Green Card insurance for Serbia
 

Try to keep this short ... everything I read says you need extra green card doc (insurance) at the Serb border. My insurer here in UK (MCE) won't issue this, no others that I try will and web advice says you'll be stung for £100+ at the border by corrupt guards. surely it is worth some company providing these for less than £100. Any advice? Thanks

I'm pretty sure that if you have regular green card insurance (I'm guessing this is part of any policy you take out in the UK) you can get into Serbia without purchasing anything extra. If you don't have european insurance (which I didn't on my Australian registered bike) you can buy it at the border - around 25 euro for a month if I recall correctly.

we tried to cross at Vrska cuka in 2008.
even with a green card the boarder guard wanted 80e off us, we would not pay so we were sent back :confused1:

It may be best to cross at one on the Busy boarders crossing

I paid about 80 euros, but I bought insurance--it was not a case of corrupt border guards. It is not included in your EU insurance because Serbia is not EU...although they would like to be.

The Serbs are irritated about Kosovo independence, Nato bombing, international prosecution of their war criminals, and more. They have long memories. It is in an interesting place to travel, but not if you are prone to feelings of EU entitlement.

Hope that helps.

Mark

Serbian (and other Balkan) green card insurance is more complicated than most realize. Here's the situation based on actual experience June 2010.

1. Vehicles registered in most EU countries (e.g. Germany), and therefore insured domestically in those countries, 'automatically' include green card coverage for non-EU Balkan countries Croatia (HR), Bosnia (BiH), Serbia & Montenegro (SRB or SCG), Albania (AL), Macedonia (MK), etc.

2. Vehicles registered in the UK, and therefore insured by a UK underwriter, may--or may not--include Balkan coverage, depending on corporate policy of the specific UK underwriter. UK vehicle owners may be able to get that Balkan coverage for an extra fee from their UK underwriter/ broker, if it's not included in your regular policy.

3. Vehicles registered outside the EU and UK (US, Canada, AUS, etc) must of course buy a separate Green Card policy for vehicle use in Europe. Whether that separate Green Card policy includes the non-EU Balkans depends on the separate underwriter (source) of the policy:

3.1. Green Card policies brokered/ sold by
Motorcycle Express - Ship Your Bike in North America
and
TourInsure - the specialist for international automobile insurance in Europe
are both underwritten by AXA, and include non-EU Balkan countries,
but the monthly premiums are more expensive than

3.2 Green Card policies brokered/ sold by Mototouring,
How does the European Green Card Insurance work? in Milano
are underwritten by several Italian companies, and do NOT include non-EU Balkan countries;

3.3 Green Card policies brokered/ sold by Knopf
Green Card in Germany
or any office of the German auto club, ADAC - Ihr Partner in allen Fragen rund um die Mobilität. (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club)
are underwritten by www.arisa-assur.com, and do NOT currently include non-EU Balkan countries.

If you buy a separate Green Card from Mototouring, Knopf, ADAC, or direct from Arisa, your Green Card will show the non-EU Balkan countries, including Serbia, "blocked out." In theory, that means that you must and can buy separate vehicle Green Card coverage crossing the borders into each Balkan country.

Here's where it gets (even) more complicated.

Based on actual border crossings in June 2010, using ADAC/ Arisa Green Card on US-registered bike

Leaving Slovenia, entering Croatia (HR), at small border crossing Metlika, there was no vehicle paper check, therefore no separate HR Green Card was required, but also there was no border facility/ broker to buy HR Green Card if you wanted it; experience at that small border crossing may not be the same as at the major A2 motorway crossing between Ljubljana-Zagreb.

Leaving Croatia, entering Bosnia (BiH), at major border crossing, E71 between Dubrovnik-Mostar, there was no vehicle paper check, therefore no separate BiH Green Card was required, but also there was no border facility/ broker to buy BiH Green Card if you wanted it.

Leaving Bosnia, entering Serbia (SRB or SCG), at one major border crossing, E761 between Sarajevo-Belgrade, Serb Customs denied entry of vehicle into Serbia without separately-purchased Serb Green Card, BUT Serb Green Card was not available for sale at that crossing. Serb Customs directed us to closest smaller border crossing 30 km south, where Serb Green Card was purchased--after calling private broker to come to border station--for minimum one month = 60 Euros.
Note that it's possible--unknown--that Serb Green Card can be purchased at other major BiH-SCG crossings, Rte 19, or the A3 motorway between Zagreb-Belgrade.

Bottomline--if your non-EU Green Card is from Mototouring, Knopf, ADAC, Arisa, etc. you'll very likely have to pay an extra 60 Euros to enter/ drive through Serbia. That may still be cheaper than the higher premium charged by AXA-underwritten non-EU Green Cards (that include Serbia), but you also have to consider the extra hassle/ time lost in Serb border crossing purchase.

All that begs a separate question: if Croatia and Bosnia are not covered by a particular underwriter's Green Card, and you're "supposed" to get it at the border, BUT it's not available at the border, how do you get it, and what happens if you're libel for a 3rd party injury/ accident in those countries ?

Driving in the Balkan Countries UK plates
 

HI

If you insure your car with the following Insurance Companies they will Include all the Balkan Countries ( Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia) in the Green Card, however if you want a Fully Comprehensive cover you have to pay extra depending on how long you plan on staying.

Firstalternative.com
ESURE.com
Sheilaswheels.com
Sainsburys.com
I think its Halifax.co.uk but not 100% sure
Please note all the mentioned companies are underwritten by Sansburys Insurace.

For 30 days based on a Mercedes C-class 220 CDI it cost ne £60.

Hope this helps

Some good news for those driving to Serbia: since January 1, 2012, as per the Multilateral Agreement signed with EEA member states, Serbia is a member of the International Motor Insurance Green Card System under section III.

What does this mean for you? From that day, anyone having an insurance policy from any EU state (+ Andorra, Croatia, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland) can travel to Serbia without needing the Green card itself. The national vehicle registration plate substitutes the green card. The same applies to Serbian drivers going to EU + above states.

Under the Multilateral agreement, insurers from the above countries MUST provide insurance to Serbia. It is no longer optional for the insurer to provide coverage for Serbia, but an obligation.

The insurance coverage for Serbia (identified as SRB) does not apply to the region of Kosovo/UMNIK (UN resolution 1244).

From January 1, 2012, Montenegro has become a member of the Green card system. It is identified as MNE. The green card policy with code SRB no longer applies to Montenegro. If traveling to Montenegro, you DO need the green card, and you MUST check with your insurer if they cover your trip to Montenegro or not.

That sounds like good news.

But, could you cite a source that says the Green Card rules/ situation with Serbia has really changed from 01/01/2012, compared to what it has been ?

The European Green Card system is administered by the "Council of Bureaux,"
Council Of Bureaux › Members date of entry
According to that website, Serbia has been a "member" of the system under section III, since 1954, not from 01/01/2012.

Serbia has (already, for a number of years) been included on the Green Card document of policies issued by insurance companies in the EU, for vehicles registered/ plated in EU countries.

But not necessarily for policies issued by companies in the UK, for vehicles registered/ plated in the UK. That's been by decision of each UK underwriter.

And not usually or necessarily for policies issued by companies in the EU, for
vehicles registered/ plated outside the EU, e.g. US, Canada.

Up through 2011, all EU-national plated vehicles have (already) been able to enter Serbia without paying for additional Serbia border cover; some UK-plated vehicles have also been able to, some not, depending on their UK underwriter; and most non-EU plated vehicles have had to buy separate Serbia cover at the border, even if they already have a Green Card issued by a EU-based underwriter.

So, please cite a source that shows there is an actual change in the Serbia Green Card situation as of 01/01/2012.
Many thanks.

No problem with independent reliable confirmation. I travel to Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia i Hercegovina 4 times a year from the UK

From the UK Government:
Serbia travel advice

From Serbian Motor Club / Insurance Bureaux:
Zelena karta osiguranja

Bosnia i Hercegovina, Montenegro & Kosovo are still a problem.

Bosnia issue 'border insurance' for 21 days at a cost of approx €36

Hope this helps.

Iceweasel. :cool:

Thanks, Iceweasel.

Those two sources certainly confirm that effective from 01/01/2012, Serbia
is supposed to recognize insurance coverage for vehicles with registration/ plates from 33 European countries, including the UK, without the driver presenting a separate Green Card document, when crossing into Serbia.

BUT, as noted in earlier posts, there's still some ambiguity.
The UK FCO website:
Serbia travel advice
says, specifically (with respect to UK registered vehicles)
"European green card vehicle insurance is now valid in Serbia. However, the requirement to hold a green card is no longer in effect from 1 January 2012. You are advised to confirm that your insurance company recognises that your policy covers Serbia.

That would suggest that the UK FCO recognizes that not all UK vehicle insurance policies for UK registered vehicles necessarily cover Serbia; that may still depend on the specific UK insurance underwriter.

Similarly, it's still ambiguous/ uncertain that non-Euro registered vehicles, e.g. from the US, Canada, OZ, etc, with temporary Euro Green Card policies issued by European companies, are covered under this "new" Serbia agreement; that may also still depend on the specific EU underwriter. As of 2011, those temporary EU Green Card policies from ADAC/ Arisa, MotoTouring/ Italian UTI, etc, did not cover Serbia, and those vehicles still had to buy separate Serbia border coverage at an additional minimum monthly cost of
about 60 Euros.

This appears to be a "transition" year; it remains to be seen whether all UK underwriters will recognize the Serbia change, and whether all EU companies writing temporary Green Card policies will also include Serbia going forward in 2012.:confused1:

In August 2011 they stung me for 47 euro for 5 days! I guess it depends we're you enter.

doh

Hi,

This is an interesting point.

I asked my insurance company if they cover me in Croatia, they said no.

However... On the bottom of the document in several languages there is a statement that reads words to the effect of saying that the policy provides the minimum required insurance (third party) in countries acting under European directives.

So in my case, it did cover me for Croatia. But the insurance company (broker) Adrian flux did not understand that. So in my opinion I believe at the moment I am covered also for Serbia.

Thoughts?

I should get a copy of the section on here later.

Dan

I have been following this post with some interest as Serbia is a possible for us this year. Spoke to My insurance company here in the UK, Carol Nash. They will insure me for Serbia and Croatia at an extra charge. But are not able to cover for the other FYR countries, so it looks like it may have to be border post premiums for us. Bonus is that my renewal is due in April, so may have to ask that question of the competition.

Hi Crapxxxx,

Remember Carole Nash are a broker, rather than an insurance company, so they will (or should) scan their partner companies for an insurer that will cover you. Of course, they may not have a partner that will do so. When I passed through Serbia in 2006 they couldn't cover me and I had to pay the exhorbitant insurance premium. This year, they can't cover me for Russia, so I'll get that at the border.

On the upside I've always found Carole Nash excellent and they are good to have on your side if something goes wrong abroad. I had to use their European Breakdown cover twice for total disintigration of a rear tyre (once in Italy, once in Hungary - the moral - don't overload TKC80s they can't deal with it!), both pretty painless experiences. I just phoned the appropriate number in the UK and they sorted everything out.

They also sorted me out with a hire car when I carefully placed my bike in a ditch on the Trollstigvein in Norway and arranged to have my bike shipped home. That went pretty smoothly too.

You don't get the lowest prices from them, but I continue to use them due to the good experiences I've had.

Cheers,

Matt

Hi Matt

So you paid in Serbia, did you pass through any other of the ex-Yougoslav states?
We are looking to come across from Romania toward the Adriatic, but I am keen to slip into Kosovo en-route as well.

rob