Claiming for an Accident Abroad

If you are involved in an accident abroad, the procedure for making a claim is much the same as if the accident had occurred in the UK. Swap insurance details with any other driver(s) involved. Notify your insurer of the accident and they should manage the claim as usual. They will be able to contact the other driver's insurer via the national motor vehicle insurance bureau, who deal with the formalities of managing a claim across borders.

EU rules should ensure that your claim is settled quickly and efficiently. The law requires that if necessary, the other driver's insurance company must provide a representative, who will be able to settle the claim in English. In addition, all EU countries must have:

• sanctions to speed up compensation claims if they take longer than three months
• central motor insurance information centres available to identify drivers' insurers
• a compensation body which settles claims taking too long to settle

If you are the victim of an uninsured or untraced driver, you are entitled to make a claim to the motor vehicle guarantee fund of the foreign country. Each country is different and their rules may differ from those in the UK. For more details see Uninsured / Untraced Drivers.