What documents are required to obtain green card
 

Hi everyone,
My question pertains to cars, not to bikes, hope you don't mind that I butt in: I was wondering if you guys know what documents I need in order to obtain green card insurance for my US registered car that I am shipping to Belgium?
Also, can I obtain that in Beglium, and if so at what office, in Bruxeles?
Thanks in advance!

In general, documentation requirements & underwriting rules for Euro "green card" insurance that apply to motorcycles apply to all motorvehicles (incl. cars). Rates may vary of course.

"Green card" usually refers to minimum required third-party liability only, not "comprehensive," (damage to vehicle). Neither the Luxembourg agent for ADAC referenced above in this thread, nor any of the Euro auto clubs (German ADAC, Italian TCI) will underwrite "comprehensive" insurance as part of the "green card" policy they issue for non-member/ citizen tourists.

For non-citizen/ members, Euro "Green card" coverage is usually issued thru national auto clubs or their direct agents. I have never heard of green card cover being issued by the Belgian auto club/ Bruxelles, but you could ask directly Royal Automobile Club of Belgium

For your US car, if you need comp, in addition to Euro green card liability, you need to get it thru a specialty broker in the US. There's a list of specialty US brokers here:
BMW MOA : Global Touring - to Europe,
(page down to " EURO INSURANCE")
Most of the specialty Euro/overseas insurance for US-registered vehicles is underwritten by AIG (the "solvent" part of the company :mchappy:)
You'll want to have at least a minimum Euro green card insurance document in hand when you pick up your car from the Belgian port dock, because Belgian Customs may not release the car without it; and in any case you don't want to be driving it w/o min cover.

I emailed them this morning, & got a reply within 3 hours. I asked about a green card that coveres non Eu countries like Serbia, Macedonia, etc, but they say thats not available. Buying at the border for those gets a bit expensive. But this is only 22 euros a month. pretty good deal I think!
Anyhow, heres the reply I got, I hope it is helpful

Doug

It is possible to submit you a third party liability insurance, the
Frontier Insurance (Grenzversicherung).

The frontier Insurance isn't coverage in the following countries:

Albania, Andorra, Bosnia Herzegovina, Belarusian, Croatia, Israel, Iran,
Maroc, Moldavia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Tunis, Turkey, Ukraine.

To insure your motorcycle we need a copy of the valid registration
certificate. Please forward us a copy by e-mail or by fax.

The premium for two months insurance coverage are 44€.

You can transfer your payment by bank credit transfer.

Our bank details are following:

Name: Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat (BCEE)
Account: 0038/4021-4
IBAN LU30 0019 0038 4021 4000
BIC: BCEELULL

Please give us a short notice whenever you transferred the premium on our
account so that we can inform our accountant department to inform us about
the receipt of the money.

As soon as we receive your payment we will transfer you the insurance
policy by post.

We will be pleased if you let us know your travel dates and your complete
address.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.


Best regards,


Jessica Ries

ARISA Assurances S.A.
5,rue Eugène Ruppert
L-2453 Luxembourg
Tel : 00352 262940-56
Fax : 00352 262940-40
E-Mail : j.ries@arisa.lu

Hello Spooky:

Please, it is not necessary to feel sorry at all.

The insurance that I have purchased at ADAC in past years (there is a picture of my insurance document on the top of page 2 of this thread) is special insurance that ADAC offers only to foreign citizens who will be riding foreign registered motorcycles within Germany, and by logical extension, within the EC member countries.

I am well aware that this insurance only covers riding within the EC. To understand why ADAC even sells this, you have to think back to the days before EC harmonization of everything took place. Back then, if someone from (for example) Czech Republic or Hungary wanted to visit Germany with their car or their moto, their Czech insurance or Hungarian insurance would not have covered them in Germany. So, ADAC had little offices at the border crossings, and from these little offices they sold temporary "liability only" insurance for motos (€22 a month) and for automobiles (about € 105 a month).

Today, anyone who buys insurance in one EC country will find that their insurance - at least, the liability portion of it - covers them in all the EC countries. So, ADAC does not sell very much of this insurance anymore, except to people like me who fly their Canadian motorcycles to Europe, or perhaps to Turks who might need the insurance to drive a Turkish registered car in Europe during a vacation.

The policy that ADAC sells - which others have noted is in fact underwritten by ARISA, ADAC being nothing more than a sales agent - is only valid for the EC because way, way back, it was only valid for Germany. With EC harmonization, the insurance is now valid for all EC countries.

It is possible for me to buy insurance for my Canadian moto that is valid in all of the countries that have the XXX striking them out on the ARISA policy. I have done this in the past when I have visited Ukraine, Poland before it joined EC, Serbia, and so on. But, getting this type of insurance, which covers you from Iceland to Israel, is far more expensive. Michael Mandell (Motorcycle Express) sells it for about $180 USD a month.

Therefore, if I only plan to ride in the EC, I buy the ARISA insurance. I buy it from ADAC simply because I always fly into Zürich, and it is quick and easy for me to go to Singen and buy it from ADAC there. For others, it is probably easier to buy it directly from ARISA.

Hope this explains everything OK.

Michael

rtwdoug,

Thanks. This essentially repeats the ARISA info previously posted on this thread. But most previous posters have been outside USA.

ARISA (apparently) does not accept credit cards as form of payment. Bank transfers are much more common --and less expensive--in Europe or elsewhere, than in the US.

Have you checked with your local/ USA bank as to the cost of the a bank transfer from your account to the ARISA account?

question about all documentation for europe
 

Hi Everyone,
I've been reading your posts about green card third party liability insurance for Europe, as I'm planning on travelling from Holland, through Germany, Czech republic, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, to Moscow in July, using Euro-campsites along the way.. It's turning into a big worry and headache for me trying to get insurance and figure out all other documentation I'll need to get my vehicle from the docks in Rotterdam. I know you are all bike enthusiasts, so am I, always a biker at heart, although I no longer have a bike, I'm 63 years old and taking the car this time, but regardless, correct me if I'm wrong but the same EU rules for foreign vehicles should apply to cars as well as bikes, right? I saw you mention how to get third party liability insurance by contacting an ADAC office to get a green card, but my other questions are...did you get any other documentation hassles about needing to clear your vehicle through European customs, such as being forced to buy a "Carnet de Passage" in order to prove you're not bringing your vehicle into Europe to sell? See here what it is:
http://www.adac.de/images/Carnet%20de%20Passages_Antrag(komplett)_englisch_t cm8-166369.pdf
If you look down the pdf, this thing can get expensive to obtain, in the sense that you need to tie up a lot of money to guarantee not selling..anyone know about this? Or is it even required if I'm only travelling in and out of the EU in a short period of time,as a tourist? ..I expect to be in Moscow within a week from Rotterdam, where I will register the vehicle, pay duties on the car, and live. I bought my car in Aug. 2008, so I've had it more than the minimum 6 months. It is a 10 yr old cavalier, worth only $2500 but in excellent shape, only 55000 miles. The reason I'm taking it...? Used cars in Moscow are outrageous!! I saw a 1998 Dodge minivan on a lot there last year, they were asking $15000 USD!! Finally, did EU cutoms give you a hassle about any personal belongings..tent, lap top, etc.etc.?I expect to load my car up with personal belongings. I sure am hoping that one or some of you can help out this old dog with valuable information..thanks a lot in advance! :thumbup1: :confused1::stormy:
Brian
By the way..my bikes...first one, a 1971 Norton 750 Commando, rode it from Toronto to Calgary in 1975, then a Sportster, Verago, 750 Triumph, Harley 1500 XLCH, finally a 1968 Vespa..lol...

Brian,
This thread is about Euro vehicle insurance; you might get more replies if you re-posted as a separate query or do a Hubb search for Carnets, e.g. here,
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...eed-know-39204.

That said, I'll take a crack at your questions:
You didn't ask, but I assume you've checked Russian rules on import of a car and resale of a non-RU registered vehicle once you arrive [?]

Good luck.

Contact Arisa insurance at the email above and hopefully they will sort you out.

You don't need a carnet. Vehicles are traded all over Europe, you are unlikely to have any hassles with customs.

I just received my Green Card insurance from Arisa. Simple to deal with (a couple of emails and a scan of the registration documents, then a bank transfer for payment), helpful and I now have what I need.

Plus it was less than a quarter of the price I paid at a border last time.

Ben

Just the vehicle registration document. (motorcycles and cars are the same).

contact the company listed at the beginning of this forum - but you need an address (in Europe I think, since its for European Green Card) where they can mail it to.

Hi. I think the answer is that Green Card Ins he supplies is for the EU only, there are other countries in Europe, ie Turkey which you buy at the border and Spain which I had a helluva job finding and it cost me the earth ! Better than loosing the bike but not by much, I got really ripped off.
I want to go back to Spain but I have to find a way to get affordable Insurance. Help please.

Have you found anywhere else to get Spanish Insurance ? These guys were the ones that clipped me.......they would only issue comprehensive and it cost a whole lot !

I just heard from Stefan Knopf that the cost of Green Card has almost tripled this year. Does anyone have any further info on this?

Thanks

Yes, and he used to charge three times the actual price (from Arisa) already!

I read this too (I think it is on another thread on the HUBB, about using a USA registered car in Europe as I recall) - seems the price is now closer to €100 a month!!!

Bloody UK, now bloody EU, bloody bloody bloody... etc.

xxx

More like 2X - but that included him going and getting it and posting it to you. You have to expect to pay for convenience.

I would like to know what triggered a rate hike from €22 to €105, though. That's pretty outrageous even for an insurance company.