Who Provides Third Party Insurance For South America?
 

I'm based in the UK and I'm heading to South America in August but I'm struggling to find Third Party Insurance for south / central and north America.

Does anyone know of an insurer who provides this level of worldwide insurance?

Many thanks

Don't think it exists (you're talking twenty countries with twenty different set of rules, regulations and licensing....and it's not the EU), but if it turns out that it does there are a lot of people who'd like to know about it.

Allianz provides insurance for mercosur countries. The countries included escape me, but definitely included are argentina, bolivia and peru. This is a decent start, at least.
Roby speiser in Buenos Aires will sort it online - google this and one of my old posts should come up.

Thanks, since posting this i have come to the realization that 'pay as you go' is also very common and you are allowed to ride into the country on the premise you buy it at the earliest opportunity.

Chris Scott summed it up well in his ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLING HANDBOOK - "Motor insurance is an unravellable quandary: rigorously enforced in your own country, out in the sticks its mostly unattainable or of little value. The answer is to rest often, ride carefully and be alert!"

So, to sum up, you don't actually need motorcycle insurance in Central and South America?

My Britishness isn't convinced but I'll welcome the lack of hassle and expense!

I had 3rd party insurance in Argentina (bought in Buenos A), and it was checked by the cops as soon as I got out of the city.
When I got to Chile the border guys told me I didn't need insurance for a moto there* - so I didn't bother. I was never asked for it in Chile.

Same story in Bolivia. Peru, Ecuador and Colombia - didn't have it, wasn't a problem. There was a small fine to pay in Peru - about a tenth of what I was quoted for a month's worth of insurance in Ecuador (which I decided, on balance, I could do without.)

I would strongly suggest having it in Argentina. Everywhere else - play it by ear. In one place, for example, I was told I couldn't get any insurance because my numberplate had the "wrong" amount of digits.

*no idea whether this is actually true...

You definitely need it in certain places in Central America - can't quite remember which ones, but I think Costa Rica was pretty keen.

I look to be buying a bike in California, so will have regular Geico insurance to cover me. Will that be sufficient for Central America then?

We got cover for our trip through this firm. Not overly cheap, but was peace of mind for us. They speak English.

Home

We decided not to go for the "organise it once you're there" route. Many do without problems, but we preferred to have it all sorted before leaving the UK. This company sorted it for us. Seemed very professionally done.

Thanks for everyones thoughts, we are travelling to Argentina by Ship with Grimaldi leaving on the 10th of August and posed the question regarding insurance to Javier and Sandra at Dakar motors in BA, their response is as follows,

Hi
As Far as I know usually the travellers that arrives with Grimaldi don't need the insurance to ride out of the port.

After that you can get the insurance in:
In a company call "ATM"
Florida 833 2º Piso (C1005AAQ)
Ciudad de Buenos Aires
tel.: 5238-1750
You only can get a 3rd party insurance for a foreign bike

Looks like we will make a visit to ATM once we arrive however, i have caught wind of people not getting insurance (as someone mentioned before) because there were to many letters in their registration number.

clear as mud!

Compulsory insurance
 

As far as I remember, insurance was (or still is??) compulsory in Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina. Although you may not be asked for it in countries like Mexico and Ecuador, if you get checked by police but if you are involved in an accident it may be a different story.:oops2:. I´m not quite sure if I´m missing any of the Central American countries I went through.