Insurance
 

Hi Everybody,

My wife and I have set off on our journey from UK to Thailand in our motorhome/truck we have got as far as Hungary where we are at the moment, we would like to go through Slovenia,Kosovo, Moldova Montenegro and Albania, however after contacting our UK insurance company Chaucer they have said that our insurance cover does not cover us for the above countries and up to now they have not offered us any cover. I have been told when we get further on in the trip IE Russia,Mongolia Laos and Thailand we will be able to buy insurance at the border can anybody tell me is that also possible at the above countries or has anybody got any ideas

Dave

This is something you really should have dealt with before you left. Use the search function in trip paperwork section it may help.

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For Thailand and Laos you can buy insurance at the border for around 15 dollar for a month for Laos and Thailand 16 dollar for 2 months

Buying insurance at the borders
 

Hi,
Yes I know that I should have sorted it out before we left and I thought I had by paying the extra cost with the insurance company for 3 months cover in Europe I have just found out it don't covering all of Europe so I have slipped up.

Thanks for your help and I will try using the search function

Thanks

Dave

Are you saying that your insurance company will not issue a Green Card, or is it that they won't provide your full level of cover in those countries?

We have recently made the interesting discovery that, under the First Directive on Motor Insurance, all EU insurers (including the UK and Ireland) are obliged to provide the minimum third party cover for policyholders traveling between member countries (and other European countries that comply with the Directive). In fact, though the Green Card is the most easily recognised form of insurance certificate, and it is therefore a good idea to get one, there are a lot of countries where it isn't actually a legal requirement and your own insurance certificate is proof enough of minimum cover. Slovenia, for instance, does not require a Green Card. Moldova, Montenegro and Albania do. Unfortunately, I cannot find any information on Kosovo, which makes me think that they don't comply with the Directive. You might simply have to buy insurance at the border.

Just to clarify, a Green Card isn't actually an insurance policy. It just shows the authorities that you have (at least) the legal minimum third party cover (under your existing UK policy) to drive in that country. All EU Insurers are obliged to provide third party insurance while you are motoring in Europe and, better still, they cannot impose any limits on the trip duration for this minimum cover. They can only limit the more 'comprehensive' elements of your policy relating to fire, theft and accidental damage to your vehicle and legal cover, etc. So you could motor around most of Europe for the entire period of your insurance policy quite legally.

Email from Insurance broker
 

Hi mrsroynie,

Please find copy of email from my insurance broker,

Dear Sir,

Chaucer will only provide cover within the EU & other selected countries.
They will not provide you with a green card for any of the countries you listed.
It may be possible for you to purchase insurance at the border.

Regards

--
Peter Lowe
Customer Services Advisor.

I have now emailed back asking for a green card for France,Belgium,Germany Czech Rep,Poland,Hungary and Greece.

I am awaiting there response

Thanks for your advice.

Dave

I hope it all works out for you. I forgot to mention that all the information I can find from various motoring sites suggest that, despite being obliged to offer minimum cover, insurers are not strictly 'obliged' to offer a Green Card. What I cannot get a handle on is how they can pick and choose which countries they will 'cover' on a Green Card, as - as I said before - they are legally obliged to recognise all countries that comply with the First Directive. I think this is a uniquely British (and Irish) perspective, as our French Green Card covers all 40 or so countries. The only thing I can think is that that some of the countries are very new to the scheme. Montenegro, for instance, only came under the Directive in 2012. But then Albania has been covered since 1992 and Moldova since 1997. According to the wording of the Directive, exclusion of these countries would seem to conflict with its objectives but, as they are not part of the EU, I'm not sure who one complains to!

If it is any consolation, when we traveled to Moscow in 2011, our UK-resident companion had to buy a Green Card at the border. It was only about £15 for a month's cover. If you need to buy your insurance at the borders, it will be cheap - it is, after all, only the legal minimum third party cover.

Personally, I think UK and Irish motorists are far too ready to accept a second-rate service from insurers who, I believe, are very careful to word their policies in such a way as to obscure their legal obligations.

For your further information, here is a link to the relevant Directive: Motor insurance - European Commission.

And, because it is quite hard to find out which countries are actually covered (in theory anyway) by the Green Card system, here is a Wikipaedia link to a list: International Motor Insurance Card System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hi mrsroynie,

Thanks for all your help I have sent a copy of the countries in the scheme and ask for clarification of my position as the countries on my origanal list are in the scheme.
I will just have to see what they say

Dave

I'll be interested to hear their response. Do let us all know how you get on.

No insurance cover outside the EU except Croatia
 

Hi,

The response from the insurance broker is that the insurance company will only cover us in EU countries and Croatia,they also refuse to issue a green card full stop.

Has anybody got any ideas ????? as we are now in the s…

Dave

Hope
 

Well, we arrived at a campsite in Croatia and speaking to the owner he said that he thinks that his insurance broker will be able to provide us with a green card and insurance so today I am just waiting for the results of his telephone call. Fingers crossed

Dave

There is a broker in the Netherlands called Allesie who arranges cover for all sorts of places. They cover us for South America. Google them.