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Check a motor insurance cover in Ethiopia

Insurance check in Ethiopia

How to verify third-party vehicle insurance

Motor & vehicles5 min read · Reviewed on by the Tulinde editorial team · how we check facts

Short answerChecked 28 October 2026
To check third-party vehicle insurance in Ethiopia, read the certificate — plate, chassis and engine numbers, start and end dates, insurer — check the sticker displayed on the windscreen (Proclamation 799/2013, Arts. 9–12), then call the insurer to confirm the certificate number. There is no public online checker: police and hospitals ask the insurer, which must confirm a certificate within 24 hours (Art. 11(3)). A vehicle without a sticker is presumed uninsured and police may detain it (Art. 13).
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Answers come from the law, the regulator and the insurers' own documents, with the source under each answer. General information, not advice.

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On this page · 8 sections
  1. The certificate and the sticker
  2. How a cover is checked
  3. Insurance check step by step
  4. After an accident: your right to know if the other vehicle is insured
  5. Police powers and penalties
  6. Hit by an uninsured or unknown vehicle?
  7. FAQ
  8. Sources

The certificate and the sticker

Under Proclamation 799/2013 (English text):

  • Art. 10 — the certificate is valid for at least one year.
  • Art. 12 — the insurer issues a sticker with the certificate; it must be displayed in full on the windscreen (the driver keeps it for trailers and vehicles without a windscreen).
  • Art. 14 — the insurer replaces a lost or damaged certificate or sticker.
  • Art. 26 — a foreign-registered vehicle needs a local certificate and sticker, or a COMESA yellow card.

How a cover is checked

The Proclamation gives one verification route: when a law-enforcement body or a medical institution asks, the insurer must confirm the certificate within 24 hours (Art. 11(3)). We found no public online checker from the NBE, the Insurance Fund or insurers. If you buy from an agent, call the insurer to confirm the certificate number before you drive.

Check the insurer itself on our list of the 18 licensed insurers.

Insurance check step by step

Whether you are buying cover, buying a used vehicle or were hit by another driver, the checks are the same:

  1. Read the certificate. Art. 9(2) of the Proclamation requires it to show the name and address of the insured, the vehicle's plate, chassis and motor numbers, the start and expiry of the policy, its conditions, who is entitled under it, and the name and address of the insurer. It must also carry the insurer's declaration that the policy complies with the Proclamation (Art. 9(3)).
  2. Match it to the vehicle. The plate and chassis number on the certificate must be the ones on the vehicle. A certificate for another vehicle does not insure this one.
  3. Check the dates. A certificate is valid for at least one year (Art. 10), or for a shorter policy period only on sufficient grounds.
  4. Look at the windscreen. The sticker must be displayed in full (Art. 12). For a trailer or a vehicle without a windscreen, the driver carries it.
  5. Call the insurer on its published number and give the certificate number. Insurers must answer police and hospitals within 24 hours (Art. 11(3)); ask them to confirm to you too. Find the insurer on our list of licensed insurers.
Buying a used vehicle: when a policy ends, the insured must hand the certificate and the sticker back to the insurer (Art. 9(4)). A sticker on the windscreen of a car you are offered is not proof that a policy is running today — check the dates and call the insurer.

After an accident: your right to know if the other vehicle is insured

Art. 11(1) obliges the insured person to tell anyone entitled to compensation whether the vehicle is insured and the conditions on the certificate. Write down the other vehicle's plate, the insurer named on its sticker and the certificate number, and ask the traffic police for the accident report.

Victims can claim directly from the insurer, and the insured must notify the insurer within 10 days (Art. 17). If no valid insurance is found, the Insurance Fund pays instead (see below). What the compulsory cover pays: vehicle insurance in Ethiopia.

Police powers and penalties

RuleWhat it says
No stickerPrima facie evidence that the vehicle is uninsured; police may detain it until a valid certificate is shown (Art. 13)
Driving uninsuredFine of Birr 3,000–5,000 or 1–2 years' imprisonment (Art. 30)
After an accidentNotify your insurer immediately, and at the latest within 10 days (Art. 17)

Hit by an uninsured or unknown vehicle?

The Insurance Fund pays emergency medical treatment, compensation for bodily injury and compensation to the family of a deceased person when the vehicle was uninsured or untraced (Arts. 19–20). Hospitals claim emergency treatment from the Fund directly (Art. 27(4)). Its agency was set up by Regulation 300/2013 and today operates as the Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service (Kazanchis, Addis Ababa; +251 11 855 0783).

According to its FAQ, victims apply with the prescribed form at the designated office or online, with the police or accident report, medical records, ID and supporting evidence.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there an online insurance check in Ethiopia?

Not that we could find: the NBE, the Insurance Fund and the insurers publish no public online checker. Ask the insurer named on the certificate to confirm it; Proclamation 799/2013 obliges it to confirm a certificate within 24 hours when police or a hospital ask (Art. 11(3)).

How can I check if a vehicle is insured in Ethiopia?

Look for the insurance sticker on the windscreen and ask for the certificate. The insurer must confirm a certificate within 24 hours when police or a hospital ask (Proclamation 799/2013, Art. 11(3)). There is no public online checker.

What happens if my car has no insurance sticker in Ethiopia?

It is presumed uninsured and the police may detain the vehicle until a valid certificate is shown (Art. 13).

Who pays if the vehicle that hit me was not insured?

The Insurance Fund, run today by the Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service, pays emergency treatment and compensation (Arts. 19–20 of Proclamation 799/2013).

How do I check third-party insurance by vehicle number in Ethiopia?

There is no public database to search by plate number. Ask for the certificate, check that its plate and chassis numbers match the vehicle, and call the insurer named on it to confirm the certificate number.

What must an Ethiopian insurance certificate show?

The insured's name and address, the vehicle's plate, chassis and motor numbers, the start and expiry of the policy, its conditions, who is entitled under it and the insurer's name and address (Proclamation 799/2013, Art. 9(2)).

Is a USSD or SMS code available to check insurance in Ethiopia?

We found none published by the NBE, the Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service or the insurers. Kenya (*352#), Uganda and Tanzania (TIRAMIS) have one — compare on motor insurance across Africa.

Sources

  1. Vehicle Insurance Against Third Party Risks Proclamation No. 799/2013 — Ministry of Justice
  2. Proclamation No. 799/2013 — English text (Federal Negarit Gazette No. 53)
  3. Council of Ministers Regulation No. 300/2013 — Insurance Fund Administration Agency
  4. Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service (RSIFS)
  5. RSIFS — frequently asked questions

Same guide in other countries

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Supervisor in Ethiopia: National Bank of Ethiopia

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