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Minimum amounts of MTPL coverage in Europe
Switzerland
According to art. 3 par. 1 of the legal ordinance on vehicle insurance (VVV), the insurance has to guarantee a minimum amount of cover of CHF 5 mio. per event, whatever the number of victims and the type of claim (personal injury and damage to property). In case of passenger transportation per individual car or per bus, the minimum amount of cover per event is fixed at CHF 10 mio. if the vehicule is designed for 10 to 50 passengers and at CHF 20 mio. if it is designed for more than 50 passengers (art. 3 par. 2 VVV). These minimum amounts of coverage are applicable since 1.1.2005.
Higher indemnities than the minimum sum to be granted in Switzerland may be granted if the vehicle that caused the accident originates from a country which prescribes a higher amount of coverage or if the insurance policy stipulates a higher coverage for the vehicle that caused the accident and a corresponding express warranty has been given from abroad for the compensation (art. 40 par. 3 VVV).
EU/EEA (including Liechtenstein)
According to art. 9 of the Directive 2009/103/EC of 16.9.2009 (also called Codified MID), the member states must prescribe the following minimum amounts of coverage:
- In the case of personal injury, a minimum amount of cover of EUR 1 mio. per victim or EUR 5 mio. per claim, whatever the number of victims.
- In the case of damage to property, EUR 1 mio. per claim, whatever the number of victims.
The member states must introduce these minimum sums no later than 11.6.2012. The sums currently applicable can be consulted by clicking on the links appearing at the bottom of the present page.
As stipulated in Article 9 (2) of the Codified Directive 2009/103/EC, the minimum amounts of MTPL coverage shall be reviewed in line with the European Index of Consumer Prices (EICP) every five years after 11th June 2005 or the end of any transitional period. On 9th December 2010, the reviewed amounts were published in the Official Journal of the European Union (2010/C332/01). As a result of the review, the amounts increase from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 1,120,000, from EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 5,600,000 and from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 1,120,000 respectively. The EU Commission also informed that the revised amounts should be implemented by the Member States under national law with effective date for application before 1st January 2012. For Member States which are in a transitional period, having introduced only the half level of the stipulated amounts so far, the review should be carried out according to the rule “every five years after the end of any transitional period with a six months’ delay”.
Other (CoB) countries
Outside the EEA, there is no general international law provision prescribing minimum amounts of cover for MTPL insurance. These amounts of cover may vary in a significant way from country to country. The sums currently applicable can be consulted by clicking on the links appearing at the bottom of the present page.
List of the minimum amounts of MTPL coverage applicable in Europe
The minimum amounts of coverage applicable in the EEA and the CoB member states can be consulted by clicking on the country code or the list of the minimum amounts of coverage issued by the CoB (please note: no responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information).
