COB has confirmed that ‘Green Cards’, also known as International Motor Insurance Certificates (IMIC), can be accepted in electronic PDF format from the beginning of 2025.
This will apply to all countries within the Green Card circulation area.
From 1st January 2025, motorists visiting any country within the Green Card circulation area will be permitted to provide their IMIC or Green Card in PDF format, so long as they come from a country that disseminates their Green Cards in the PDF format.
Paper format Green Cards/ IMICs will continue to be accepted also.
It will be at the discretion of the National Bureau for each individual country as to whether they wish to issue Green Cards/ IMICs in this PDF format.
This decision to ratify the use of electronic PDF Green Cards was reached at the COB General Assembly, while the date from which it will apply was recently confirmed by the COB Supervisory Board.
COB members are being asked to disseminate this information at national level to the relevant authorities to ensure they are aware of the updated regulations and they are ready to accept Green Cards presented in this manner from the beginning of next year.
The Green Card or IMIC is an international certificate of insurance accepted without any obstacle or cost by the authorities of all countries within the Green Card system. The Green Card/ IMIC can be delivered by a Bureau, an insurance undertaking or an insurance intermediary, but it is always issued under the authority of a Green Card Bureau.
The Green Card certifies that a visiting vehicle has at least the minimum compulsory Motor Third Party Liability Insurance cover as required by the law of the country visited.
It also provides a guarantee for the visited country that the insurer of the vehicle’s country of origin will reimburse the victim’s damage in accordance with the rules applicable in the visited country. In this way, the victim of an accident by a foreign vehicle is properly compensated for the damage suffered.
COB, formerly known as the Council of Bureaux, is an international organisation active in the motor insurance sector and acting for the protection of cross-border road traffic victims. It co-ordinates the Green Card system and the Protection of Victims system. The mission of COB is to facilitate free movement in cross-border road traffic by removing administrative barriers and to offer a high level of protection to victims of cross-border traffic accidents by facilitating the compensation procedures. Originally founded in 1949, COB is celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2024.
9 February 2024