CID field guide: what each box on the form means
The form is identical across Europe, so field 12 means the same thing in Italian as in German. What differs is how much weight Italy puts on it — here it is the document the whole claim runs on.
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The form, box by box
| Field | What it is | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | Date, time, place, injuries, damage to other property or vehicles | Be precise about the place — a map pin beats a road name. "Injuries" includes anything you felt, not only ambulance cases. |
| 6 | Witnesses | A name and telephone number. "A passer-by saw it" is not a witness. |
| 7–9 | Policyholder, vehicle, insurer | Copy from the documents, do not write from memory. Photograph the insurance certificate. |
| 10 | Point of initial impact | An arrow on the vehicle diagram. Mark where contact began, not where the damage looks worst. |
| 11 | Visible damage | List everything visible. Damage not listed here is the damage that gets questioned later. |
| 12 | Circumstances — the tick boxes | The most important field on the form. Tick only what applies, count the ticks in the total box, and never leave a box ticked that you disagree with. |
| 13 | Sketch | Road layout, direction of travel, position at impact. Draw it even if it feels clumsy — a rough sketch made at the scene beats a perfect one drawn later. |
| 14 | Observations | Your free text. This is where you record a refusal to sign, a disagreement, or anything the boxes cannot express. |
| 15 | Signatures | Both drivers sign. Signing means the facts as written are agreed — not that you accept liability. |
Four traps
- Signing a form you have not read. The other half is written by the other driver, and it is the half that will be quoted back at you.
- Leaving field 12 half-completed. An unclear circumstances box turns a simple case into a disputed one.
- Writing the damage as "front damaged". List the parts you can see, individually.
- Not keeping your copy. Photograph both halves before you separate them — that takes ten seconds and settles any later discrepancy.
Frequently asked questions
- Does signing mean admitting fault?
- No. The CID records facts, not liability. Liability is decided afterwards from those facts. What you must not sign is a description of events you disagree with — that is a different thing entirely.
- The other driver ticked a box I do not agree with.
- Cross it out, initial the correction and write your version in the observations field. A form with a visible, initialled correction is normal and far better than a signature under something wrong.
- Can I complete it in my own language?
- Yes. The fields are numbered identically in every language version, so an Italian and a German copy line up box for box. Complete a version you actually understand.