Hit by an uninsured or unidentified vehicle in Italy
The other vehicle has gone, or the driver says there is no insurance. Those situations raise different questions. Before sending a claim to the Italian guarantee fund, establish what is known about the vehicle, what evidence remains and which category of claim may apply.
Avv. Luca Valente · 14 October 2026
English · Deutsch
A missing insurer is not always an uninsured vehicle
No insurance?
Establish the insurance position at the accident date. A driver’s statement alone is not the whole file.
No reliable identity?
Preserve every available detail about the vehicle and the circumstances in which it left.
Insurer not yet found?
A missing policy number, foreign plate or unanswered message does not itself establish lack of cover.
The Italian Road Accident Victims’ Guarantee Fund—Fondo di garanzia per le vittime della strada, or FGVS—is administered by Consap. Designated insurance companies investigate and settle claims within its scope. It is not a general fund for every road loss that remains unpaid. Consap’s overview identifies the categories of intervention.
If you were travelling as a passenger, also check the specific passenger route and identify which vehicle has the insurance problem. If there is a foreign registration or conflicting information about the plate, first check the appropriate claims route. Foreign registration does not automatically mean either “uninsured” or “unidentified”.
If you were walking or cycling, also preserve pedestrian and cyclist accident evidence.
The distinction matters particularly for damage to the car
- Unidentified vehicle
- The fund covers personal injury within the applicable conditions. Property damage is covered only where there is serious personal injury, with a €500 deductible on the property damage.
- Uninsured vehicle
- Personal injury and property damage can fall within the fund’s protection. For accidents from 24 November 2007, the former €500 property-damage deductible does not apply to this category.
These distinctions come from Consap’s procedure. Eligibility, responsibility, proof of loss and applicable limits still require assessment. A visit to an emergency department does not by itself establish “serious personal injury” for the property-damage exception.
Example: someone hits a parked car and leaves, with no injuries
If the responsible vehicle remains unidentified, this does not become an eligible FGVS property-damage claim merely because the repair bill is substantial. Preserve the evidence and check whether an applicable policy provides cover. If reliable evidence later identifies the vehicle, its insurance position and the appropriate route need to be examined again.
This is an illustrative example, not a conclusion about any particular incident.
Preserve what can establish the event
Once urgent safety and medical needs have been addressed, report the incident to the police and record the office and reference. Describe what you actually observed. Keep a partial plate separate from a confirmed registration number, and distinguish your own observations from information supplied by a witness.
- The vehicleAny reliable plate details, colour, make, direction of travel and distinguishing features. Do not fill gaps with guesses.
- The sceneOriginal photographs or recordings, damage, road layout and relevant debris, collected only where safe.
- The witnessesNames, contact details, where they were and what they personally saw.
- The official recordPolice reference, any later information received and records of attempts to establish the vehicle or insurer.
If you know of a possible camera recording, identify its location and tell the investigating authority promptly. Ask the relevant holder or authority about preservation through the proper procedure; do not assume you are entitled to obtain footage containing other people’s data directly.
For medical documents and the wider evidence file, see which records to keep. If the car needs work, check inspection and repair evidence before its condition changes.
Identify the designated insurer for this accident
Consap’s current guidance directs applicants to identify the category, region and accident date to generate the relevant claim form. The request goes to the designated insurer and to Consap; it is the designated insurer that handles the investigation and settlement. Use the current FGVS instructions and FAQ, rather than an old insurer list copied from another website.
- CategoryDescribe the known facts
Explain why the vehicle is said to be uninsured or unidentified, and what remains uncertain.
- DestinationCheck both recipients
Use the current designated insurer and Consap instructions for the accident concerned.
- RecordKeep the submission
Save the completed form, attachments and evidence of delivery.
I live abroad and do not have an Italian PEC address
Do not assume that an ordinary email to a PEC address is an adequate substitute for the required submission method. Check the current procedure and establish an accepted channel, or arrange submission through an authorised representative. Returning home does not remove the need to identify the correct recipients and preserve delivery evidence.
Use the guide to continuing your claim from abroad to organise subsequent records and correspondence.
After the file is opened
Keep the claim reference and answer specific requests for missing information. If the vehicle is identified later or new insurance information emerges, preserve the source and notify the handler promptly. Do not silently replace an earlier account: explain what changed and when you learned it.
The company asks for more proof that the vehicle was uninsured
Ask precisely which fact or document remains outstanding. Keep any insurance search result with its date and the registration searched, plus official correspondence about cover at the accident date. A present-day search is not necessarily evidence of the position on an earlier date.
The ordinary insurer timetable should not simply be copied onto a fund claim. Have the procedure and relevant dates checked for the particular category; the deadlines guide explains why handling time and preservation of the right are separate questions.
If an offer arrives, compare the losses allowed and any deductions with the file, then check the wording of the proposed release. Where there are injuries, keep the medical and financial components distinct.
What to include in an initial enquiry
Use the contact form to give the accident date and place, whether the vehicle is identified, what is known about insurance, whether anyone was injured and any company already contacted. Mention an approaching deadline. Wait for instructions before sending medical records or identity documents.
General information, not confirmation of fund eligibility or compensation. The applicable rules and evidence depend on the case. An enquiry does not create a professional engagement or mean that a deadline has been accepted.