Green Card — When It's Needed and How to Get It in 2026
The Green Card is an international OC insurance certificate confirming that you have an active liability policy and will be covered in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Without it, entering some countries isn't possible or requires buying a local border policy (much more expensive). A Polish OC policy works automatically in the EU, but when traveling to Albania, Moldova, Turkey or Ukraine, you specifically need the Green Card.
List of countries requiring a Green Card (2026)
Currently the Green Card is needed when entering: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Israel, North Macedonia, Morocco, Moldova, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (since 2021 — before Brexit it wasn't needed), Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Azerbaijan. The list is updated by the Polish Bureau of Motor Insurers (PBUK) — before travel it's worth checking the current version at pbuk.pl.
Where the Green Card is NOT needed
A Polish OC policy applies automatically in all EEA countries (EU + Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) and in Andorra, Serbia, Switzerland. Here a valid policy and registration document are enough — at any check the police look up data in internal databases. You don't need additional documents or a Green Card.
How to obtain a Green Card
All insurers issuing OC in Poland are required to issue a Green Card on customer request — free of charge, as part of the existing policy. Just: call the hotline, write an e-mail or submit a request via the customer panel. Required data: policy number, travel dates, vehicle registration. The document is usually received within 1–7 days — as a PDF by e-mail (to print) or as a physical document sent by post.
What to do if you forget the Green Card
At the border of a country requiring a Green Card, without this document you won't be admitted — unless you buy a border policy, costing usually 50–200 EUR for 15 days. That's much more than the value of an annual OC policy in Poland. So it's worth ordering the Green Card 7 days in advance and having it printed along with the registration document and driving licence.
Validity period of the Green Card
The Green Card is valid for the entire OC policy period — usually 12 months. You can use it multiple times, for different countries and trips. After the policy ends or is terminated, the Green Card automatically loses validity. When changing insurer, you need to order a new Green Card from the new company — the old one doesn't transfer automatically.
When entering the United Kingdom with a Polish-registered car — make sure to bring the Green Card. Since 2021 it's required there, even though earlier (before Brexit) it wasn't needed.
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