3. Green Card enquiry
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roythebus

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Green Card enquiry
« on: September 11, 2024, 04:26:17 pm »
My partner was driving her car round a roundabout at junction 11 on the M20 in Kent a month or so ago and was side-swiped by a foreign registered van. It was the other driver's fault and details were exchanged. All the details from the other driver were in Bulgarian. She has forwarded the details to her insurers who are now apparently refusing to deal with the matter as she wasn't given any Green Card details and wasn't aware that any were required. she'd assumed all the details were on the form given to her by the Bulgarian driver.

Luckily the damage wasn't serious, rear wing panel badly scraped and fell off. I bought a bag of fixings and clipped it back on.

So what is the situation regarding Green Cards in the UK with foreign drivers? My own insurance says I don't need one when abroad.
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666

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2024, 08:08:45 pm »
AIUI they're optional.

Anyway, your partner needs to ask her insurer what clause in their Ts and Cs tells her to get the green card details. I've never seen one.
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The Slithy Tove

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2024, 09:08:37 am »
Sounds like just an excuse to me. A few years ago a Spanish lorry (with Bulgarian driver) sideswiped me - all his fault. The only details I got were a copy of his driving licence* and what looked like a normal insurance certificate. Insurance company handled it all. It took an age, but they have whole departments to deal with claims against foreign insurance policies.

*A Bulgarian driving license doesn't show an address, so things slowed down somewhat because I had no address for the driver.
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BertB

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2024, 11:06:29 am »
Insurance Green card not required for someone from an EU country to drive in the UK AFAIK.

Edit
Quote
The UK is part of the Green Card Free Circulation Area (GCFCA), which comprises all 30 European Economic Area (EEA) countries as well as Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Switzerland. UK-based drivers do not need to carry green cards for their vehicles when travelling to these countries.

This obviously works both ways.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2024, 11:09:12 am by BertB »
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roythebus

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2024, 08:44:10 pm »
Is Bulgaria in the EU/EEA? I've lost track... The driver of the other Bulgarian van who spoke good english dealt with my partner, he was following the errant driver. The paperwork he gave my partner was all in Bugarian script!
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nigelbb

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2024, 07:32:37 am »
Quote from: roythebus on September 12, 2024, 08:44:10 pm
Is Bulgaria in the EU/EEA? I've lost track... The driver of the other Bulgarian van who spoke good english dealt with my partner, he was following the errant driver. The paperwork he gave my partner was all in Bugarian script!

Yes.

https://www.gov.uk/eu-eea#:~:text=Austria%2C%20Belgium%2C%20Bulgaria%2C%20Croatia,%2C%20Slovenia%2C%20Spain%20and%20Sweden.
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666

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2024, 10:02:57 am »
Quote from: roythebus on September 12, 2024, 08:44:10 pm
Is Bulgaria in the EU/EEA? I've lost track...

Roy, I think you're confusing us with Google.
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ManxTom

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2024, 04:36:40 pm »
Quote from: roythebus on September 12, 2024, 08:44:10 pm
Is Bulgaria in the EU/EEA? I've lost track... The driver of the other Bulgarian van who spoke good english dealt with my partner, he was following the errant driver. The paperwork he gave my partner was all in Bugarian script!

There were two Bulgarian vans and two bulgarian drivers?  Whose details did your partner get?
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666

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2024, 05:50:03 pm »
Quote from: ManxTom on September 13, 2024, 04:36:40 pm
Quote from: roythebus on September 12, 2024, 08:44:10 pm
Is Bulgaria in the EU/EEA? I've lost track... The driver of the other Bulgarian van who spoke good english dealt with my partner, he was following the errant driver. The paperwork he gave my partner was all in Bugarian script!

There were two Bulgarian vans and two bulgarian drivers?  Whose details did your partner get?

I realise we're going even farther off-topic, but ...

The English-speaking Bulgar would have to have been spectacularly stupid to give his own details. But not impossible.
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roythebus

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2024, 09:13:30 pm »
As far as my partner is aware the english speaker gave the details of the alleged offending driver.

It seems to me the insurance company don't think it's owrth chasing. the damage was the rear offside wheel arch section was scratched and knocked off, it's plastic and held on with plastic clips. A bag of clips was about a tenner and an aerosol can of Discovery black to match the OE spec is about £60. Insurance excess is £300. Wing section maybe £65. Says it all really.

Put it down to experience, make sure next time it happens to get the Green Card details. That's the problem with living almost next to the M20 and the brexit lorry park AKA Sevington Inland Border Facility.
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BertB

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2024, 01:20:36 pm »
But you won't get the green card details Roy, because they don't need one.
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BertB

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2024, 01:21:36 pm »
I don't suppose the second Bulgarian was the first one's Great Uncle by any chance? 
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dave-o

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2024, 02:05:05 pm »
Quote from: BertB on September 17, 2024, 01:21:36 pm
I don't suppose the second Bulgarian was the first one's Great Uncle by any chance?

Cholet not!
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John Glacier

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2024, 04:15:54 pm »
Just want to clear a few matters up. I live in Bulgaria from time to time and have a car there.

Firstly, there is no such thing as an insurance certificate that we would be used to. All there is is an insurance coupon with the expiry date punched out. The only information on it is the VRM and policy number. This card however is only valid in Bulgaria and is in the Bulgarian language only. For use abroad a green card is necessary and is issued free of charge every year with your insurance.I can't understand why the drivers did not produce their green card unless they were trying to avoid liability.

Also Bulgarian driving licences have the name of the town/village where the holder is. In a big town/city this would be useless in tracking someone down but in a small village that would be enough to find someone. You should really be asking them for their identity card as that contains their full address.
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roythebus

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Re: Green Card enquiry
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2024, 10:34:40 pm »
Quote from: 666 on September 13, 2024, 10:02:57 am
Quote from: roythebus on September 12, 2024, 08:44:10 pm
Is Bulgaria in the EU/EEA? I've lost track...

Roy, I think you're confusing us with Google.
I'm going google-eyed looking at this computer.. :)

Many thanks to John Glacier for clarifying that. Is that insurance similar to those we see on German vehicles? In Germany the vehicle is insured, not the driver!
« Last Edit: September 17, 2024, 10:39:24 pm by roythebus »
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