Traveling abroad in your own car is a great way to save money and make your vacation more comfortable. Insurance of your car must be carried out in accordance with the norms of national legislation in countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Belarus and others.
Traveling abroad in your own car is a fairly practical and budget-friendly solution. Driving through endless fields and admiring the architectural structures, you can stop at the place you need and take a photo as a souvenir. Traveling abroad by car provides many advantages: you manage your own time and dictate your own route.
In order for your trip to leave only good memories, you need to take care of car insurance. Most tourists traveling abroad with their own transport treat this procedure irresponsibly. With such neglect of the security service, unfortunate tourists can expect big problems in foreign countries and a ruined vacation.
When traveling abroad, you need to familiarize yourself with possible contracts with insurance companies:
- insurance for motorists “Green Card”;
- registration of this policy for tourism;
- CASCO or RESO agreement with coverage in the countries you need.
You can insure other objects, but you should always proceed from necessity. Insurance will provide you with the necessary level of protection when traveling by car across the territory of certain states.
Types of car insurance for traveling abroad
Car insurance is an important procedure for ensuring a comfortable stay abroad for citizens of the CIS countries. Before traveling abroad, it is necessary to study all types of insurance. Car insurance for traveling abroad – 
The procedure is painstaking, but extremely useful.
- International certificate "Green Card". This agreement will provide you with coverage for damage caused to third parties throughout almost all of Europe. In many cases, you can save on purchasing this certificate, since the presence of an insurance contract is provided for in almost all countries. If you do not take out Green Card car insurance, you will have to buy a policy right at the border of the country you are visiting. Prices for such contracts in Europe are quite high.
- CASCO insurance. Such organizations often refuse CASCO car insurance for citizens traveling abroad. Those companies that agree to this security demand a high price for it. The minimum period for granting permission from many insurance companies is about 1 month. The price for such a service is low. You need to make sure that your specialist has a reliable partner - an organization abroad. Such a company will resolve all problems regarding car repair work in the territory of another state. Otherwise, you may be told that you need to fill out all the reports that the police present, obtain a copy of them, and send the car to Russia, even if it is not transportable.
Travel insurance contract
The execution of this agreement is an extremely important point. It will be required when applying for a visa. The consulate of another country will refuse to issue you a visa without this travel insurance.
Many people purchase policies from private individuals who act as intermediaries between the consular department and the client. In this case, the person is not even interested in the contents of the insurance contract. Such inattention can play a cruel joke on you. Prepayment for such services is sometimes 200% of its actual cost. Many citizens take out car insurance at the nearest insurance company and take the documents themselves lightly, do not read them or even consider them. In most European countries, the amount of medical costs is approximately 30,000 euros.
Tourism contracts are either compensation or service. This point plays a big role when choosing the type of insurance. When purchasing an insurance policy, the organization is obliged to provide the tourist with medical care in the country where he entered. Assistance is provided by assistance companies that have a wide network of providers - clinics, service stations, and the like. Service for a citizen of the Russian Federation in another country is provided through assisting companies and is also costly for the insurance company. Often a company does not have a reliable partner, since foreign connections are quite expensive. Such insurance companies are not able to provide their clients abroad with a doctor visiting on non-working days, or the doctor will not be a specialized specialist.
If the insurer has a Russian assisting company and cannot boast of having serious partners abroad, then problems cannot be avoided. This nuance must be clarified immediately when drawing up a security agreement. The travel insurance contract includes full service. You should only contact well-known and trusted insurance services to avoid problems.
Many drivers consider car travel to be the most convenient and budget-friendly way to travel around the world (at least within the continent). Car insurance for traveling abroad is not only a legal obligation, without which you simply will not be allowed to go abroad, but also a way to ensure your own safety in case of unforeseen circumstances.
This is what is called car insurance for Russians traveling abroad. Most car owners are interested in only two questions - the cost and validity of the Green Card. People think about the amount of payments under the policy and insured events only at the moment when the accident has already occurred. But in vain. Insurance for your car when traveling abroad will allow you to receive insurance compensation in the following cases:
- Causing damage to a foreign citizen's vehicle in a Russian citizen's car.
- Causing harm to the health and/or life of people (drivers, passengers) who were in the car at the time of the accident.
- Causing damage to the property of a third party.
The policy is issued for a specific vehicle. The Green Card indicates the person making the payment. This is not necessarily the owner of the car - it can be any driver who is legally allowed to drive a car.
Cost and terms
The cost of travel insurance for a trip abroad is determined by three main factors:
Parameters such as driving experience, car engine power, history of insurance payments, etc., which determine the price of OSAGO and CASCO policies, do not have any impact on the cost of the Green Card.
Tariffs are revised monthly and depend on the euro exchange rate. New prices are valid from the 15th of each month. Tariffs are regulated by RSA. Insurance conditions are the same for all insurance companies; they have no right to inflate prices.
All insurance issues are settled in accordance with the laws of the country in which the accident occurred.
Where and how to apply for a Green Card?
You can purchase car insurance for traveling abroad from any insurance company. Of course, it is better to read the reviews of policyholders in advance in order to choose a reliable company.
It is best to apply for a Green Card a few days before you plan to travel abroad. The main thing is to have time to return (cross the border of the Russian Federation) before the expiration of the policy.
To apply for car insurance, you must provide the following documents:
- passport of the person who will drive the vehicle abroad;
- registration certificate for the car;
- driver's license;
- power of attorney - when driving a vehicle by a person who has received the right to use the car under this document.
What to do if an insured event occurs
If you are involved in a traffic accident abroad, you must act in the following order: 
- Put up an emergency sign and check for victims in all cars. If there are victims, call an ambulance.
- Report the incident to the police department (by number 112 - common for Schengen countries) and to the insurance company (its number is indicated on the back of the policy).
- Before the police arrive at the scene of the accident, take a photo of him, exchange tear-off parts of the Green Card with another participant in the accident, copy down his insurance number.
- After drawing up the document about the accident, take one copy of it for yourself.
If you can find a common language with the second participant in the accident, you have no disagreements about who is to blame, as well as the amount of damage (if it is small), then you can get by with drawing up a Europrotocol. In this case, it is not necessary to call the police. You can pay immediately at the scene of the traffic incident.
What should you not do?
However, just like on the territory of your state, when committing an accident you should not:
- Leave the scene of the incident. This may subject you to criminal liability and damages to the other party at your expense.
- Sign documents whose contents are completely unclear to you. There is a possibility that the blame for the incident will be shifted entirely to you.
Insurances other than Green Card
In addition to the Green Card, many car owners take out health insurance. They allow you to receive compensation for travelers who have health problems for various reasons, including after an accident.
To expand the list of insured events, “Technical assistance” is issued in addition to insurance. 
It includes payment for the following services necessary in case of theft or damage to a car:
- repairs directly on the road;
- vehicle towing;
- delivery of spare parts necessary for auto restoration;
- payment for the driver’s accommodation during repair work;
- provision of a driver;
- passenger delivery;
- return of the vehicle.
To expand your insurance options, you can also apply for CASCO insurance. This policy insures the car. Its owner receives payments in the event of theft or arson, natural disaster or intentional actions by third parties abroad.
In those countries where the Green Card is not valid, similar policies are provided. For example, to travel to Asia you need to purchase an Orange Card, to visit the Central African region - a Pink Card, etc. Their operating principle is similar to the Green Card.
In order for a car to legally travel outside our vast homeland, you must purchase a Green Card. When traveling to a foreign country, the desire to receive at least some kind of legal and financial protection is even greater than when moving around one’s native lands. If you “save” on the Green Card, then in the event of an accident, the financial responsibility for paying compensation to all other participants in the incident will fall entirely on your shoulders.
Traveling by car is a great convenience for traveling abroad. But this convenience is associated with such sometimes vital formality as obtaining car insurance that would be valid in foreign countries. She is checked at the border without fail. Insurance will help you avoid unexpected expenses associated with various cases of property and health damage involving your vehicle.
General information about the international car insurance system in the Old World
Different countries have different types of international insurance; in some countries there are even two types.
Table. Availability of a system and types of international car insurance “cards” with the regions of their coverage.
| Availability and, when insurance is present, indication of the form of international motor third party liability insurance document | Number of states and regions of operation |
|---|---|
| Green map | In 47 countries. All European countries, some Asian countries (Iran and Turkey), some African countries (Morocco and Tunisia) |
| Pink card | In 6 Central African countries: Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Guinea and Chad |
| Brown card | In 14 African countries, including: Cote d'Ivoire, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso |
| Orange card | In 19 Arab states of Africa and Asia, some of them also have a Green Card |
| Blue card | In 6 countries of Oceania, as well as in Laos and Brunei |
| Yellow card | In Kenya and Congo, Libya and Egypt, Sudan and Seychelles, plus in addition in 10 countries (including the Comoros Islands) |
| White card | In Central Asia: from Afghanistan all the way to the Kazakh eastern part of the country |
| There is no international car insurance. It is currently not possible to calculate compulsory motor liability insurance using any international “card” | In Georgia there is not even a national car insurance system |
The purpose of any type of these cards is to achieve resolution of all claims of motorists who were involved in an accident with the participation of a foreigner. The MTPL policy, which is part of the Russian auto insurance system, is valid exclusively on the territory of Russia.
When the card has expired and you are still driving a vehicle on the territory of a foreign country, you must do one of the following actions:
- to insure a vehicle for various reasons, you need to buy a local car insurance policy that applies only to the foreign country where you intend to continue driving under your own power;
- buy a policy, which has different names in different countries, but in Russia it is called a cross-border liability insurance policy;
- move across the border into Russian territory and buy the necessary card there.
On a note! Of all types of international car insurance, it is the most common in Russia, since Russians travel to European countries more often.
Video - Mandatory car insurance and nuances
Insured events according to the Green Card
Green Card insurance provides compensation for damage to a foreign driver of a road vehicle in the following cases:
General information about the Green Card
When applying for a Green Card, there is no need to include in it all the persons who will be driving the car. This international insurance document is mandatory for foreigners driving a car in the countries in which it operates. Its absence in these countries is punishable by a serious fine. In order for foreigners to drive a car in countries where the Green Card is valid, it is important to have with them the same documents as in Russia and the card itself.
Important! The Green Card is not renewable.
The period for which a Green Card is issued ranges from 15 days to 12 months. You can start preparing it in advance. You can obtain the document both at the auto insurer’s office and at border points. There is also a risk of purchasing a fake Green Card, especially from small car insurers and at border points, so it is important to choose only a large insurance company and it is advisable that it has representative offices abroad.
The Green Card price consists of the following parameters:
- the type to which the vehicle belongs;
- the time for which the contract is concluded;
- the state or states where the vehicle will travel.
What determines the price of a green card for a car:
| What does the price depend on? | Description |
|---|---|
From direction  | It matters which countries are included in your plans. If this is Ukraine or Belarus, one calculation algorithm applies. If you intend to travel to Europe, a different rate plan will apply |
Kind of transport  | There are several options available, from passenger cars to agricultural machinery |
Term  | The contract with the insurance company is concluded for a minimum of 15 days, a maximum of 12 months |
The shorter the period, the lower the price. Unlike the Russian motor vehicle license, the price of this international agreement is not influenced by factors such as driving experience, accident-free driving, engine power and others.
Video - Insurance under the Green Card system
Documents required to purchase a Green Card
Car insurance in countries outside the Green Card coverage area
The procedure for obtaining all other international cards, as a rule, does not differ much from the procedure for acquiring a Green Card. Also, all other requirements for vehicles of foreigners are similar.
Video - Green Card
