The International Motor Insurance Card System, known as Green Card system, was conceived by United Nations and started to operate as from the 1st January 1953. The aim of this system is to assist motorists who cross over a number of countries, not only E.U countries, in order to protect the victims of motor accidents from the specific motorist, in the specific countries where they are traveling, in accordance with the basic purposes of the system, which are:

• The victim of a traffic accident should not be found in a disadvantageous position  for the reason that the personal injuries or the damage to property caused are the responsibility of a motorist visiting his country and not of a motorist who is a permanent resident, and:
• The motorists who are driving abroad, should not be subjected to inconvenience at the borders of every country they cross, owing to reasons related to their motor insurance cover.

The success of the Green Card System, after 50 years of operation, is undisputable, as it has met in every respect its objective targets. The Green Card System is based on the compulsory motor insurance for civil liability and on the establishment of organizations known as “International Insurance Bureaux”, which are recognized by the governments of all states participating in the system and which print or issue “International Certificates of Insurance” (Green Cards) for the covering of compensation for personal injuries or damage to property that results from the circulation of motor vehicles in another state. The International Insurance Bureaux enter into agreements between them which regulate the uninterrupted operation of the Green Card System.