# Driving abroad: is your car insured in Europe?

Updated 24 September 2026. https://cushly.eu/guides/driving-abroad-insurance-europe/

**Short answer:** Your compulsory motor liability insurance is valid in every EU country on the same policy. EU law ended border checks on insurance, so you drive between member states as easily as at home. Your optional cover for your own car follows different rules: read the policy before you leave.

## Your liability cover travels with you

Every car on the road in the EU must carry third-party liability insurance, and that policy covers the whole EU on a single premium. The European Commission states it plainly: anyone with compulsory motor insurance in an EU country is covered to drive throughout the entire EU. Border checks on insurance are abolished, so a trip from Amsterdam to Antwerp needs no extra paper for liability. Minimum cover amounts still differ per country, but your policy automatically meets the local minimum where you drive.

## When do you still need a green card?

Within the EU you do not need a green card at the border: your number plate is proof enough. The card still matters once you leave the EU and the EEA. Your insurer prints a list of covered countries on the card itself. The French administration puts it this way: check that your insurer operates in the country you visit, and the list on the green card tells you. If a country on your route is missing or crossed out, call your insurer before you go. Carry the policy number and the emergency number of your insurer in the car regardless.

## Your own car: check the optional cover

Liability is harmonised. Cover for your own car is not. Your Europe warns there are no EU-wide rules on optional insurance: insurers may limit it by time, for example a month abroad, or by distance, or exclude some countries for some risks such as theft. Read the terms before a long trip or a move. If you re-register the car in another EU country, ask your insurer whether the current contract stays valid there. You may need a new policy in the new country.

## If you crash abroad: the European Accident Statement

Insurers’ associations across Europe use one shared form: the European Accident Statement. The French administration confirms you can use the paper form in France and abroad, in the EEA and in the other countries of the green card system. The headings are the same in every language, so each driver fills in their own column in their own language. Fill the front together at the scene on a single copy and both sign it. Send your copy to your insurer within the deadline in your contract. Keep a blank paper form in the glovebox: the French e-constat phone app is not usable for accidents abroad.

| Paper to carry | Do you need it | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Liability policy | Yes, automatic in the EU | It meets local minimum cover where you drive |
| Green card | Outside the EU and EEA | Its country list shows where your insurer covers you |
| Blank accident statement | Strongly advised | One shared form, valid in every language |
| Registration and licence | Yes | Police abroad ask for them after any crash |

## Who pays after a crash abroad

Report the crash to your own insurer first, even if the other driver caused it. EU law gives you a claims representative of the foreign insurer in your own country, and the Commission requires cross-border claims to be settled quickly. Extra costs of a crash far from home, such as towing, repairs abroad or repatriation, depend on the guarantees in your contract. The French administration advises keeping every receipt: medical certificates, towing and repair bills, replacement car invoices. Your insurer can ask for them before paying.

## FSD (Supervised) in another country

Driver assistance does not change the insurance picture at the border: you remain the driver everywhere in Europe, and liability works as described in [FSD crash in Europe: who pays for the damage?](https://cushly.eu/guides/fsd-crash-who-pays/). Availability of FSD (Supervised) itself differs per country, so check Tesla’s own support page before you count on it abroad. If it was engaged during a crash, say so on the claim form.

> Cover types differ per country: [WA, WA-plus and allrisk](https://cushly.eu/guides/wa-wa-plus-allrisk/) explains the Dutch ladder, [Belgium BA and omnium](https://cushly.eu/guides/belgium-ba-omnium/) the Belgian one.

## Questions

### Do I need a green card for Switzerland or Norway?

Look at the country list printed on your own green card. If the country is named without a strike-through, your insurer covers you there. Ask your insurer before you go.

### Does my all-risk cover work abroad?

Often yes, but with limits. Your Europe warns insurers may cap optional cover by time, distance or country for risks such as theft. Read the policy terms before a long trip.

### What if the other driver has no insurance?

Note the plate number and call the police. In France you can claim from the guarantee fund for compulsory insurance, the FGAO. Other countries have their own guarantee funds.

### Must I call the police after every crash abroad?

Always if someone is hurt. For sheet-metal damage the signed accident statement is usually enough, but a police report helps if the other driver refuses to sign or drives off.

## Sources

- [Your Europe: car insurance validity in the EU](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/insurance/validity/index_en.htm)
- [European Commission: motor insurance](https://finance.ec.europa.eu/banking/insurance/motor-insurance_en)
- [Service-Public.fr: car insurance, the friendly statement after an accident](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2149?lang=en)
- [Your Europe: car insurance cover abroad](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/insurance/accident/index_en.htm)

_General information, not advice on your policy. Cushly is not Tesla and not an insurer._