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Help needed finding European Insurance
Hi all,
Sorry if the answer is already out there - I've searched through plenty of old threads but I'm still struggling to find the information I need. I have my UK registered bike with me here in Romania and I need to try and find some insurance for it. I had a UK policy which gave me 90 days of european cover but this has now expired and my insurer won't provide me with an extension. I'm living nomadically but still technically a UK resident (for insurance purposes at least! :innocent:). I've tried several UK insurers but they're saying they cant help me as the bike is not in the UK. I've called several Romanian insurers but none seem to be able to help me either as it's a UK bike. I'm not sure how long I'll be here so I dont wish to re-register the bike onto romanian plates just in case someone wishes to suggest that (thanks anyway!) All I need is the very minimum level of cover so that I dont get fined by the police out here or locked up if I'm in an accident. After Romania I'll be heading to Bulgaria, possibly to Greece, then east into Turkey and all the way to India and beyond. I know insurance can be bought on the border once I get out of Europe so I'm not worried about that right now. The ideal for me is an insurance company who can provide me with European cover in periods of 30 days or more which can then be renewed/extended for as long as I end up being here. I spoke to Carole Nash who weren't too helpful. The guy asked if I had a return date and I said no, so he said he cant help. I said if he needs one I can give one. Then he said I'm not in the UK right now so he cant help but I said I can fly to the UK to sort it if needed. He then cut me off. :eek3: Any help will be much appreciated! |
If that will help, our SOS friends Doug and Poly are in Bulgaria now at the motocamp in Idilevo, very close to a south Romania bordergate..Several friends bought green insurance there before.
You didnt hear this from me; There is a nice trip and meeting programme for the first week of June. Here is his link. Riding, Fun, Adventures! | MotoSapiense Wish you all the best. |
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Get a friend to call your insurer on your behalf and get coverage, not telling the bike is out of the country
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Excellent, thanks for your help guys. I've messaged Doug and Poly for costs and will see what comes back.
@CourtFisher - KNOPF seems to be able to provide cover but Mototouring is for non European vehicles only. @Wheatwacker - If I was to arrange through a British insurer it would mean a 1 year policy wih just 90 days european cover so I would need to keep cancelling and repurchasing through different companies if I stay for a while in this part of the world. It is an option but a bit of a last resort. Plus my last insurer didnt provide any form of a refund despite there being 6 months left on the policy when I cancelled it and no claim had been made. Thanks again for all your help - I'll update once I've managed to arrange something. :thumbup1: |
Sorry to post as an armchair Italian with absolutely no knowledge of your obscure insurance policies up in the UK, however I was sure that having your vehicle insured in your home country entitles you to minimum third party liability throughout the EU, the 90 days stuff is supposed to be just for break down cover and other niceties...
Of course I'm probably wrong, however that is what applies to us italians, and I believe there are EU directives on the matter. Again, sorry if I'm just being confusing. |
Giacomo you are correct! :clap:
I looked into this a little more and then spoke to my insurers. The guy there had to phone the underwriters to confirm, and the underwriters had to phone somebody else but it turns out I am covered with the minimum third party liability insurance of whichever country I'm in for the duration of my policy. The problem I had is that the original person I spoke to several months ago at my insurance company told me once the 90 days european cover they provide has expired I wont be insured anymore. This is only the fully comprehensive cover and any other add ons which were with the policy. On closer inspection of my insurance documents I found this statement on a seperate document to my certificate: "This certificate of motor insurance takes the place of am International Motor Insurance Card (Green Card) and is evidence that the insurance extends to include the compulsory motor insurance requirements of: - any member if the European Union - Iceland, Norway, Croatia, Switzerland & Liechtenstein" And as the certificate states the 12 months coverage in the UK, it also has the 12 months in the EU. I learnt something new today... as did the guy at my insurance company! Thanks again everyone - spring riding here I come :mchappy: |
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Carole Nash went downhill, rapidly, when they sold out the original business as a specialist motorcycle insurance broker and switched into general brokering of motor (and other types of) insurance -now the people at the end of the phone are only interested in the targets that are set for them to meet; anything out of the routine is all too much for them. |
Ok, here's my experience.
I renewed my policy with Carole Nash last month. I told the agent I intended to travel in Europe for 6 months and would that be covered. He told me the standard cover was for 90 days but it wouldn't be a problem to extend it. I didn't do it then as I still hadn't decided where exactly we would be going and he said he needed to know which countries we intended to visit. Fast forward to today. I phone Carole Nash, ask about extending my policy and...nope, no can do, 90 days max. I referred to my conversation with the agent at renewal time and she says he should have checked more thoroughly before telling me I could extend as the underwriters just won't do it. Hmmm..! I then quoted the Green card statement on the back of the certificate, same as waz_777: "This certificate of motor insurance takes the place of am International Motor Insurance Card (Green Card) and is evidence that the insurance extends to include the compulsory motor insurance requirements of: - any member if the European Union - Iceland, Norway, Croatia, Switzerland & Liechtenstein" And as the certificate states the 12 months coverage in the UK, it also has the 12 months in the EU. This caused a bit of stir and ended up with her having to call her manager who had to call me back. And sure enough I'm covered, third party only, for the duration of the policy..! As stated previously, it's only the extras that expire after 90 days, the minimum legal cover is there for the length of the policy. What a brilliant thread, thanks to all contributors. |
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