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Insuring foreign bikes in North America
Cheryl Dudek from Fernet sent the following (September 17, 2018). It's good stuff. Hope it's helpful and lays things out clearly. There's a link to apply online. * Note the requirement for a U.S. mailing address and sole payment method (credit card).*
---------- "We are writing insurance for foreign registered motorcycles and RVs. There must be a US address used for the policy. The hard copy of the policy will be sent to this address. Any other correspondence from the carrier to the client will be done via email. The policies are all a standard 12 month policy, which may be cancelled at any time. The premium may either be paid in full, or monthly installments. We prefer the monthly installment plan for our clients as this way they pay for only the amount of insurance they use. We will make the payments on the client’s provided credit card so the client does not have to worry about making the payment on time. The payments will be made until we are notified via email to cancel. There will be no payments after the cancellation date. There is a standard form attached that we send out for a quote. Or you could follow this link to our overseas page on our website: https://fernet.com/Pages/overseas.htm Once we receive a submitted form, the client will receive a quote within 48 hours (allow more time on weekends) If all criteria requirements are met, insurance policies may be bound and sold almost immediately. There is no waiting process. Once we have all the required information and signed contract, payment is accepted by credit card only. Once payment is made, you will receive your policy documents, ID card and receipts via email once processing is complete. This process is usually immediate. In some cases it may take up to an hour to receive your email. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us." ---------- |
This is how I did it, for my trip round the US. Through Fernet/Cheryl. No problems, and the refund cheque showed up very quickly. In the end, initial cost vs refund, it cost me around $120 for 6 weeks.
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Product Disclosure Statement
Is it possible to get a link to the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) (Called this in Australia) so we can read the Fine Print..... i'm one of those boring ones that reads all this before signing up :(
David |
Coverage Amounts
Couple of additional questions if thats OK,
In completing the Online Quote - Garaging Zip Code, I'm assuming this is our address in the US, in our case 80226. - Coverage Amounts, we realise this is a totally individual thing but we have no idea what would be the "Norm" in the states so any guidance would be appreciated. and if possible a brief explanation on each,the items listed are totally foreign to us from Australia From what we read...... in the States, Medical needs to be the highest!!! Coverage Amounts Requested - Bodily Injury/Guest Passenger: - Property Damage: - Collision Deductible: - Comprehensive Deductible: - Medical Payments: - Uninsured Bodily Injury: - Uninsured Property Damage: - Underinsured Bodily Injury: Thanks David |
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Motorcycle insurance of foreign registered vehicle
Hi,
I have tried to obtain a third party liabilty insurance for a trip to the USA. The bike is registered in Germany and I will not have a permanent address in the USA as I will be travelling. Having contacted several insurance companies / brokers. it seems to be impossible to have the bike insured in the USA. This is actually a prerequiste for getting the bike out of customs. As a side note, I had no problem in 2009 to obtain such insurance. Can anybody help me? Many thanks for your help and best regards, Wolfgang |
A "permanent" address is a relative thing. Nothing is permanent... :)
A hotel may do for instance, or a PO Box from someone like Mailboxes Etc.. MoppettFJR, have you contacted Cheryl at Fernet? 2009 is ancient history, it's all different now, and primarily due to GDPR. It will all settle out, but it's taking a lot of time. |
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I'm not surprised no one has answered this, it's HUGELY personal, and no one wants to hear "but you said" when it all goes pear shaped. What I pass on here is from me as an ordinary person, with no real interest of expertise of any kind in the insurance world, just passing on what I know from experience, so do your own research, make your own decisions, and assume I'm talking through my ass here. :unsure: I would ask Cheryl what she RECOMMENDS directly, and also ask what's the minimums, and if there is a maximum amount too. Then make your own decision based on budget and risk aversion. Some basic guidelines - YES Medical needs to be very high - a 1,000,000 medical bill, while unlikely, is possible. Think - an accident is my fault, and someone is now permanently disabled, and my insurance has to cover their bills - for life. Public Liability - property damage including other vehicles etc: 1,000,000 is low. I have 2 and it should probably be more. Deductible: simply means the amount you pay before the insurance company starts to pay - the higher the deductible the lower the price of the insurance - but this can bite if you have 1000 deductible and 1100 damage. NOTE: Insurance in Canada is DIFFERENT from the USA, and here in BC it's different from the rest of Canada. If someone else is uninsured and hits me, BC takes care of me regardless, for instance. UNinsured "other" motorist is illegal here, but NOT in much of the USA. There are drivers without insurance of any kind on the road, so YOUR insurance must cover everything. |
Insurance Update
Hello everyone.
Australian about to ship a bike over to the USA for a 4 month tour. I took out insurance via Fernet back in 2017 and everything was fine however I went (like a lot of people) to take insurance for this trip and received advice that they no longer do it but will take steps to help? Has anyone else from Australia obtained bike insurance for the USA/Canada recently? Regards Noel. |
Motorcycle insurance of foreign registered vehicle
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I am actually in cpntact with Cheryl and she was very helpful. Currently I am trying to sort out a reference address in the USA. I am rather hopeful this might work. Thanks again and keep the throttle open. Wolfgang (Wolf) aka MoppetFJR |
Motorcycle insurance of foreign registered vehicle
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Yes, in the meantime I did contact Cheryl and she was very helpful. Currently I am trying to sort out the US address issue and as of now I am quite optimistic. My trip is now planned for mid 2020, so there should be enough time. I was surprised about the cost of such insurance cover, which is much more reasonable than in 2009, but that was different broker. Thanks again and best rgeards, Wolfgang (Wolf) aka MoppettFJR |
I just entered the USA from Mexico so I needed an insurance. So here‘s my experience:
Cheryl / fernet.com was not helpful at all. I always had to mail 2-3 times until I got a response. she charges 60$ for her ‚service‘ in addition to the insurance costs. First offer was 2200$ ! I clearly wrote her multiple times that I only wanted minimum coverage (liability only), which she ignored. Second offer was still 800$ ! I‘ve been in contact with other travelers who got their insurance with Cheryl / fernet.com: the insurance company is progressive.com (fernet.com is just a broker). On progressive.com you can do the insurance online all by yourself, you just need an US address. But you need one with Cheryl, too! Depending on the state/city of your address, the prices vary a lot. I got an offer for 99$ a year with a Texas address. they won’t send paperwork, it’s all online. So imo Cheryl is a scam: she just enters your information in the progressive online portal and charges you way more for it... |
Insurance policies of all types vary by state in the US. Whether health, travel, life, vehicle, homeowner, renter....the policies vary, and so do the prices. It's always worth checking around if you have choices--this doesn't apply when insuring a locally-registered bike, where it's got to be insured in the same state it's registered.
I will admit freely that I don't know what happens if you have to make a claim, or whether that, too, will vary by state. I don't know whether Cheryl "is a scam." Judging by many previous posters, she provides a lot of value to a lot of people. For example, some have reported they were unable to buy insurance from Progressive on line, but that they were able to purchase using an agent--not limited to Cheryl. Mileage varies, and it probably changes over time, too. Hope that's helpful to someone, sooner or later. Mark Addendum: I do have a (Washington State) Progressive policy on one of my bikes and a car, and my only experience filing a claim was pretty good. |
It's Cheryl / Gerber a scam? I don't think so. She provided me with some good advice as to what level of cover to go for when I asked the questions and quickly set up the policy I wanted. Yes her/their services cost me$60, but I for one am always willing to pay for a service if it is done well, and theirs was. Nowadays $60 buys 40 minutes (or less) of professional time in most developed countries so I think it is a reasonable fee for what is done.
Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk |
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It’s unclear if the progressive.com policy will hold up in an accident if you are a foreigner, no matter if you buy it directly or through her... |
Sent an email to FERNET asking for a quote. Just received this reply:
Hello, Unfortunately, Progressive no longer allows us to write any Foreign vehicle travel policies. We are currently working with a few other carriers and hope to have a secure program in the beginning of the year. At any time should we secure the dedicated program, we will contact you immediately. Kind Regards, FERNET INSURANCE |
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But they don’t really ask if you have a foreign motorcycle. You just need to give an address in the USA (no paperwork will be sent there, everything is done online). They don’t even ask for the number plate, just the VIN (chassis number). |
Canadian Foreign Vehicle Insurance
I enquired about vehicle insurance for all North America and received this reply from Fernet:
We have received your request for a quote. We can offer you coverage in the USA only. Our policy is a 6 month minimum policy and must be paid in full. Liability Coverage only for an RV starts at $1500 for 6 months. All policies will also include a $100 policy fee and a $50.00 Agency fee and all applicable taxes. Please fill in the remaining fields on the attached form to receive a quote. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Kind Regards, Cheryl Dudek I still have not found anyone to provide insurance for Canada. Can anyone suggest a company that will provide Canadian insurance for temporary imported vehicles? Happy New Year to all |
Has anyone a good hint on where to get insurance for a motorbike (Swiss plates) for Canada and/or the US? Would only be there a few weeks on our way down the PanAm, thus would like to avoid getting a full year contract...
Any suggestions welcome :-) |
Good evening everyone,
Any good news or advice for the insurance this year? Cheers from freezing Germany |
No problem. Insurances are available online.
motorrcycleexpress (link there may only work with vpn set to US): 1-6 month for both Canada and US. Expensive but higher cover. Fernet: only for US and minimum 6 month Segurogringo: Canada and USA. Cheap and minimum cover. All there options are online. Only need your credit card and bike details. |
Cheers!!
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While researching the issue of insurance in N America and Canada, I came across this site:
https://motorcycleridecoverage.com/m...rs-in-the-usa/ It provides useful info and on this page: https://motorcycleridecoverage.com/v...cle-insurance/ it explains the various options and add-ons available. This would be useful even if you are not on a vintage bike as it explains all the options and add-ons available. |
Seguro Gringo
Reply from Seguro Gringo when asked about insurance for CANADA and USA for foreign motorcycles:
Thank you for your inquiry regarding motorcycle insurance costs for both the USA and Canada. We appreciate your interest in our services.--------------------------------------- As always YMMV! Also note that I consider the 200,000 Liability coverage to be completely inadequate in North America, it should be AT LEAST a million, so ask about that. Remember that's someone else's medical bills you could be liable for, and 200,000 goes nowhere in a hospital in the USA, or even Canada. |
I recently toured N America (USA & Canada) on my 1974 Honda 750.
I insured with Progressive Insurance (https://www.progressive.com I received excellent service from the company including breakdown and towing assistance. Fully recommended. |
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