How long is a green card valid?
As a vehicle owner, you are required by law to have at least third-party insurance for your car. With third-party insurance, you are insured for damage you cause to another person. After taking out car insurance, you will automatically receive a green card. With this you can prove that your car is insured. The green card is an international certificate of insurance. However, a green card is not valid indefinitely. Wondering how long a green card is valid? Alpina.nl found out for you.
Green card valid for over a year
The validity date of your green card is printed on the card itself. Basically, a green card is valid for one year. However, most green cards are valid for 13 months. Every year, when you renew your insurance, you will automatically receive a new green card from the insurer. Of course, it may be that you are just on vacation around the time of renewal of your car insurance. Therefore, we have chosen to give the green card a validity period of 13 months. This prevents you from being stuck abroad with an invalid green card.
In which countries is a green card valid?
A green card is an international certificate of insurance. That means it is valid in all EU countries. In the Netherlands you do not have to carry the green card as standard. However, in some EU countries it is mandatory to have a green card with you. These include Albania, Bosnia (and Herzegovina), Israel, Iran, Morocco, Moldova, Montenegro, Ukraine, Russia, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Macedonia and Belarus. If you are going to one of these countries by car, it is important to have your green card with you, even if you are only driving through them. In fact, it is always advisable to have your green card with you. This does not necessarily have to be the original green card, but can also be a digital version on your phone. This way, in case of an emergency or breakdown, you will always have your insurance information and important phone numbers at hand.
Is a copy of a green card also valid?
In the Netherlands, a copy of a green card is also valid. Nowadays, a green card is no longer green, but white. Moreover, most insurers only send the green card digitally. That means you can print the green card yourself in black and white. You can also save a copy of the PDF file or a screenshot to your cell phone. You probably always have this with you and it is also a valid proof. In European countries where a green card is mandatory, a copy is not always accepted. It is therefore wise to keep your original green card in the car and not just take a screenshot with you.
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