Car Accident Abroad: How to Fill In the European Accident Statement

The first 30 minutes at the scene

1. Stay at the scene and make it safe. Secure the scene with your warning triangle. In Germany, leaving the scene without giving your details is a criminal offence.
2. Check for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call the emergency services first; the form can wait.
3. Decide whether to call the police. Some countries only send officers when someone is injured or several vehicles are involved, while others want even damage-only accidents recorded. In France you are not obliged to call the police if nobody is seriously hurt and both drivers agree on what happened. If in doubt, call them, and always call after a hit-and-run.
4. Photograph everything. Take pictures of the scene, the positions of the cars, the damage and both registration plates.
5. Collect the other driver's details, ideally from their insurance documents or green card: name and address (check their ID), insurer, policy or green card number, registration number and country, and make and model. For a car with a trailer, note both plates.
6. Take witnesses' names and contact details, and ask for business cards if they have them.
7. Fill in the European Accident Statement together, as described below.

The European Accident Statement field by field

The form is harmonised across Europe, so the fields are in the same place in every language. That means you can fill in a German or Spanish version by following the numbers. It has a left column for vehicle A and a right column for vehicle B; it does not matter which driver is A.

Use a ballpoint pen and press hard, because the form makes a carbon copy that has to stay legible. Fields 6, 8 and 9 are easiest to complete straight from the insurance certificate or green card and the driving licence.

The 17 circumstances and the box count

Field 12 is where liability is decided, so take your time. Each driver ticks, in their own column, every situation that applied to their vehicle:

The numbering here follows the English version of the form; check it against the copy you are using. Then write the number of boxes you ticked at the bottom of your column. Germany's consumer centre explains why this matters: without the number, the other party could tick extra boxes later, to your disadvantage.

Signing: what to do and what never to do

• Sign only if you understand and agree. If you do not agree with how the circumstances are described, do not tick boxes you dispute. You cannot force the other driver to sign either; if they refuse, collect their details anyway and send what you have to your insurer.
• Use the remarks box. Field 14 can be filled in in each driver's own language. As a last resort, the consumer centres suggest completing two statements, one in each language.
• Never alter the front after signing. The form says so explicitly. Each driver keeps one of the two copies.
• One form per other vehicle. If more than two vehicles are involved, fill in a separate statement with each driver.
• It is not an admission of liability. The form itself states this. Insurers decide liability from the facts recorded, which is why an inaccurate statement can make you look responsible when you were not.
• Complete the back at home. The reverse side is a declaration for your own insurer and is filled in later.

Claiming when you get home

The EU makes it possible to claim in your own country and language, under the motor insurance directives such as Directive 2000/26/EC:

1. Send the statement to your insurer quickly, and to the other driver's insurer or its representative. Time limits vary by country and some are short.
2. Find the claims representative. Every motor insurer in the EU must have a claims representative in each member state. The information centre in your country of residence finds it from the other car's registration number, even if you do not know the insurer's name. In Germany this is the Zentralruf der Autoversicherer, in France AGIRA, and in the UK the Motor Insurers' Bureau.
3. Submit the claim with the accident statement and, if possible, a repair estimate.
4. Expect an offer within three months. The representative must make a compensation offer within three months of receiving your complete documents.
5. Use the compensation body as a last resort. If no offer arrives within three months, if the insurer has no representative in your country, or if the other vehicle or insurer cannot be identified within two months, contact your national compensation body. It must act within two months. This route is closed if you have already gone to court against the driver.

Wait for your insurer's approval before having the car repaired.

Which law applies and why compensation can differ

Generally, the law of the country where the accident happened applies, including the rules on liability and the amounts of compensation. There is one useful exception: if all vehicles involved are registered in the same member state, that state's law applies. Two German-registered cars that collide in France are dealt with under German law; a German and a Hungarian car colliding in France come under French law.

Minimum cover and compensation levels differ between countries, so the other insurer may not pay your full loss. Insurance Europe advises asking your own insurer before travelling whether extra cover is available to close that gap. Accidents in a rental car follow the same process, but tell the rental company straight away as well.

Before you travel: a five-minute checklist

• Put a blank European Accident Statement in the glove box. Your insurer can supply one; some versions are bilingual.
• Carry your insurance certificate. The green card is an international certificate of insurance valid in 47 countries; it is not legally required within the EU but is practical to have.
• Check the compulsory kit for your destination: a warning triangle, reflective vest and first-aid kit are widely required, and some countries ask for more.
• Save your insurer's 24-hour claims number in your phone.
• Ask your insurer whether your policy covers damage to your own car abroad and whether extra cover is worth it.

Insurance costs and excesses are part of what a car really costs to run; our cost of ownership calculator puts them alongside fuel, tax and servicing. More guides for drivers are collected in the Advice section.