Motorists may need green card insurance proof

IRISH motorists will need a special “green card” as proof of insurance cover in the North and Britain if there is a no-deal Brexit.

The new measure will be especially relevant for drivers in Border areas who travel in and out of Northern Ireland frequently.

North drivers will also need the document as proof of insurance cover in the south.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland has announced the industry is prepared to issue these green cards where necessary.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney told the Dáil that the measure was an example of preparing for a no-deal Brexit, which he again stressed he thought was not likely to happen.

“What the industry is saying,andwhatweare saying,isthatthisisan example of contingency planning,” Mr Coveney said.

Under EU insurance directives, Irish drivers’ national insurance documents are acceptable in other European Union member states without additional documentation.

But if, as feared, a no-deal crash-out Brexit happens on March 29, then Irish drivers travelling in Britain and the North must revert to the green card system which operated for decades before being overtaken by the EU.

The same obligation will apply to UK motorists driving in EU member states.

An agreement struck between UK and EU insurance bodies last May to waive the need for green cards has yet to be ratified by the European Commission.