What Is the Green Card and When You Need It

The Green Card is external motor liability insurance, compulsory by law for any car trip outside the Republic of Moldova, in the member states of the International Green Card Insurance System. The Green Card from General Asigurări covers damage you could cause to third parties in an accident abroad, and the policy is bought online, with the certificate sent straight to your email.

What is the Green Card?

The Green Card (officially "external MTPL") is the compulsory policy that takes over, outside Moldova, the role MTPL plays at home. It covers bodily injury or death, including moral damages, and material damage suffered by third parties in a vehicle accident abroad. The Green Card from General Asigurări does not repair your own car and does not cover damage suffered by you as the policyholder — it protects the injured party in the accident, not you as the vehicle owner.

The name "Green Card" comes from the physical, green-coloured certificate that national bureaus across the system recognise reciprocally. The certificate clearly shows, through the country codes printed on it, where the policy is valid — an essential detail to check before every trip, not only when you buy it.

When do you need the Green Card?

You need the Green Card every time you drive your own vehicle outside the Republic of Moldova, into a country that is a member of the International Green Card System. It doesn't matter whether you're going on holiday, on a business trip, or simply passing through a member country — if you cross the border behind the wheel, local law requires proof of valid external insurance.

The Green Card stays necessary regardless of how long the trip is. Even for a single day abroad in a member state, the certificate must be valid and must cover exactly the period and the countries you pass through, including the transit countries between Moldova and your final destination. The exact direction — Europe (all countries) or Ukraine — and the period, from 15 days up to 12 months, are chosen right in the online form.

How does the international Green Card system work?

The Green Card system works through national bureaus — one in each member state — that reciprocally recognise certificates issued by insurers from other member states. If you have an accident abroad, the assessment of the claim and the payment of the compensation are handled by the national bureau of that country, or by the correspondents and agents it appoints, under the conditions and limits set by local legislation, following the procedures of the Council of Bureaux' General Regulation.

In practice, you are treated under the rules of the country where the accident happened, not under Moldovan law. The extent and limits of the compensation — how much is paid and for what — are set by that country's legislation.

For you as a driver, this means you don't need to look for separate insurance in every country on your route — a single Green Card certificate is recognised by every member state whose codes are not crossed out on it. That is exactly why checking the codes before every trip matters so much: the certificate only takes effect where the system recognises it.

Green Card or MTPL — what's the difference?

The difference is territorial. MTPL is valid only inside the Republic of Moldova, while the Green Card takes effect only outside it, in the member states of the system whose codes are not crossed out on the certificate. The two policies do not overlap and do not replace each other.

For a car trip abroad you need both policies active: MTPL for driving inside Moldova, up to the border and back, and the Green Card for everything after it. Without valid MTPL you risk penalties even before reaching the border, and without the Green Card you risk being personally liable for damage caused abroad. What MTPL Insurance covers and what does not is detailed in the dedicated article.

What obligations you have as a driver with the Green Card

The Green Card is not just a passive policy — as an insured driver you have a few clear obligations under the contract. You must pay the premium, take every possible action to limit the damage caused, and notify the insurer who issued the Green Card certificate about the accident. The rest of the process — assessing the damage, and setting and paying the compensation — is handled by the national bureau or the appointed correspondents and agents in the country where the accident happened, under local legislation.

The Green Card also does not cover every situation abroad. Accidents caused intentionally, or use of the vehicle in breach of applicable law, remain excluded from the policy, as do other cases set out by national legislation, by the law of the country where the accident happened, and by the rules of the International Green Card System. Full details of what is not covered are on the Green Card page.

What you risk driving without a valid Green Card

Driving in a member state without a valid Green Card certificate exposes you to local penalties set by that country's legislation, and to personal liability for the damage caused — without the protection the policy gives you. If your certificate expires while you're still abroad, you can buy a new policy online from General Asigurări before the current one expires, from wherever you are, with the certificate sent to your email again.

The recommendation is simple: check the certificate's validity a few days before the end of the trip, not on the very last day. If plans change and you stay abroad longer than initially expected, a new policy bought in advance saves you from the risk of driving without cover, even for a few hours.

What to remember

1. The Green Card is compulsory for any car trip out of Moldova into a member state of the system.
2. It covers damage caused to third parties, not your own vehicle or belongings.
3. The assessment and the payout follow the legislation of the country where the accident happened.
4. The premium is paid in full before the policy is issued.
5. Buy the Green Card online directly on the General Asigurări website, with the certificate sent by email.

Note: before departure, check on the certificate that the destination country and every transit country are not crossed out — a crossed-out code means the policy does not take effect there.