There have been calls for clarity over whether drivers from the Republic will need green cards to travel into Northern Ireland after Brexit.
As the March 29th deadline looms, a number of insurance companies have issued green card forms to customers who plan on driving in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK immediately after ‘no deal’ Brexit.
Over one million green card forms have been issued by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI). However, confusion surrounds whether the cards will actually be needed.
“Under a ‘no deal’ Brexit then Irish insurance documentation may no longer be recognised by the law enforcement authorities in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK,” the MIBI warned.
The penalties for driving without insurance in Northern Ireland and the UK include having your vehicle seized at the side of the road, fines and impoundment.
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil yesterday that there would be a ‘grace period’ for drivers who are based in Northern Ireland crossing the border into the Republic.
However, Mr Varadkar said there are no such commitments for drivers from the south travelling across the border into the UK. “We can’t make commitments on behalf of the UK government,” he said.
Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has echoed the confusion of many motorists who do not know if they will need a green card in the coming weeks.
The Sinn Féin TD said: “There is a huge anger in communities that they now have to hold an international insurance certificate to travel across the border, to travel for example across the Lifford Bridge into Strabane, a journey that many people do on a daily basis.”
Speaking at a Dáil Committee this week, Deputy Doherty said: “For the life of me, I cannot understand why the issue of drivers being required to carry in their vehicles an international travel document was not resolved beforehand.
“This is a very serious issue and it works both ways. Telling people travelling from the Bogside to Buncrana that they need to carry such a document is anathema to them. They are not happy with it and they will not accept it. It is not right. This is an area on which the Government, particularly the line Department, should receive genuine criticism for not having its homework and preparations done.”
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