For Ukrainian drivers traveling to Europe, these changes have become particularly noticeable, as the demand for trips has increased and the number of insured events on EU roads has grown.
Let's look at a brief analysis of the key results of the year and the forecast for 2026.
Key changes in 2025
Increase in policy cost and tariff revision
In 2025, insurance companies updated their tariff models, taking into account the increase in liability limits, the growth in the average amount of payments, and changes in repair prices in the EU. This led to a significant increase in the cost of a Green Card, especially for popular routes — Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
The policy comes into effect not on the day of issue, but only from 00:00 the day after the entry is made into the unified database.
This means that it is no longer possible to issue today and travel today. This also applies to online issuance: even if purchased today, it becomes active from the next day.
Transition to improved electronic formats
From 2025, the international insurance policy "Green Card" is officially recognized in digital format — for example, as a PDF file on a smartphone. Such a policy has the same legal force as a paper one. This is convenient, as you can issue and present insurance without unnecessary paperwork.
However, during the transition period, experts recommend still carrying a printed copy — in case an inspector in some country requires a paper version or technical glitches occur.
Has Green Card issuance become faster and more convenient?
According to this year's results and data from https://finance.ua/insurance/greencard, the procedure has indeed accelerated. Most insurers have switched to automatic policy generation immediately after payment, without delays or manual checks. For users, this means:
- no need to visit an office;
- instant receipt of the policy via e-mail;
- ability to issue insurance from anywhere in the world;
- reduction of errors due to online verification of entered data.
According to the MTSBU, 298,518 contracts were issued in Q1 2025, because the market adapted to the new rules.
Time savings during issuance
The simplified issuance process has reduced the average time required to purchase a policy from 30-50 minutes to 7-10 minutes.
This was facilitated by:
- simplified set of mandatory fields;
- data retention for re-issuance;
- integration with payment systems;
- ability to compare offers in one interface.
For travelers, this means real time savings before a trip.
Problematic issues and risks
Despite improvements, 2025 revealed several vulnerabilities:
- differences in requirements of different countries — in some of them, inspectors still require a printed version;
- increase in insurance costs for cars with large engine capacities;
- increase in the number of fake policies purchased on third-party websites, which led to stricter checks;
These risks may persist next year, so experts advise obtaining a policy only from verified providers. And most importantly, check the policy on the official MTSBU website.
What to expect in 2026
Analysts predict several trends:
- Additional tariff increases — due to rising repair costs and insurance payouts in the EU.
- Increased border controls, especially when entering Schengen countries.
- Expansion of electronic standards, which will make document verification more automated.
- Increased data quality requirements to reduce the number of disputed situations in accidents.
- Growing popularity of online issuance.
The MTSBU reminds drivers that a policy can only be issued by an insurance company that is a full member of the MTSBU or its representatives.