How to fill out a European accident report, box by box

The European accident statement has 15 numbered sections and 17 circumstance boxes. Here is what goes in each one, and the mistakes that cost drivers their claim.

Updated November 8, 2026 · 5 min read

The European accident statement (also called the European accident report, constat amiable or Europäischer Unfallbericht) is a two-sided form drivers fill in together after a crash. It was drawn up by the European insurance federation, now Insurance Europe, and its layout is the same in every language: box 12 is the circumstances whether you are holding the French, German or Polish version. That is what lets two drivers from different countries fill in one form.

It is not an admission of liability. The form says so itself: it is a summary of who was involved and what happened, meant to speed up the claim. The insurers then work out who pays, largely from what you ticked and drew. So it pays to get it right.

Before you start

• Use one form for the two vehicles. The left column (blue, vehicle A) is for one driver and the right column (yellow, vehicle B) for the other. It doesn't matter who is A.
• Write clearly and press hard. The paper version makes a carbon copy, and each driver leaves with one.
• Fill in the shared part together, then each driver fills in their own column.
• If more than two vehicles are involved, fill in one form per pair of vehicles.

The shared part: sections 1 to 5

1. Date and time of the accident.

2. Location. Country, town, and the most precise place you can give: street and number, junction, motorway and kilometre marker.

3. Injuries, even slight. Tick yes or no. If anyone is hurt, the police should be called (112).

4. Material damage to vehicles other than A and B, and to objects other than vehicles (a wall, a fence, a road sign).

5. Witnesses. Name, address and phone number. Passengers can be noted too, but an independent witness carries more weight.

Each driver's column: sections 6 to 11

6. Policyholder / insured. The person whose name is on the insurance policy, who may not be the driver.

7. Vehicle. Make and model, registration number and country of registration. For a trailer, fill in its own box.

8. Insurance company. Name, policy number, green card number if there is one, the validity dates of the insurance certificate, the agency or broker, and whether damage to the vehicle itself is covered. All of it is on the insurance certificate or green card kept in the car.

9. Driver. Name, date of birth, address, and the driving licence number, category and validity date.

10. Point of initial impact. Mark with an arrow, on the small drawing of the car, where your vehicle was first hit.

11. Visible damage. Describe the damage you can see on your own vehicle: "front bumper and left headlight broken", not "front damaged".

Section 12: the circumstances

This is the part insurers read first. Each driver ticks, in their own column, the boxes that describe what their own vehicle was doing at the moment of the crash:

1. parked / stopped
2. leaving a parking place / opening a door
3. entering a parking place
4. emerging from a car park, private grounds or a track
5. entering a car park, private grounds or a track
6. entering a roundabout
7. circulating in a roundabout
8. striking the rear of the other vehicle while going in the same direction and in the same lane
9. going in the same direction, in a different lane
10. changing lanes
11. overtaking
12. turning to the right
13. turning to the left
14. reversing
15. encroaching on a lane reserved for traffic in the opposite direction
16. coming from the right (at a junction)
17. had not observed a right-of-way sign or a red light

Then write the number of boxes you ticked in the space at the bottom of the column. This stops anyone from ticking an extra box after you've signed.

Tick only what is true for your vehicle, and only what you are sure of. Ticking a box "to be safe" can shift the blame onto you: box 8 (hitting the rear of the other vehicle), box 10 (changing lanes) and box 14 (reversing) weigh heavily.

Section 13: the sketch

Draw the road layout, the position of the two vehicles at the moment of impact, their direction with arrows, and the road signs and markings. Mark the cars A and B. The sketch must match the boxes you ticked: if they contradict each other, insurers generally rely on the boxes. Our guide on how to draw an accident sketch shows how to do it clearly.

Section 14: my remarks

Anything the boxes don't say: the other driver's speed, the weather, poor visibility, a witness's account, or your disagreement with something on the form. If you don't agree with the other driver's version, write it here rather than refusing to sign or arguing.

Section 15: the signatures

Both drivers sign. Check everything before you do. Once signed:

• don't change anything, not even a small correction, without the other driver agreeing to it. If something is wrong, fill in a new form together;
• each driver keeps a copy;
• send it to your insurer quickly: in France the deadline is 5 working days after the accident. Check your contract for the deadline that applies to you.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Letting the other driver fill in everything. Fill in your column yourself.
• Signing under pressure. You are allowed to take your time, or to write your disagreement in "My remarks".
• Crossing out or overwriting. A form full of corrections loses its value.
• A sketch that contradicts the boxes, or that swaps A and B.
• Forgetting the number of ticked boxes.
• Leaving without a copy.

On your phone

The same form exists in digital form. ZenConstat takes you through the European accident statement section by section, in your own language, with the circumstances explained, a sketch tool, and a signed PDF in the official layout of the country concerned. It works without a connection. More in digital vs paper accident statements.

Sources

• European Accident Statement (English version), Insurance Europe form as distributed by Allianz
• What is the European accident statement and how do you fill it in?, Auto Repair Group
• How to fill in a European accident statement form, Logifie
• Constat amiable : les 10 erreurs à éviter, Roole
• Comment remplir un constat amiable auto ?, LeLynx
• Car accident in Europe, European Consumer Centres