Green Card system must maintain a Green Card bureau. These national bureaus are regulated by the Council of Bureaux. They handle the filing and settlement of cross-border liability car insurance claims within the Green Card system region. In Switzerland, the Green Card bureau is maintained by the Swiss National Bureau of Insurance and Swiss National Guarantee Fund (NGI NGF).
The International Motor Insurance Card (formerly, the Green Card) is a document which serves as proof of compulsory liability insurance within the Green Card system region. It can be obtained from your Swiss compulsory third-party liability car insurance provider.
It is important to note that insurance providers have the freedom to exclude coverage for Green Card system member countries from insurance coverage. When this is the case, the countries which are excluded are crossed out on the International Motor Insurance Card which you receive from your car insurance provider. Countries which are typically excluded from Swiss car insurance coverage include Belarus, Russia, the Ukraine and Moldova.
If a country you drive to is excluded from your International Motor Insurance Card, you will have to purchase temporary third-party liability insurance for that country before you can drive your car across the border. Take time to review the International Motor Insurance Card provided by your insurance provider before you travel abroad.
More on this topic:
Car insurance comparison
Bonus-malus explained
Strict liability explained
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