US Citizen with apartment in Wicklow can I insure a car

Sharonbc

I spend holidays in Ireland and would love to keep a small car there. Is there any way I can get international insurance on a car in Ireland as a non resident?

CiniO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058271178/us-citizen-with-apartment-in-wicklow-can-i-insure-a-car

Very likely not.

What you can try to do though, is ask someone living in Ireland (friend, family member, etc) to register that car in their name, insure in their name, and add you as a named driver. That would probably work.

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119875649#Comment_119875649

That wouldn't be truthful though would it? It'd also technically be insurance fraud.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886154#Comment_119886154

Not if they say you are a US resident. We regularly did that for UK relatives, and if they had a full clean licence and over 25 it was mostly free of charge - mind you that was for 1 or 2 weeks.

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886168#Comment_119886168

Registering a car in someone else's name, and saying you're the main driver when that's not the case (as suggested), most certainly is insurance fraud.

CiniO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886176#Comment_119886176

I know you're very devoted protector and ambassador of Irish insurers and would never advice anyone to do anything against them.

But what OP is asking is perfectly normal scenario, which is generally perfectly possible in most countries in the world without much hassle. He just wants to have his own car in Ireland for his visits, and pay all legally required fees associated with it (including insurance, tax, etc).

To be honest arrangement i proposed i.e. buying a car and registering it in friends/family members name, insuring it in their name and adding yourself as a named driver is really none of the insurers business.

Imagine a scenario. Me - as non-resident, buy a car in Ireland. There are no laws against it, so all legal above board. Then I decide to give this car to you - still perfectly legal (depending on car value, there might be some taxes). You as the owner of the car now, are perfectly legally allowed to insure it, and add me as a named driver (with foreign address). Obviously insurer might ask how is going the be the main driver of the car, to which you can ask back what is the definition of main driver, to which they will probably say it's the person who uses the car most days, to which you'll reply that's you as i.e. this car will be parked in your driveway and you'll have the key and you'll drive it from time to time. And me as a named driver will just visit the country few times a year for a week or two, and only use the car then.

Please tell me, where do you see a problem with that ?

Henry Ford III

The issue is that it's "fronting" which is dishonestly trying to disguise the true nature of ownership, and use.

Lying on an insurance proposal is wrong legally and morally too.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119896427#Comment_119896427

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sT9wGzvzOXU

Carlito

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058271178/us-citizen-with-apartment-in-wicklow-can-i-insure-a-car

How long do you intend to be over here? With the cost of the car, insurance, tax, maintenance etc you'd want to be spending a significant amount of time here for it to work out cheaper than renting. This year was a freak for car rentals in Ireland being very expensive as the rental companies got caught out with Covid lock downs, we usually have cheap car rentals.