What to do after a car accident abroad in Europe
Vaidas Labanauskas, 23 years in insurance · reviewed
Make the scene safe and call 112 if anyone is hurt. Record the facts with the other driver on the European Accident Statement, keep your copy and tell your own insurer. If you live in the EU or EEA and the other vehicle is insured and registered in another EU or EEA country, you can claim through that insurer’s representative in your own country, in your country’s language.
At the scene
- Make the scene safe: Switch on your hazard lights and check for injuries. Call 112 if anyone is hurt or in danger — it works in every EU country.
- Follow the local police rules: They differ by country: in several countries the police must be informed when someone is injured.
- Take photos when it is safe: Vehicle positions, damage, number plates, road signs and the wider scene.
- Exchange details: Names, addresses, registration numbers and countries, insurers and policy numbers. Ask to see the insurance certificate, or the Green Card if applicable.
- Fill in the European Accident Statement together: Sign only what you understand and each keep a copy. If the police attended, note which police and the report number.
- Tell your own insurer: Even if you do not plan to make a claim.
Police rules for several countries: What to do if the other driver refuses to sign. How to fill in the form: How to fill in the European Accident Statement.
Whom to contact after the accident
EU law sets up the same routes in every EU and EEA country, so a driver who lives in one of them and is hit abroad does not have to deal with a foreign insurer alone.
| Situation | Whom to contact | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone is injured, there is danger, or the other driver leaves | 112 and the local police | Emergency help and a police record of the accident. |
| Every accident | Your own insurer | Must be told about the accident even if you do not claim; national law and your policy set the deadline. |
| You live in the EU or EEA and were hit abroad by a vehicle from another EU or EEA country* | That insurer’s claims representative in your own country | Deals with your claim in your country’s language and must send a reasoned offer, or a reasoned reply, within three months. |
| You do not know the other insurer or its representative | The information centre in your country | Tells you the insurer, the policy number and the claims representative, for seven years after the accident. |
| No reasoned reply within three months, or no claims representative in your country* | The compensation body in your country | Can compensate you and must act within two months of your application; not if you have already taken legal action directly against the insurer. |
| In another EU or EEA country, the other vehicle cannot be identified, or its insurer is still unknown two months after the accident | The compensation body in your country | May compensate you under the Directive’s rules. |
| The other vehicle is from your own country | Its insurer, directly | The claims-representative route does not apply. |
| A foreign-registered vehicle hit you in your own country | The foreign insurer’s correspondent or representative in your country | Your national bureau (table below) tells you who it is. |
* The accident happened outside your country of residence — in another EU or EEA country, or in some other countries covered by the same rules — and the other vehicle is insured and registered in an EU or EEA country other than yours (Directive 2009/103/EC, Articles 20 to 25).
Who these bodies are in the countries our guides cover
| Country | Information centre | Compensation body (for residents) | Foreign-registered vehicle in that country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Zentralruf der Autoversicherer | Verkehrsopferhilfe | Deutsches Büro Grüne Karte |
| France | AGIRA (Association pour la gestion des informations sur le risque en assurance) | Fonds de Garantie (FGAO) | Bureau Central Français (BCF) |
| Spain | Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, under the motor insurance act, art. 24 | OFESAUTO | OFESAUTO |
| Italy | CONSAP (Centro di Informazione) | CONSAP (Organismo di Indennizzo) | UCI (Ufficio Centrale Italiano) |
| Poland | UFG (Ubezpieczeniowy Fundusz Gwarancyjny), under the compulsory insurance act, art. 102; for Polish residents who suffer damage or injury in an accident abroad, PBUK obtains the foreign insurer’s details (art. 78) | PBUK (Polskie Biuro Ubezpieczycieli Komunikacyjnych), under the same act, art. 83 | PBUK; if you do not know the insurer, PBUK refers you to PZU or Warta |
| Lithuania | Lietuvos Respublikos transporto priemonių draudikų biuras (CAB) | CAB | The foreign insurer’s claims correspondent in Lithuania (CAB explains) |
| United Kingdom | Motor Insurers’ Bureau (UK Information Centre) | None since 31 December 2020: UK residents may need to claim in the country of the accident (GOV.UK) | Motor Insurers’ Bureau: claim against the foreign insurer’s UK representative, otherwise through the Bureau |
For other countries, Your Europe explains the procedure and the Council of Bureaux lists each country’s bureau (see Sources).
Language
The sections of the European Accident Statement are numbered the same in every language version, so you can match the questions by number. In Minsas, each driver can fill in the same statement in their own language.
Deadlines
An insurer that receives a claim must send a reasoned offer, or a reasoned reply, within three months; this applies to all motor liability claims in the EU (Directive 2009/103/EC, Articles 19 and 22). Deadlines for telling your own insurer are set by national law and your policy: notice deadlines by country.
FAQ
Make the scene safe and call 112 if anyone is hurt. Take photos when it is safe, exchange details with the other driver and fill in the European Accident Statement together. Keep your copy and tell your own insurer.
Yes, if you live in an EU or EEA country, the accident happened in another country covered by the rules, and the other vehicle is insured and registered in an EU or EEA country other than yours. Its insurer has a claims representative in your country who deals with your claim in your country’s language; your country’s information centre tells you who it is.
It must send a reasoned offer or a reasoned reply within three months of your claim. If it does not, or if it has no claims representative in your country, you can apply to the compensation body in your country, unless you have already taken legal action against the insurer.
Match the questions by number: the sections are numbered the same in every language version of the form. In Minsas, each driver can fill in the same statement in their own language, and both review it before signing.
It depends on the country and the situation. Call 112 if anyone is injured or in danger. In several countries the police must be informed when someone is injured, and in some they also attend accidents with damage only. Check the local rules; our guide on refusals to sign lists them for several countries.
Yes. Minsas uses the standard European Accident Statement. You choose whether to send the signed statement to your insurer, broker or another recipient.
Sources
- EUR-Lex: Directive 2009/103/EC on motor insurance, consolidated text (Articles 19 to 25)
- Your Europe (European Union): Car insurance cover abroad: what to do after an accident
- Your Europe (European Union): FAQs – Car insurance cover abroad
- Your Europe (European Union): Emergencies: 112, the single European emergency number
- European Consumer Centre France: Car accident in Europe
- European Consumer Centre Germany: Car accident in Germany or abroad: What to do?
- Council of Bureaux: I had an accident abroad: find the competent body
Complete the report together
One phone is enough for both drivers to complete and sign the European Accident Statement. The other driver can also scan the QR code to join the same statement in the app or browser and complete it with you. Installing the app is optional.