FAQs
If you want to know more about the GPCV or if you need more specific information, please check our FAQs section.
Questions are organised by topic to make your search easier. Select below the area you are interested in and find the information you are looking for.
About the GPCV (6)
Where are we based?
The GPCV is based in Lisbon in Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, no. 41, in the building of the Portuguese Association of Insurers. Telephone: (351) 21 3848101 (landline); email: gpcv@apseguradores.pt
How is the GPCV funded?
Basically, the GPCV generates revenue from: a) Membership fees and dues paid by the associates, the latter depending on the size of their portfolio of insured vehicles b) Handling fees paid by their foreign counterparts for claim handling services provided by the GPCV.
How long are the terms of office of the members of the statutory bodies?
The term of office of the members of the Board of Directors, the Fiscal Council and the General Assembly is three years.
Who can be an associate of the GPCV?
Insurers can be members of the GPCV, with the status of Associates, when authorised by the ASF to sell and manage Motor Third Party Liability Insurance in Portugal.
Who can be elected as a member of the statutory bodies of the GPCV?
The members are elected among the Associates of the GPCV.
How to become an associate of the GPCV?
Insurers that want to be associates of the GPCV must submit a request to its Board of Directors demonstrating that they are authorised by the ASF to sell and manage Motor Third Party Liability insurance in Portugal. The Board then decides whether to admit the new Associate. An appeal to this decision may be submitted to the General Assembly.
Driving outside Portugal (5)
- In countries which are signatories to the Multilateral Agreement (Section III of Internal Regulations), you do not need to take your Green Card, as it is not a mandatory document.
- For all the other countries, it is necessary to take your Green Card with you, either printed on paper or in digital format (PDF), as it is now possible to show it to police or border authorities electronically (as a precaution, in case your mobile phone is lost or runs out of battery, it is recommended that you always carry a printed copy of your Green Card with you).
What is frontier insurance and what can it be used for?
It is a temporary mandatory third party liability insurance policy covering injured third parties in the country you are entering. Whenever entering a country outside the EEA that is crossed out in your Green Card, you must acquire frontier insurance to be duly insured. This is the only way to be insured for any damages you may cause to third parties with your vehicle.
Should I always take the Green Card with me when travelling abroad?
It depends on the country you are visiting:
What should I do when entering a country crossed out in my Green Card?
You must acquire frontier insurance when entering that country.
My policy also covers own damage. Is this cover valid in all the countries not crossed out in the Green Card?
No. One thing is mandatory third party liability cover and another is optional cover (own damage); they do not apply equally to all territories. The Green Card covers mandatory third party liability only and this is valid for all countries whose acronym is not crossed out. To learn about the territories where own damage applies, please check the special and particular conditions of your insurance policy or contact your insurer or insurance broker.
Does the Green Card have to be printed on green paper?
The Green Card hasn’t been printed on green paper in Portugal since 2021. Therefore, nowadays, the document should more accurately be called the International Motor Insurance Certificate.
Green Card System (4)
- The 27 countries of the European Union
- 3 other countries of the European Economic Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway
- And 6 more countries: Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Croatia, and Switzerland
Do Green Cards have to be issued on paper or can be issued in digital format?
From 11 July 2023, Green Cards can be issued and made available in digital format, but they can also be provided on paper at the insured or the policyholder’s request, at no additional cost. Green Cards issued electronically replace the paper insurance certificate.
Even if you intend to travel abroad, you can show your Green Card in digital format (PDF) to the police or border authorities (as a precaution, in case your mobile phone is lost or runs out of battery, it is recommended that you always carry a printed copy of your Green Card with you).
Are there countries that cannot be crossed out in the Green Card? Which ones?
As they are covered by the territorial scope of compulsory insurance defined by law, the following countries cannot be crossed out in the Green Card:
Where can I find the Green Card Bureaux in different countries?
Just click here to access the Council of Bureaux website and find the Bureau office you are looking for.
Are there countries that must be crossed out in the Green Card?
Currently, Russia, Belarus, and Iran must be crossed out in the Green Card due to their suspension from membership in the Council of Bureaux.
In the event of an Accident (6)
- If it is not possible to identify the vehicle that caused the accident, or if, within 2 months of its occurrence, it is not possible to identify the Insurer, submit a claim for compensation to the FGA (Motor Guarantee Fund).
- If you know the name of the Insurer of the vehicle responsible and its claims representative in Portugal, submit your claim to the latter.
- If you know the name of the Insurer of the vehicle responsible, but it has no designated claims representative in Portugal, submit your claim to the FGA (Motor Guarantee Fund).
- If you know the name of the Insurer of the vehicle responsible for the accident and the name of its correspondent in Portugal, make a claim for damages to the latter.
- If you do not know either of them, contact the GPCV. Contacts.
- If there is an appointed correspondent, submit your claim for damages to it; if there is no appointed correspondent, the claim must be submitted to the GPCV, which will follow-up on the process.
- If the foreign third party does not have insurance but is usually based on a country signatory to the Multilateral Agreement (Section III of the Internal Regulations), the GPCV will respond to your claim.
The foreign third party fled the scene of the accident, and I only had time to note down the licence plate number. How can I find out the name of the Insurer?
I am a resident of Portugal and I had an accident abroad (in an EEA country). What do I do? If I did not even manage to identify the vehicle responsible, what should I do?
Let’s take it step by step:
What is the mandatory minimum coverage in different countries?
Find out what the mandatory minimum motor third party liability insurance coverage is in different countries here
I had an accident in Portugal involving a foreign vehicle. What should I do? If the foreign third party does not have insurance, who pays for my losses?
Let’s take it step by step:
Are victims of traffic accidents protected if the insurer of the vehicle responsible is declared insolvent?
In the event of insolvency or liquidation of the insurer responsible for payment, injured parties will not be left without compensation. Injured parties can claim compensation directly from the insolvency body in their Member State of residence, which in Portugal is the Motor Guarantee Fund (FGA).
This measure was introduced by the 6th Motor Insurance Directive, transposed into Portuguese law by Decree-Law No. 26/2025 of March 20, which introduced amendments to Decree-Law No. 291/2007 of August 21.
My policy has the minimum cover mandatory in Portugal. However, I had an accident abroad where personal injury liability is unlimited. Should I be worried?
No. Whenever you travel abroad, your liability is, at least, the mandatory minimum liability established in the legislation of the country you are visiting, even if your policy covers a lower amount. If the driver of a motor vehicle covered by a Portuguese insurance policy, with mandatory minimum cover, causes bodily injuries in France (where liability is unlimited) of a value exceeding your liability, your Insurer will cover such damages (or, if everything else fails, GPCV will cover them, as the ultimate guarantor).