Insuring the drive to Italy: Dutch export cover with a Green Card

The export insurance is temporary third-party liability cover (WA) for 14 days, with a Green Card as international proof of insurance. We confirm it by email, including the Green Card as a PDF; at the desk you also receive the Green Card on paper and the white plates. Insurance with plates starts from €100, and the complete package with the export document from €150.

The policy and the Green Card determine in which countries and for which driver you are covered. Check before you leave that the whole route, through Germany and Austria to Italy, is covered.

For the insurance we need the desired start date, the destination and route, and the details of the policyholder and the driver. For a business buyer we also need the company name, address and VAT number.

The Green Card shows that the vehicle has at least the compulsory third-party cover of the country you are visiting. According to the Council of Bureaux, the Green Card system covers 47 countries. Carry it in the car during the whole drive.

Insurance is not the same as permission to drive on export plates. The rules for a Dutch export registration vary by country, so check them as well: see Dutch export plates.

Looking for temporary car insurance for Italy? Our export insurance is a Dutch temporary policy linked to the Dutch export registration, meant for the journey and the period until the Italian registration. It is not an Italian policy.

Once the car is registered in Italy, you arrange Italian motor insurance (RC auto) yourself, in good time. We do not arrange that policy; ask locally what is required and from when.

NederlandWereldwijd points out that your car insurance is no longer valid once the car has been removed from the Dutch register. It advises taking out temporary insurance for the period until the car is registered in your new country. After the export, the Dutch owner's obligations to insure the car and keep a valid APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) also stop, as does motor vehicle tax. That is the gap the export insurance fills, which matters if you are moving to Italy with a car.

The VAT check at the Agenzia delle Entrate, an appointment at an STA, a sworn translation or a revisione can take longer than 14 days. You can then extend the cover by 14 days at a time, from €120 per extension, after approval by the insurer. Request it before the current cover ends, so the new period follows on directly: see extending export insurance. The steps themselves are explained on importing a car to Italy.

An extension only concerns the insurance. On Dutch roads the 14 days and the APK limit stay the same, and abroad the rules for export plates vary by country.

A caravan or trailer also gets its own export insurance when it leaves the Netherlands. Up to 750 kg it is insured on the chassis number; heavier ones have their own registration number and one white plate. An APK is only required for a caravan or trailer above 3,500 kg. If your car goes on a car transporter or trailer instead, it usually needs no driving insurance, but the export document is still required.