Green Card Albania – Green card car insurance Albania

If you need a green card for Albania, I will give you all the information in this blog post. If you are driving accross the border with a foreign car, I will give you the details you need to get your green card in this blog post.

Do I need a Green card for Albania? You need a green card for Albania if you are driving a foreign car across the border to Albania. A green card is an insurance document, which states that your foreign car is insured for Albania. You can get the Green Card from your car insurance in your home country (if covered), your car rental company or buy it at the Albanian border.

In this blog post, I will answer all your questions about getting a Green Card for Albania. I will discuss:

-What is a green card insurance for Albania exactly?
-Is Albania covered by green card?
-How do I get a green card for Albania?
-How do I get a green card for my personal car in order to drive in Albania?
-How do I get a green card for a rental car in order to drive in Albania?
-What does a Green Card for Albania cost?
-How much does a green card cost at the Albanian border?
-Should I buy a green card in my home country before travelling to Albania?
-Should I ask about car insurance at the Albanian border?
-Do I need to get a green card for my caravan in order to drive to Albania?

What is green card insurance for Albania?

A green card is an insurance document, that you need when you are driving a foreign car across the Albanian border.

Basically, a green card is a piece of paper, which states that you have the minimum required insurance. The document shows that your foreign car is covered with insurance whilst driving in Albania.

For Albania, the minimum insurance requirement is third party insurance. So if you have a Green card with you this will show the border control or the police that your vehicle is covered with third party insurance. So by having a green card you meet the legal requirement for car insurance whilst driving in Albania.

A green cards is not a document invented by Albania. Instead, a Green Card is an internationally recognized insurance certificate. Green card insurance is used in many of the countries in the Balkans.

Although the countries in the Balkans are on the European continent, they are not a part of the European Union. Whereas drivers from Europe and the UK are allowed to drive through the European Union with the insurance from their home country, this does not apply to many Balkan counties, which are not a part of the European Union.

So in Albania and many of the Balkan counties you need a green card, which is a certificate that confirms that you have the minimum insurance cover.

Is Albania covered by a green card?

Albania is covered by a green card insurance document. If you want to drive your own car or a rental car from abroad into Albania, you will need a green card. This green card is a sheet of paper, which shows that your foreign car is covered with the legally required insurance whilst driving in Albania.

How do I get a green card for Albania?

You can get a green card insurance certificate for Albania from:

Option 1: Your car insurance in your home country. If you are driving to Albania with your personal car, check with your insurance company if Albania is covered by your car insurance.
Option 2: Your car rental company, if you are driving a rental car from abroad to Albania
Option 3: The insurance office at the border when you are about to enter Albania with your car

In the next paragraphs, I will give you some more detail about getting a green card depending on whether you are driving your own car into Albania or a car that you rented abroad.

How do I get a green card for my personal car in order to drive in Albania?

If you are driving to Albania in your personal car, you must take these steps:

Step 1: Check if your car insurance in your home country covers driving in Albania by requesting a green card from your insurance provider
Step 2: If your car insurance in your home country does not cover Albania, you must buy a green card at the Albanian border

If you are driving to Albania in your personal car, you may be able to get a green card from your car insurance company in your home country. However, it is important that you check whether Albania is covered by the green card of your car insurance.

For instance, if your car is from the European Union or the UK. Then the car insurance that you have in your home country will allow you to drive in the countries of the European Union. Because the car insurance in your home country includes the minimum third party insurance required for the countries of the European Union.

So I recommend that you request a free Green Card from your car insurance at home. You may be able to download this Green Card from your insurance website or they will post it to your home address.

It is very important that you check whether Albania and other counties in the Balkans are included in the Green Card. There is usually a table of countries covered by the Green Card. In most cases, Albania will not be included, but it is worth checking considering you already pay for your car insurance at home anyway.

Some car insurance companies are able to offer you a Green Card that covers Albania and the Balkans if you pay a small fee of 10-20 euros. Ask your insurance company, because if you can pay a small fee you will save a lot of time and money on your holiday.

“I obtained green card back in the country where my car is registered and insured. It costed less than 10 euros for green card that is valid for 30 countries (including all Balkan countries/ except Kosovo), for the same insurance period like normal car insurance (1 year) , and whole proccess took maybe 1 hour if not less.” Tripadvisor Forum

If you find out that your car insurance in your home country does not cover Albania, you can buy a green card at the Albanian border before entering Albania.

When you get to the Albanian border, there will be a little office where you show your passport before entering Albania. The border control officer for Albania will ask if you have a green card insurance certificate. If you do not have this document, the border control officer will ask you to go to the insurance office at the border to buy a green card insurance certificate.

A green card at the Albanian border costs 49 euros. Once you buy the insurance certificate you are allowed to cross the border and enter Albania.

How do I get a green card for a rental car in order to drive in Albania?

If you are driving a rental car from abroad into Albania, you can get a green card insurance certificate from your car rental company. However, you must check with your car rental company, if they allow you to take the rental car from abroad to Albania.

I recently reached out to car rental companies in Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Greece to ask if they would allow me to drive their rental car to Albania. And several car rental companies said it was not allowed immediately.

“According to Terms & Conditions it is not allowed to cross borders of Greece with the rental car” by Global-Rent-a-Car Greece

“However please be advised that cross border is not allowed , when renting with GM Greece.” by Green Motion Greece

“Thank you for your interest in renting a car by Artemis but unfortunately we do not allow our vehicles to cross the borders.” by Artemis Rent a Car

Once you have found a car rental company that will allow you to take their rental car across the border to Albania, you can ask about the costs of a Green Card insurance document.

What does a Green Card for Albania cost?

A Green Card for Albania costs between 20 – 50 euros.

You would think that every car rental company would charge the same for a green card to enter Albania, right! However, this is not the case. I reached out to several car rental companies in Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Greece. And it turns out the price for a green card to enter Albania varies by company.

Every car rental company told me a different price for the Green Card. Prices for Green Cards varied between 20 euros – 50 euros.

Here are some of the quotes I received for Green Cards:

“It is possible to cross the border with the car, it cost extra 42.35 euros (green card), on our desk you can take also additional insurance for a car which cost 6e+vat – 12e+vat per day (depending on car category).” by Hertz Montenegro

“Renter must advise at the time of rental that the vehicle will be taken across an international border, so a Green Card will be issued. The cost is 42.35 EUR including VAT per rental. Cross border travel is permitted in all E.U. countries. Cross border is NOT permitted to BELARUS, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, UKRAINE and TURKEY. The Green Card covers the rented vehicle with basic Insurance (TPI) as long as it remains in the borders of the countries for which it is issued. Car replacement while driving abroad is available for free.” – By Enterprise Montenegro

“For renting a car for North Macedonia and going abroad you should take green card and authorization for the other country which cost 30 Euros per country you decide to visit.” by Elite Co Rent a Car

“We would like to inform you that for travelling in Albania you have 50 euro extra fee for International insurance.” by Interways Rent a Car

“We will charge you 20 euros for the green card.” by Renault Rent a Car Montenegro

Interestingly, Europcar quoted the cross the border fee on a daily basis. So check how long your journey will be and figure out what is the most affordable option.

“You can go to Albania with our vehicles, cross border fee is charged 6€ per day, max 60€ for entire rental period.” by Europcar Montenegro

Of course, it is also possible to check the prices for a Green Card online. When you go on a car rental website, you can put in the dates and search for a vehicle. Usually, in the next step you can add-on extras like Border Crossing Fee or Green Card.

How much does a green card cost at the Albanian border?

A green card at the Albanian border will cost you 49 euros. The border control officer will point you in the direction of the insurance office and it will only take 5-10 minutes to get the document.

Should I buy a green card in my home country before travelling to Albania?

I would only recommend buying a green card in your home country if your insurance company charges you 10-20 euros for it. Of course, check first if you can get a green card for Albania for free. If a green card for Albania is not available for free, and there is a small charge it is worth it. Because in that case, you might save money and time at the border of Albania and other Balkan countries.

Some insurance companies charge too much for green cards to enter Albania. I found this example of Sterling Insurance offering a Green Card to enter Albania for 350 pounds ( https://www.sterling-insurance.co.uk/green-card/albania/  ).

Let’s say you are a UK driver on your way to Albania. Then your car insurance in the UK will automatically cover the countries in the European Union ( https://www.ageas.co.uk/solved/your-car/uk-drivers-will-soon-no-longer-need-green-cards/ ).

So you will only need to pay an additional insurance fee for Montenegro and Albania at their borders. This will be less than 100 euros in total. So do not pay too much for an insurance certificate in your home country.

Especially, since you never really know for sure if the border control officers in the Balkans will accept your insurance certificates from your home country. Unfortunately, corruption still plays a role at the borders in the Balkans.

Should I ask about car insurance at the Albanian border?

I highly recommend that you ask about car insurance at the Albanian border. Because you are driving into Albania in a foreign car and you have a bigger chance of getting stopped by police.

Albania does not have traffic control cameras or CCTV on the roads. But in Albania there is a lot of police on the roads everywhere to check if drivers are following the rules of the road. So getting stopped by police on the road in Albania is quite normal and a regular occurrence.

I have personally driven a car with foreign plates in Albania, and I got stopped more than average. So make sure you have your paperwork in order because you will stand out with your foreign vehicle.

Do I need to get a green card for my caravan in order to drive to Albania?

You will need to get an extra green card for your trailer or caravan to enter Albania.
You basically need 1 x green card for your car and 1 x green card for the trailer or caravan.

UK Government Website: “You will need to carry extra green cards if: You’re towing a trailer or caravan (one for the towing vehicle and one for the trailer or caravan).” Source: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance/driving-abroad

Can I drive a rental car from abroad to Albania?

You can drive a rental car from abroad to Albania if you get permission from the car rental company.

Not all car rental companies allow for their cars to be taken abroad. I have recently contacted car rental companies from Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Greece. And when I checked with these rental companies, several companies immediately told me it is not allowed to take their rental car to Albania.

On another note, bringing a foreign rental car to Albania can be pricy. Even though, I did ask every car rental company in Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Greece for the same type of car and for the same period. I got quoted car rental prices from anywhere between 35 euros per day up to 50 euros per day.

You can read my blog post about driving a rental car from abroad to Albania here: https://albaniatourguide.com/can-you-take-a-rental-car-from-abroad-to-albania/

How much does it cost to rent a car in Albania?

A car rental in Albania costs at least 20 – 25 euros per day. I have recently reached out to many of the car rental companies in Albania to ask for their pricing. You can read my blog post about car rental pricing in Albania here: https://albaniatourguide.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-rent-a-car-in-albania/

I highly recommend you reach out to several car rental companies before you go on your holiday. Because in order for you to get a good deal, you need to do your research. Some travellers have emailed me that they paid between 50 – 70 euros per day for their car rental. So if you want to pay 20 -25 euros per day, you need to compare prices and book your deal beforehand.

Do I need an international driver’s license in Albania?

Most car rental companies in Albania do not require an international driving permit if you have a European, UK or USA driving licence.

I asked many different car rental companies if I would need an international driving permit and they stated they would accept EU, USA and UK licences. See my summary of their answers below:

1. Eurocar rentals mentioned that they accept European drivers licences, North American drivers licences and UK drivers licenses.
2. Enterprise, Rent point and Albania Airport Rent a Car accept all national drivers licenses.
3. Avis stated that they accept all European licences.
4. Albarent stated that they accept European, USA and Canada licences. Any other countries the driving licence should be accompanied by an international driving permit.

Can I drive in Albania with a EU license?

You can drive in Albania with a valid EU driving licence for up to one year.

Can I drive in Albania with a UK license?

You can drive in Albania with a valid UK driving licence for up to one year.

Welcome to Albania!

I am a Tour Guide in Albania

I am an Albania Tour Guide, who organizes 1-day, 2-day or multiple day private tours in Albania.

Book your free Albania Planning Session via Skype now, by using my online scheduler to find a time that’s convenient for you.