The motor insurance covers property damage to the innocent party and any personal injuries. The motor insurance does not cover damage to the vehicle of the guilty party.
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Service description
Motor insurance covers property and personal injuries caused by using a motorised vehicle in traffic.
Accident damage caused by motor vehicles owned or held by the Government (including leasing vehicles) are compensated from Government funds, similarly to if the Government had insured the vehicle. Therefore, Government vehicles need no separate motor insurance.
Starting on 1 January 2017, traffic damage caused by other vehicles which have been released from insurance obligation (e.g. combine harvesters and certain types of machinery) are processed by the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre (LVK). However, the State Treasury remains responsible for damage which took place between 11 June 2007 and 31 December 2016.
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Report damage
File a notification of the accident to the State Treasury when
- a Government vehicle causes a traffic accident between two motor vehicles or the question of guilt is unclear
- no other party is involved, but personal injury occurred to the driver or passenger of a Government vehicle
- a Government vehicle caused damage to a pedestrian or cyclist
- a Government vehicle caused damage to property other than another vehicle, and the damaged property is not owned or held by the Government
- a Government vehicle caused damage to a reindeer.
If you are the innocent party to a traffic accident, find out the insurance company which will be processing the accident from the guilty party, and notify the company of the contact information of the person processing the matter at your agency. You can also file a notification of the accident to the insurance company of the guilty party and declare the information in the notification.
File a notification to the State Treasury using either the State Treasury form or another similar form which contains the same information. We will also start processing based on an investigation notification from the police or another declaration containing information on the event and the parties to the damage.
Send the notification by email to liikennevahingot(at)valtiokonttori.fi.
Photos and any other materials to clarify the damage (such as the police report) should be attached to the notification of claim. The driver of a Government vehicle must also report the damage to their employer.
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Follow these instructions in case of an accident
- Ensure the identity of the other party from their driving licence, for example.
- Write down the information of the vehicles, the place of the accident, and a description of the events.
- Request the contact information of any witnesses.
- Take pictures of the damaged property.
- Always ask for the police to the site at least when
- there are severe personal injuries
- neither party admits their guilt to the accident
- several vehicles are party to the accident
- the accident was influenced by alcohol or other intoxicants.
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What does motor insurance not cover?
The motor insurance of your vehicle does not cover
- damage to your car or another vehicle (e.g. a trailer) fixedly attached to your vehicle
- the property carried in your vehicle, except for the clothes and personal items worn or carried by a passenger other than the owner or holder of the vehicle
- other property of the owner, holder, or driver of your vehicle. However, damage to another vehicle of the owner, holder, or driver of your vehicle is compensated.
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Taking a Government vehicle abroad
A security corresponding to the State Treasury motor insurance is valid in all EEA countries.
If you need a certificate of the validity of the motor insurance for a vehicle, you can order one from liikennevahingot(at)valtiokonttori.fi. Please mention the registration number of the vehicle in question in the order. A certificate is not mandatory, but we recommend acquiring one when travelling outside the Nordic countries.
If a Government vehicle is taken outside the EEA area, a separate motor insurance policy must be taken for the duration of the journey. Please request a Green Card from the insurance company.
You can acquire the motor insurance through Hansel’s framework arrangement, for example. The current contract supplier is Fennia Mutual Insurance Company. Further information is available at Hansel.fi.
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Traffic insurance contribution
The compensation payments produced by the State Treasury in questions of traffic accidents are subject to a fee (Act on the State Treasury, 305/1991, Section 2 a).
Further information on the traffic insurance contributions collected is available here (add a link to the page with contact information as well).
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Report damage
- The Government agency or organisation which caused the traffic accident files the notification of the accident to the State Treasury. The contact information of the innocent party and information on the accident must be listed in the notification.
- You can also file the notification to the State Treasury yourself, initiating the matter. However, before the compensation matter can be decided upon, we need the account of the Government party of the event.
- If the parties disagree on guilt, they shall both file a notification of the accident to their own motor insurance companies.
- If the traffic damage is caused to an employee or entrepreneur at work or in conditions due to work, the notification of damage is filed to the accident insurance company regarding personal injuries, and to the responsible insurance company or the State Treasury regarding traffic damage. Compensations related to personal injuries are primarily processed through the occupational accident insurance.
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Processing time
The State Treasury will initiate the processing of the compensation matter without delay, in no later than seven working days from receiving information of the accident. If the liability is unclear, we will acquire the further information required for a solution.
The State Treasury will notify the injured party of the compensation through a letter, email, or by phone, unless the information has been carried through other means. You can also contact our customer service to ask about the processing.
Compensation is paid no later than two months after receiving all necessary documents and other sufficient accounts.
If the liability of the State Treasury for compensation is unclear or the extent of the compensation cannot be entirely defined, you will be informed of the reasons why the compensation could not be paid within three months of presenting the claim.
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What does motor insurance cover?
Compensation for personal injury
Anyone injured in a traffic accident, including the party guilty of the accident, is entitled to compensation for personal injury.
Common types of compensation for personal injury include
- medical expenses and other necessary expenses (e.g. travel and medication expenses)
- loss of income
- disability pension
- rehabilitation expenses
- temporary disability
- permanent disability and permanent cosmetic damage
- care allowance and increased household expenses
- clothing supplement
In case of death, funeral costs are compensated to a reasonable extent. Compensation for the loss of maintenance can be paid to those entitled to maintenance or otherwise dependent on the maintenance of the deceased.
Compensation for traffic accidents which occur at work or on the way to or from work is primarily claimed from the accident insurance company through which the employer of the injured person has insured their employees.
Compensation can be claimed using a form or a free-form claim. The necessary certificates and receipts for the accrued expenses must be attached to the claim.
The medical facility or other service provider can also send the invoice directly to the State Treasury if it has been granted permission from the State Treasury to do so.
Damage is compensated according to the valid regulations, instructions, and norms even when the applicant has not claimed for a certain compensation or has claimed for less compensation than required by the norms.
Further information on the compensations is available on the Traffic Accident Board website.
Compensation for property damage
When a motor vehicle is damaged in a traffic accident, compensation can be paid for
- repair costs of the vehicle
- a lump-sum compensation based on the value of the vehicle or the repair costs
- a redemption compensation based on the current value of the vehicle, in which case the ownership of the vehicle is transferred to the State Treasury
- towing expenses for the vehicle from the accident site
- downtime or temporary car compensation for the period when the car cannot be used, according to the instructions of the Traffic Accident Board.
Request the repair company to deliver a cost estimate for approval to the damage inspector before the repair operations are started. Damage inspections for the State Treasury are carried out by Finnish Loss Survey SVT Ltd. You can also reserve an appointment for the damage inspection yourself. The contact information can be found on the SVT website.
A replacement car can be compensated if the use of a car is sufficiently justified and necessary in work or business operations, or if the inability to use a car otherwise causes unreasonable inconvenience. File an account on the need for a replacement car using either the intended form, via email, or by calling our customer service. If a replacement car is granted, the compensation is usually 94% of the rent costs.
For other property damage, either the repair costs or the value of the item is compensated, along with any other loss caused by the damage.
The State Treasury will compensate for damage caused to reindeer by Government vehicles.
The repair company of the vehicle or other service provider can also send the invoice directly to the State Treasury if it has been granted permission from the State Treasury to do so. Compensation for other types of property damage can be claimed using a form or a free-form claim.
Damage is compensated according to the valid regulations, instructions, and norms even when the applicant has not claimed for a certain compensation or has claimed for less compensation than required by the norms.
Further information on the compensations is available on the Traffic Accident Board website.
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What does motor insurance not cover?
The motor insurance of your vehicle does not cover
- damage to your car or another vehicle (e.g. a trailer) fixedly attached to your vehicle
- the property carried in your vehicle, except for the clothes and personal items worn or carried by a passenger other than the owner or holder of the vehicle
- other property of the owner, holder, or driver of your vehicle. However, damage to another vehicle of the owner, holder, or driver of your vehicle is compensated.
