The car insurance contract number is not just an administrative reference among others. It is the unique identifier that links a vehicle, an insured person, and coverage within the insurer’s systems, the Insured Vehicles File (FVA), and law enforcement. Knowing where to find it quickly, including from the end of the paper green card, avoids concrete blockages during an accident report, a check, or a transfer process.
Insured vehicle memo and FVA: what replaces the green card from April 2024
As of April 1, 2024, the paper green card is no longer the main proof document for vehicles registered in France. Insurance verification now goes through the Insured Vehicles File (FVA), which can be consulted by law enforcement in real-time via the license plate.
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In place of the green paper, the insurer provides an insured vehicle memo. This document, either paper or digital, contains the information that was on the old green card, including the contract number. We observe that confusion persists among many insured individuals who are still looking for their number on a document that no longer exists.
In practice, finding the green card contract number today requires consulting the insured vehicle memo, the insurer’s online client area, or the annual premium notice. The number has not changed format with the dematerialization; only the medium has evolved.
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Where to find the contract number: box 4 and alternative documents
On the old green card, the contract number was located in box 4, structured in three blocks: country code (F for France), insurer code (3 or 4 digits identifying the company), and policy number specific to the contract. This structure remains the reference, even on the new documents.
Several documents contain this number. We recommend checking these documents as a priority:
- The insured vehicle memo, provided by the insurer at subscription or renewal, in paper or PDF format in the client area.
- The insurance certificate downloadable from the company’s online space, which systematically includes the policy number.
- The annual premium notice, received by mail or email, where the number appears in the header or in the contract summary block.
- The specific conditions of the contract, signed at subscription, which mention the number on the first page.
If none of these documents are accessible, a call to the insurer’s customer service with the registration number and the identity of the policyholder allows retrieval of the reference. Some insurers also display it directly in their mobile app.
Contract number during a friendly accident report: a technical obligation
In the event of an accident, the European friendly accident report requires the insurance policy number from both parties. Without this number, the document is incomplete and the processing of compensation may be delayed by the opposing insurer or yours.
The reflex to have: store a digital copy of the insured vehicle memo or certificate on your phone. A report filled out on the roadside with a missing contract number generates administrative back-and-forth between companies, which prolongs the handling times.
The contract number also serves to quickly identify the opposing insurer when it is not clearly mentioned. The insurer code included in the reference (the 3 or 4 digits after the country code) allows for unambiguous identification of the company.
Traveling abroad: the contract number remains essential
The French dematerialization via the FVA does not work abroad. To travel in a country of the European Economic Area or in a state that is a signatory to the green card convention, a readable insurance document with the contract number is still required during a check or in the event of a claim.
The insurer can issue an international insurance certificate (formerly the international green card) upon request. This document includes the policy number and specifies the covered countries. We recommend requesting it at least a week before departure, as not all insurers generate it in real-time from the client area.
In the event of an accident outside France, the contract number is the only identifier that the local insurer’s representative can use to open a file. Without it, the cross-border compensation procedure becomes significantly more complicated.
Contract number and green card number: the distinction to know
A common confusion is to equate the green card number with the contract number. On the old green card, the number in box 4 was indeed the insurance policy number, not a number specific to the physical document. The green card did not have a serial number distinct from the contract reference.
This distinction matters when a third party (garage, registration service, notary in the context of an inheritance) requests the “green card number.” They are actually expecting the policy number, the one that appears on the insured vehicle memo or on the certificate.
The format remains stable from one insurer to another: country letter, company code, individual number. When changing insurers, the number changes entirely. When simply renewing with the same insurer, it generally remains the same, unless there is a major modification to the contract (addition of a driver, change of vehicle).
The disappearance of the paper medium has not changed the identification logic. The contract number retains exactly the same function as before April 2024: it uniquely links an insured person, a vehicle, and coverage within the insurer’s system and in the FVA.