The green card comes for free. It is a proof that the car is insured up to a certain level. But the driver needs to extent his cover or else only his Road Traffic Accident (RTA) will be covered incase driving in some foreign land. The insurance agents often claim that they are charging for the green card but actually they are just extending the insurance cover of UK whilst in overseas. The “foreign use extension” cover is not free of charge.

If a person has car insurance in UK, it extends to EU countries for free but only regarding third party damage. If he has no problem with that, then he need not apply for separate green card insurance. But that will leave his own car unsecured.

The rate for covering extended insurance depends upon the tenure of the cover required. The type of car used is also taken into account by some insurance agencies.

Until recently, a Green Card was compulsory for anyone driving to Europe. But when the concept of single market came into action, many European countries agreed to allow visitors without Green Card. But sadly it is not applicable to all European countries. So, it is wise to carry along one’s Green Card when traveling abroad to avoid any unnecessary harassment.