Driving in the EU in the case of a No-Deal Brexit

With the uncertainty about a deal with the European Union, it is hard for people to know whether they’ll be able to do certain things in the future. This article should help separate what’s certain from what’s unknown.

At present, as a pluginsure customer, you have a motor insurance policy that allows you to drive within the EU and this will remain unchanged until we leave the European Union. So, if you’re planning a trip that is completed before that happens, nothing changes for you.

For those who are planning to drive in the EU after that date, including those whose trip begins before we leave the EU, but will still be abroad after it, you do need to plan ahead in the event there is no deal. You will need to take a Green Card with you for certain countries, and also potentially obtain an International Driving Permit ("IDP").

Take a Green Card with you

Currently, without a Brexit deal, if you live in the UK and plan to drive your vehicle in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA), Andorra, Serbia or Switzerland, you’ll need to ask us to provide you with a Green Card to evidence you have valid insurance cover.

What is a Green Card?

A Green Card is an international certificate of insurance, issued by insurance providers in the UK to prove that you have the minimum compulsory third-party motor insurance cover required by law for the country you’re visiting. Currently, this must be a paper document and not a digital version.

In addition to the basic cover the Green Card gives you, we provide you with insurance cover for up to 90 days, as specified in your insurance policy.

We will be able to provide you with a Green Card at no extra cost, but you will need to contact us 4 weeks before you travel to request one.

How to get hold of a Green Card

To request a Green Card please call us on 0330 043 1962.

To make the call as easy as possible, please have the following information to hand:

• Your name and Policy Number
• Confirmation of the vehicle make and registration you'll be driving
• The dates you plan to drive you vehicle outside of the UK
• Names and ages of all drivers you would like covered
• The countries you intend to drive in
• Registration and/or chassis number, make and model of anything you intend to tow (e.g. a trailer or caravan)

Once you have your Green Card, you will be covered for driving in the following countries after we leave the EU:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (incorporating Liechtenstein), Slovakia and Slovenia.

What is an International Driving Permit (IDP)

An International Driving Permit is a permit that allows you to drive in countries where a UK licence alone is not sufficient.

There are two types of IDP required by EU countries, each governed by a separate United Nations convention. More information about the requirements can be found here on the Department for Transport website.

An IDP costs around £5.50 and is available from the Post Office, which also has a useful tool to help you look up requirements for individual countries.

Please remember to take your UK driving licence with you when driving in the EU, as you will need this as well as the relevant IDP.

Please note that this is not an insurance requirement and therefore not a document provided by your insurance policy.