You want to take a road trip at the wheel of your car and discover a destination independently. This choice of stay will certainly leave you with lasting memories. However, it is important to find out carefully before your departure about your coverage in the event of a problem. Here’s everything you need to know about your car insurance abroad.
The green card: the essential key
The green card is a document that is systematically given to you when you take out car insurance such as Maaf. This is an international document, which allows policyholders to continue to benefit from their protection abroad. The green card is also called a certificate of insurance. You must affix it to your windshield in a visible manner, and be able to produce it in the countries in which you will be traveling. It certifies that you benefit from civil liability guarantee towards third parties: if you are the cause of damage, your insurance will cover the damage caused to your victim.
In all countries of the European Union, as well as in a number of other countries marked on your insurance (Swiss, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), your green card allows you to be covered for a maximum period of ninety days. Please note, if you are going to certain countries, you will need to show it at the border of the country you are crossing: this is the case for Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Montenegro, Tunisia, Israel, Morocco, Iran, Moldova, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina or Ukraine.
At the back of this document is a list of countries, some of which are crossed out. Please note that if you have to travel in these countries, you will not be covered by your insurance contract. However, it is possible to ask your insurer for an amendment to your contract which will also allow you to be insured in these countries. You can also subscribe to a specific local contract.
All risks guarantee
By traveling to countries that are not crossed out on your green card, you automatically benefit from the civil liability guarantee, that is to say that your insurer will cover the damage you have caused to third parties. However, the operation is slightly different with regard to reimbursement for damage to your own vehicle.
For reimbursement of these, your coverage may vary depending on the countries crossed. Before your departure, you should check with your insurance the extent of your coverage in the destination you wish to go to.
Do I need to subscribe to specific guarantees?
It may be useful to cover yourself alongside your contract with specific guarantees. Therefore, a guarantee allowing you to be quickly repatriated to your country of origin in the event of an accident can prove very useful.
You can also study the possibility of subscribing to a repair guarantee, checking that this option includes the repatriation of your vehicle to France and the loan of a rental vehicle for the duration of the repair.
Finally, a legal guarantee is a necessary option, in the event of a conflict with a third party. You will be able to call upon a lawyer who has a perfect understanding of the legislation of your host country and resolve conflicts in a simple manner.
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