 |
7 Apr 2005
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Melbourne,VIC, Australia
Posts: 9
|
|
|
Buying bike in UK and insuring is as a non-resident?
Hi All,
Being rude here and jumping right, in but this is an emergency and from the other posts, this looks like a question that needs answering for others...
Is there an insurance company in the UK (or elsewhere) that insures a UK bought bike for a non-resident?
We will be touring Europe for 2 months on Vespas ( http://www.internetscooter.com/europe/), we have got the scooters in the UK ready to register, and have just found out the insurance is almost impossible! (10 years ago it was no problem at all)
So is there anyone that knows of a insurance company that will cover my wife and I? (we leave next week)
Cheers,
Paul
Note:
* I have tried Alessie but they will not insure a bike in the country that it is registered (and in the UK you can’t register without insurance)
* There may be an option where someone else insures the scooters under there name but I would not prefer to impose on my friends that way.
|
9 Apr 2005
|
|
Registered Users
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Singapore
Posts: 73
|
|
|
Hi there,
I had a similar problem last year. I suggest getting it registered, thru a friend or a shop or yourself. Forget about getting insurance in UK. Its quite ridiculously impossible to get one if u are not a UK resident. Just get Green Card insurance from Germany (ADAC- €22 per month), either when u get there or thru a friend in germany or if u dont mind paying extra, through Knoff Tours.
I rode uninsured till Germany, and then got the Green Card Insurance. (Couldnt help it since getting insurance proved difficult and extremely silly, since its a legal requirement to have 3rd party insurance.)Hope it helps. Alternatively You might find a UK company to insure u but u have to pay for a whole year and you are only allowed 2 months coverage in Europe. Expensive and only 2 months coverage for outside UK. Which didnt suit me, as i was only riding the bike a few weeks in UK and needed insurance for Europe.
Good luck and enjoy ur travels
Dalbir
|
9 Apr 2005
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Melbourne,VIC, Australia
Posts: 9
|
|
|
Thanks for the info - I think that I am set now... get someone else to register it and top it up their insurance with our own.
I will know 100% for certain next week, so I will follow up with a "technote" on the subject and post it in the "buying a bike in europe?" dicussion.
|
11 Apr 2005
|
 |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 994
|
|
Just phoned my UK insurers.
They'll insure a non-UK resident as long as:
1.The bike is UK registered & is road legal.
2.The insured person has a UK residential address.
3.The insured has passed the bike test in their own country & has an IDP (Int'l Driving Permit, preferably issued in their home country)
4.You'll need to tell them you're staying for 12 months minimum.
Link: http://www.masterquote.co.uk/mitch/
|
11 Apr 2005
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Melbourne,VIC, Australia
Posts: 9
|
|
Thanks...
Norwich Union also told me the same thing, so now I have a few options...
http://www.norwichunion.com/nud/
|
19 Jun 2005
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Melbourne,VIC, Australia
Posts: 9
|
|
Just an update – I have been and done the trip and posted all the info regarding insurance etc at http://www.internetscooter.com/europe/
The quick rundown:
- I got a friend to register the scooters in his name
- insurance for the UK was done through Norwich Union with our names as named drivers (which was OK by them)
- Europe insurance was done through www.knopftours.com (mainly to protect my friends no claims bonus, we could have done that through Norwich Union to)
- When we finished the tour we cancelled the Norwich Union policy (and sold the scooters) and got a refund
Thanks for everyone’s help!
|
26 Jan 2021
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: London
Posts: 3
|
|
|
Is this still best way to buy and insure (post brexit)?
Is this still the best/only way to buy a bike in UK and insure?
I'm a UK citizen but have been expat for 10+ years. In the past I've always just used a friends UK address to keep my drivers licence 'alive', register and insure bike.
But since my last bike in 2018, I've seen a number of forum posts claiming that Insurance companies are checking if true residency and denying claims which could be financially painful post incident.
Obviously using a UK resident friend to register and insure with you as named rider is one step closer to truth but might be more tricky if post-brexit European (or further afield) border checks try and match names with documents.
Anyone found any insurance companies that actually understand what a global citizen looks like or other work-arounds, especially post-Brexit?
Cheers
|
26 Jan 2021
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wessex, UK
Posts: 2,136
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by antipodes
Is this still the best/only way to buy a bike in UK and insure?
I'm a UK citizen but have been expat for 10+ years. In the past I've always just used a friends UK address to keep my drivers licence 'alive', register and insure bike.
But since my last bike in 2018, I've seen a number of forum posts claiming that Insurance companies are checking if true residency and denying claims which could be financially painful post incident.
Obviously using a UK resident friend to register and insure with you as named rider is one step closer to truth but might be more tricky if post-brexit European (or further afield) border checks try and match names with documents.
Anyone found any insurance companies that actually understand what a global citizen looks like or other work-arounds, especially post-Brexit?
Cheers
|
I am not sure how they would show that you are not resident, in some countries you have to be official resident on some or other register or officially out of the country but in the UK we come and go as we please and don't have to tell anyone, if you have motoring related and perhaps other paperwork going to one address that seems enough unless I am missing something.
I don't think Brexit will have any bearing on your question as rules around residency are different from one EU country to another anyway, the UK always seemed more relaxed than others.
|
26 Jan 2021
|
 |
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: London and Granada Altiplano
Posts: 3,119
|
|
Assuming your situation is a simple one of flying in and using your bike in the UK, have a look here, courtesy of Google, https://www.google.com/search?q=uk+m...e+non-resident
__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
|
6 Feb 2021
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: London
Posts: 3
|
|
|
UK (non) Residency and Insurance
Thank you both for replies. I have spoken with suggested insurers and many other brokers and insurers. With one exception they all said they would not cover for motorcycles a UK citizen currently non-resident. One bike insurer did after much searching quote me gbp2300 for third party only on a gbp8000 bike value. Not great but at least it is doable. The residency test on the DVLA is may not be as strict and well defined as the HMRC (tax office) but it is clear enough that plays into the hands of a well resourced insurance claims team and lawyer post incident. Certainly asking up front they say "no" unless you are substantially living in UK in previous 12 months or next 12 months.
It seems that getting a UK friend to register bike and insure then adding expat as named rider is still the best way to go at this stage, as described in earlier posts.
|
11 Hours Ago
|
|
Registered Users
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2024
Posts: 20
|
|
|
Old post but same questions:
Isn't there a risk to your UK Friend for registering the bike in their name, and insuring you on their bike? If you were to get into an accident and use the insurance, doesn't that go on their record, and possibly increase their insurance rates?
|
5 Hours Ago
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Devon, UK
Posts: 843
|
|
|
A friend could buy a bike in their name and insure somebody else as a named rider. However... the named rider cannot be the main rider and if there is an insurance claim the insurers would investigate who mostly uses the bike. They call it "fronting" and it invalidates the insurance. Invalid insurance has a number of implications in the UK, one being that the bike is seized by the police and impounded, and you have to buy a special and very expensive policy to release it. Another is that it's an offence carrying a big fine and 6 points for both rider and owner. Last but not least the owner would have to declare to any future insurer that they had had a policy cancelled, making getting future insurance impossible or at least very expensive.
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 15 (1 Registered Users and/or Members and 14 guests)
|
|
Tomkat
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Next HU Events
ALL Dates subject to change.
2025 Confirmed Events:
- Virginia: April 24-27 2025
- Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
- Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
- CanWest: July 10-13 2025
- Switzerland: Date TBC
- Ecuador: Date TBC
- Romania: Date TBC
- Austria: Sept. 11-14
- California: September 18-21
- France: September 19-21 2025
- Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025
Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!
Questions about an event? Ask here
See all event details
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
|
|
|
helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
Linear Mode
