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Car insurance for Irish citizen but non resident

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  • 23-06-2020 12:16pm
    #1
    bm69
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭


    How can I insure a car in Ireland?

    I live in the US. I am an Irish citizen with full Irish drivers licence.
    I have an Irish property in my name and monthly utility bills.
    I am in Ireland for less than 1 month a year.

    I am finding it hard to get motor insurance as Ireland is not my primary residence >7months of the year.

    Any suggestions on how I can get insurance would be much appreciated.

    Thanks


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    #2
    jinkybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 692 ✭✭✭jinkybhoy


    Hi

    Maybe get someone to insure it and put you down as named driver - They would have to have some kind of proof of bonus or named driving experience for it to be anywhere near competitive. Then you suspend the policy for the 11 months of the year and get a refund back.

    You can get away with for a couple of years but the insurance company can get suspicious and refuse to quote if you keep suspending for that length of time.


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    #3
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,355 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    bm69 wrote: »
    I am in Ireland for less than 1 month a year.

    By any chance is that a month outside Christmas or the peak tourist season? Because it's worth looking at renting a car, rates are very good here when the tourist business dries up.

    Do you propose to let a car sit depreciating (and pay for motor insurance) for 49 weeks in the year?


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    #4
    treascon
    Registered Users Posts: 238 ✭✭treascon


    jinkybhoy wrote: »
    Hi

    Maybe get someone to insure it and put you down as named driver - They would have to have some kind of proof of bonus or named driving experience for it to be anywhere near competitive. Then you suspend the policy for the 11 months of the year and get a refund back.

    You can get away with for a couple of years but the insurance company can get suspicious and refuse to quote if you keep suspending for that length of time.

    Terrible advice. OP please do not heed this. The poster has no idea what they are on about. The fact that you are not resident in Ireland means you won’t be successful I’m afraid.


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    #5
    jinkybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 692 ✭✭✭jinkybhoy


    treascon wrote: »
    Terrible advice. OP please do not heed this. The poster has no idea what they are on about. The fact that you are not resident in Ireland means you won’t be successful I’m afraid.

    The way I have suggested it is possible. The person that insures is a resident and the car is insured and registered in their name. The named drivers are added and noted that they are not resident. I have done several of these policies with different insurers (the main insureres in ireland) as I have been an insurance broker for over 22 years in Ireland. Cheers.


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    #6
    treascon
    Registered Users Posts: 238 ✭✭treascon


    jinkybhoy wrote: »
    The way I have suggested it is possible. The person that insures is a resident and the car is insured and registered in their name. The named drivers are added and noted that they are not resident. I have done several of these policies with different insurers (the main insureres in ireland) as I have been an insurance broker for over 22 years in Ireland. Cheers.

    The suggestion you have made is not the correct or ethical way of doing things full stop. I can’t believe someone working in a brokers for 22 years would suggest something like this. By the way I’m from an insurance background too!


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    #7
    jinkybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 692 ✭✭✭jinkybhoy


    treascon wrote: »
    The suggestion you have made is not the correct or ethical way of doing things full stop. I can’t believe someone working in a brokers for 22 years would suggest something like this. By the way I’m from an insurance background too!

    Very good - I have done several policies like this and have cleared it with the insurer every time - no problem. With experience you would know that sometimes picking up the phone and calling the company helps and once they have confirmed with the underwriter, it's ok to do. That's the correct and ethical way to do it.


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    #8
    Cows Go µ
    Registered Users Posts: 902 ✭✭✭Cows Go µ


    jinkybhoy wrote: »
    Very good - I have done several policies like this and have cleared it with the insurer every time - no problem. With experience you would know that sometimes picking up the phone and calling the company helps and once they have confirmed with the underwriter, it's ok to do. That's the correct and ethical way to do it.

    Am I right in saying that you want the op to have a car and transfer it to somebody else's name who has zero insurable interest and ask them to insure it with the op as a named driver. I agree that there are insurers who will accept a non resident as a named driver (not all do but there are some). But I don't know any insurer who would let me insure my friend's car in my name.

    I don't currently work in insurance but I did work in a broker up until last year. We would never have advised this and if a customer suggested it, we would have explained that it's a terrible idea that we won't do.


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    #9
    jinkybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 692 ✭✭✭jinkybhoy


    Cows Go µ wrote: »
    Am I right in saying that you want the op to have a car and transfer it to somebody else's name who has zero insurable interest and ask them to insure it with the op as a named driver. I agree that there are insurers who will accept a non resident as a named driver (not all do but there are some). But I don't know any insurer who would let me insure my friend's car in my name.

    I don't currently work in insurance but I did work in a broker up until last year. We would never have advised this and if a customer suggested it, we would have explained that it's a terrible idea that we won't do.

    The person insuring the car will have the car registered in their name so they have insurable interest. Did you ever think of ringing the insurance companies and asking them can it be done when you worked as an Insurance Broker - Insurance is always changing so maybe you're just out of the loop a bit?

    Anyway - I'm not going back and forth on this - I have experience of doing this and have checked with Insurance underwriters who have given the go ahead for it so OP can take the advice or disregard. I'm out of this thread now so best of luck OP.


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    #10
    treascon
    Registered Users Posts: 238 ✭✭treascon


    jinkybhoy wrote: »
    The person insuring the car will have the car registered in their name so they have insurable interest. Did you ever think of ringing the insurance companies and asking them can it be done when you worked as an Insurance Broker - Insurance is always changing so maybe you're just out of the loop a bit?

    Anyway - I'm not going back and forth on this - I have experience of doing this and have checked with Insurance underwriters who have given the go ahead for it so OP can take the advice or disregard. I'm out of this thread now so best of luck OP.

    Yep we’re the ones out of the loop that’s it!!!


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    #11
    kravmaga
    Registered Users Posts: 1,945 ✭✭✭kravmaga


    bm69 wrote: »
    How can I insure a car in Ireland?

    I live in the US. I am an Irish citizen with full Irish drivers licence.
    I have an Irish property in my name and monthly utility bills.
    I am in Ireland for less than 1 month a year.

    I am finding it hard to get motor insurance as Ireland is not my primary residence >7months of the year.

    Any suggestions on how I can get insurance would be much appreciated.

    Thanks

    Simple answer is you cant as your Non resident.

    Why not just use a GO CAR , think you can rent them by the hour.

    See website:

    https://www.gocar.ie/


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    #12
    Rodin
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭Rodin


    bm69 wrote: »
    How can I insure a car in Ireland?

    I live in the US. I am an Irish citizen with full Irish drivers licence.
    I have an Irish property in my name and monthly utility bills.
    I am in Ireland for less than 1 month a year.

    I am finding it hard to get motor insurance as Ireland is not my primary residence >7months of the year.

    Any suggestions on how I can get insurance would be much appreciated.

    Thanks

    Be easier to hire a car once in Ireland


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    #13
    Charles Babbage
    Registered Users Posts: 5,512 ✭✭✭Charles Babbage


    Rodin wrote: »
    Be easier to hire a car once in Ireland


    The insurance component of such a hire would be expensive, it would be best if you can find someone who recognises your driving experience.

    although living in the US, a person who learned to drive in Ireland and who visits regularly is a whole different risk proposition to some American who staggers off a red-eye flight without the least knowledge of Ireland and then wants to drive to Killarney, but the insurance market doesn't seem to cater for this.


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    #14
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,355 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    kravmaga wrote: »
    Why not just use a GO CAR , think you can rent them by the hour.

    Every trip with a Go car is a loop because you have to drop the car back to where you picked it up. So it's usually not suitable for people who are here on holidays.


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    #15
    galwaytt
    Registered Users Posts: 12,761 ✭✭✭✭galwaytt


    bm69 wrote: »
    How can I insure a car in Ireland?

    I live in the US. I am an Irish citizen with full Irish drivers licence.
    I have an Irish property in my name and monthly utility bills.
    I am in Ireland for less than 1 month a year.

    I am finding it hard to get motor insurance as Ireland is not my primary residence >7months of the year.

    Any suggestions on how I can get insurance would be much appreciated.

    Thanks

    Let me short-circuit this for you: if you're a non-resident, you're not entitled to hold an Irish driver's licence, either. You must live in Ireland for 185 days a year.

    don't take my word for it, : https://www.rsa.ie/en/Utility/News/2014/Irish-citizens-abroad-who-wish-to-apply-for-Driving-Licenses/#:~:text=If%20an%20Irish%20licence%20expires,test%20or%20driving%20test%20requirements.

    Ode To The Motorist

    “And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, generates funds to the exchequer. You don't want to acknowledge that as truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at the Green Party, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like freedom, enjoyment, sport and community. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent instilling those values in our families and loved ones. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the tax revenue and the very freedom to spend it that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a bus pass and get the ********* ********* off the road” 



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