Transferring Insurance

Dubsey · 11-05-2014 9:13am #1

Hi all,

I am planning on travelling to the UK on Tues to buy a car and take back on the ferry. My wife currently has an insurance policy with Aviva on which I am a named driver. I am wondering whether there would be any issues with the insurance policy being transferred to the car we buy in the uk to cover me for driving her back.

I have heard that this is possible and that typically insurance companies allow you 30 days to get the plates changed. However, we have just tried to make the amendment to the policy online and it threw up an error due to the UK reg.

Has anyone Ny experience with this?

Thanks.

princess3901 · 11-05-2014 9:58am

You may have to ring Aviva to make the change. My car was on northern plates and I could not update online, I rang them and they changed it over the phone. They carged an admin fee for the change

corktina · 11-05-2014 10:16am

It's no good doing it over the phone. If you do not have paper documentation with the reg number on it , it will get seized by the UK Police if they stop you. They cannot phone to check an Irish policy in the way they can with UK policies.

(PS the 30 days is a Government requirement...after 30 days they must inform Revenue that you are driving on a UK registration number.

Dubsey · 11-05-2014 10:19am

corktina wrote: »

It's no good doing it over the phone. If you do not have paper documentation with the reg number on it , it will get seized by the UK Police if they stop you. They cannot phone to check an Irish policy in the way they can with UK policies.

Ok. I may have to organise it on the day and print off whatever confirmation I have. Cheers for advice.

CiniO · 11-05-2014 10:25am

corktina wrote: »

It's no good doing it over the phone. If you do not have paper documentation with the reg number on it , it will get seized by the UK Police if they stop you. They cannot phone to check an Irish policy in the way they can with UK policies.

(PS the 30 days is a Government requirement...after 30 days they must inform Revenue that you are driving on a UK registration number.

How else can you do that?
When I was buying my car in UK, I switched the car on my policy over the phone, and asked them to send me an email with confirmation.
Then printed the email and off I went from London to Holyhead.

corktina · 11-05-2014 11:44am

CiniO wrote: »

How else can you do that?
When I was buying my car in UK, I switched the car on my policy over the phone, and asked them to send me an email with confirmation.
Then printed the email and off I went from London to Holyhead.

So what do you do if the cop says that isn't proof of insurance (which it clearly isn't)? With a UK policy , they would phone the Insurance Bureau; with an Irish one who knows what they'd do , even with it printed out. If it were out of hours,I'd suggest they might impound your car until such time as they can phone the Insurance company.

CiniO · 11-05-2014 11:53am

corktina wrote: »

So what do you do if the cop says that isn't proof of insurance (which it clearly isn't)? With a UK policy , they would phone the Insurance Bureau; with an Irish one who knows what they'd do , even with it printed out. If it were out of hours,I'd suggest they might impound your car until such time as they can phone the Insurance company.

Email from insurer stating that policy covers the car, IMO is a proof of insurance.
What else would you propose to do?

corktina · 11-05-2014 12:02pm

Get a printed original cert.

CiniO · 11-05-2014 12:12pm

corktina wrote: »

Get a printed original cert.

I think we discussed it recently in other thread.

To get a cert printed at insurer's premisses, you would need to make a swap well ahead of time you go to pick up the car - which in most cases might not really be possible, especially if you don't know which car will you buy.

Only option is I think AXA, which could issue cert online and print it yourself.
But then the same problem arises as you said that UK Police might not trust that.
On the other hand, if you are with AXA, you wouldn't have a choice anyway.

In short - I don't believe any of those could be any problem. UK Police won't seize the car, unless they really believe it is uninsured. Having printed email with insurance confirmation should be more than plenty.
They stop hundreds of foreign cars there in UK anyway, and they have to believe that certs shown are real (not fake), even though many of them might be nothing more than few words from your insurer printed on your own inkjet in you home.

If they were to seize every vehicle where they are not certain about validity of insurance or ability to confirm it, they would need to take half of foreign cars off the road.

Also imagine someone with genuine insurance cover who's car gets seized just because police didn't trust it was genuine, could fight in court for his losses against police and most likely win.

I got pulled over recently in Germany and my Irish issued Insurance cert was more than enough for them. Even though it's just a printed piece of paper.
Yes - it was printed at insurers premises, but it doesn't have any security features.
I could print it exactly the same at my house with colour printer.

I just think that general consensus all over Europe, is that insurance from abroad is accepted once you have any paper confirming it. They can't do anything more than that.

corktina · 11-05-2014 12:24pm

don't rely on it.... what you forget is it wouldn't be a foreign reg car. It would be a UK car showing on their ANPR as "no insurance".

CiniO · 11-05-2014 12:28pm

corktina wrote: »

don't rely on it.... what you forget is it wouldn't be a foreign reg car. It would be a UK car showing on their ANPR as "no insurance".

Yes, but you would have the purchase receipt in your pocket along with Irish passport and licence, and be on the way to Holyhead, so it's fairly obvious car is going for export.

As I said - that's what I did and I assume that's what most people do.
Don't think you can run into much trouble by doing so.

I also drove the car untaxed, for which I actually could run in trouble, but after my personal risk assessment, I though it was well worth it. And for me it was.

corktina · 11-05-2014 12:36pm

That's up to you, but you shouldn't advise people to do as you do, the Cops in the UK are much keener on seizing untaxed cars in the UK than here, and if there is any doubt about your insurance, your car will be on a transporter before you know it. There are thousands of ANPR cameras in the UK.

oldyouth · 11-05-2014 12:44pm

I think Corktina has a valid point. Of course you can get cover transferred on your policy by phoning it in and you will be perfectly covered. However, convincing the UK Police of that is another matter, as the car the OP is buying will already have been taken off the previous owners policy

CiniO · 11-05-2014 12:46pm

corktina wrote: »

That's up to you, but you shouldn't advise people to do as you do, the Cops in the UK are much keener on seizing untaxed cars in the UK than here, and if there is any doubt about your insurance, your car will be on a transporter before you know it. There are thousands of ANPR cameras in the UK.

As you can see, I didn't advice anyone to drive untaxed vehicle. I said I did it myself, and took my own risk.

But with insurance, once you have it then you have it - that's most important.
Confirmation of cover is side issue, and once you have any kind or reasonable confirmation of your insurance, I don't believe you could run into any trouble.
Email from official insurer email address confirming you cover, should be more than plenty.

bazz26 · 11-05-2014 1:02pm

Can't dealers arrange temporary insurance for a fee over there just for the OP to get to the ferry port? Thought I read that somewhere before.

CiniO · 11-05-2014 1:03pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Can't dealers arrange temporary insurance over there just for the OP to get to the ferry port? Thought I read that somewhere before.

Possibly they could, but most temporary insurance provider in UK, make it requirement for insured person to be resident in UK.
So this wound't be any good for Irish person buying car for export.

corktina · 11-05-2014 1:05pm

Some side issue stood at the side of the road in deepest Wales in the middle of the night with your booked and paid for ferry sailing without you!

slimjimmc · 11-05-2014 1:59pm

You can buy 1 day insurance even if you're not UK resident
http://www.aviva.co.uk/short-term-car-insurance/

http://www.dayinsure.com/faqs.aspx

(Aviva policy documents have dayinsure listed as an official contact so they seem legit)

roadsmart · 11-05-2014 2:05pm

If you are stopped by the police in the UK without proper proof of insurance (certificate) you will be detained and your car impounded until such proof is forthcoming. I am aware of it happening to two people, one on a motorcycle and one in a car. There is no explaining or reasoning with them, it's very black and white over there.

Transferring Insurance

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