Getting Car Insurance In The Uk As A Non-Resident

[rixalex]

Previous trips to the UK my parents have always been able to add my name to their insurance policy so that i am able to drive their cars, but this year, apparently the insurance company have said that my name can't be added even though i have a full UK driving license, because i am non-resident. Why is it these insurance companies are always looking for ways to not cover you?

Anyway, just wondering if anyone might have any ideas of getting around this problem. There is a company called dayinsure that offers short term insurance and seems to accept non-residents, but they are asking about 35 pounds a day, so about 600 pounds for a three week trip. For that sort of money could probably rent a car.

Any ideas?

[Upnotover]

Is your UK license actually valid? I thought I read on the DVLA website that you had to have a UK address to have a UK license. Maybe they could add you based upon your Thai license?

[rixalex]

Is your UK license actually valid? I thought I read on the DVLA website that you had to have a UK address to have a UK license. Maybe they could add you based upon your Thai license?

My UK license is valid. Had my old UK paper license replaced by a photo card license a couple of years ago. The insurance company know that i have a full valid UK license. That is not what they say the issue is. It's the fact that i am non-resident.

And yes, you are right about needing a UK address and be resident to apply for a UK license or to get an old one updated.

[Spoonman]

How do they know you are a non resident ?

[rixalex]

How do they know you are a non resident ?

Besides from the fact that we have already told them? But yes, i get your point.

The DVLA didn't seem to know when i renewed my license, so i'm sure the insurance company wouldn't either, but the point is, if they don't cover non-residents, what would be the point of paying for them to cover me, because in the case of an accident, i don't think i'll be able to "hide" my non-resident status, and so i won't be covered anyway.

[briley]

To have a UK license you must give a UK address but you do not have to live there nor be UK resident.

Insurance is getting to be impossible, I had to scrap a perfectly good imported car because of the difficulty/expense of insurance.

But

Firstly use something like www.moneysavingsupermarket.com to see if you can get a quote for your own insurance on your parents car. It has the advantage that any claim would not influence your parents no claims. There is nothing to say a car cannot be on two policies - yours and your parents.

Look online for a specialist insurance broker - there are some who look at hard to insure cases and often their figures can be acceptable.

Assuming you have no accident claims and are of a reasonable age and the car is not too bad to insure you could get a quote in the £200 range for a one year policy - and sometimes you can 'suspend' it to fire and theft and get some of the premium return. All this will take some running around but can save £100's.

[rixalex]

To have a UK license you must give a UK address but you do not have to live there nor be UK resident.

Insurance is getting to be impossible, I had to scrap a perfectly good imported car because of the difficulty/expense of insurance.

But

Firstly use something like www.moneysavingsupermarket.com to see if you can get a quote for your own insurance on your parents car. It has the advantage that any claim would not influence your parents no claims. There is nothing to say a car cannot be on two policies - yours and your parents.

Look online for a specialist insurance broker - there are some who look at hard to insure cases and often their figures can be acceptable.

Assuming you have no accident claims and are of a reasonable age and the car is not too bad to insure you could get a quote in the £200 range for a one year policy - and sometimes you can 'suspend' it to fire and theft and get some of the premium return. All this will take some running around but can save £100's.

Many thanks for your advice.

With regards your first point, i do recall there being a box on the form i completed when i switched from the old paper license, to the new photo card license, about being a UK resident, and when i read the fine print it did state that one must be in order to apply. Indeed i understand that having the wrong address on your license, is an offence, and if you are non-resident, that therefore means that whatever UK address is showing on your license, it is incorrect as your real address is a Thai one.

Anyway, kind of going of track here.

I'll follow those leads you gave me, as well as a lead sent by PM to try the forum sponsor at AA. Thanks again.

[jay1980]

If you need up cover of only up to 28 days try here:

www.tempcover.com

[rixalex]

If you need up cover of only up to 28 days try here:

www.tempcover.com

Thanks for the idea. Just had a look and found this in their terms and conditions:

Currently, we cannot insure expats who are not living in this country. They have to have been resident in this country for at least 12 months.

So unfortunately no good for me.

[briley]

Interesting, things have changed. This site

https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence#before-you-start

Clearly says you have to be a UK resident to renew your driving licence.

Wonder when that changed as for many years I have used a UK c/o address on my driving licence.

[stevenl]

Is your UK license actually valid? I thought I read on the DVLA website that you had to have a UK address to have a UK license. Maybe they could add you based upon your Thai license?

My UK license is valid. Had my old UK paper license replaced by a photo card license a couple of years ago. The insurance company know that i have a full valid UK license. That is not what they say the issue is. It's the fact that i am non-resident.

And yes, you are right about needing a UK address and be resident to apply for a UK license or to get an old one updated.

This raises a very interesting question though: does a UK license for a non-resident have any legal value? Could especially be difficult to answer if somebody obtained the license on a UK address where he was not living.

That may be the reason it is difficult to get insurance as a non-resident.

Edited April 29, 2013 by stevenl

[rixalex]

Is your UK license actually valid? I thought I read on the DVLA website that you had to have a UK address to have a UK license. Maybe they could add you based upon your Thai license?

My UK license is valid. Had my old UK paper license replaced by a photo card license a couple of years ago. The insurance company know that i have a full valid UK license. That is not what they say the issue is. It's the fact that i am non-resident.

And yes, you are right about needing a UK address and be resident to apply for a UK license or to get an old one updated.

This raises a very interesting question though: does a UK license for a non-resident have any legal value? Could especially be difficult to answer if somebody obtained the license on a UK address where he was not living.

That may be the reason it is difficult to get insurance as a non-resident.

Not only obtaining a license on a UK address where you do not live, but having and using a license with an address that is not yours, seems to be illegal. DVLA expect you to inform them when your address changes. Care of addresses are not acceptable.

Anyway, i suspect most non-resident people, like most of us here, will just chance their arm when they make return visits to the UK and have cause to drive. Chances of the police pulling you up and asking you to give proof that the address on your license is your permanent address where you reside for more than six months of the year, seem slim.

One thing you will have a problem with however, is getting insurance. My mother phoned around pretty much every insurance company in the UK and they all came back with the same answer - we won't cover anyone who is non-resident, and the fact that they are UK citizens with UK passports and UK driving licenses, doesn't change anything. No cover.... that is except for one company.. Ageas, formerly known as Fortis, would allow my mother to take a policy with them, and then add me, the non-resident - as an additional driver for a maximum of 30 days per year, at a cost of about 5 pounds a day.

[chiang mai]

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

[rixalex]

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

[chiang mai]

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

From Dorset Police two months ago when I got a ticket for using my mobile phone whilst driving . My UK license shows the address of a home I sold ten years ago, shortly before I moved to Thailand. I was duly ticketed, and asked for a mailing address where they could return the license so I gave them my sisters address and they were perfectly happy with that, that's how the subject of addresses on licenses came up in the first place. BTW my license was duly mailed back to me c/o of my sisters address, the license had been endorsed by DVLC..

Edited May 5, 2013 by chiang mai

[chiang mai]

On this same subject, the picture on my license is due for replacement this year and whilst the license doesn't expire for quite some time, the license becomes invalid by virtue of the old picture. It seems that there's no way I can update that picture without having a UK address since updating the picture and changing the address are two separate and distinct processes for DVLC. If I try to change the picture they will mail the license back to the address shown on the license (yes I know this is at odds with the above scenario but all I can do is to report things as I know them). In order to change the address on the license requires proof of address such as utility bills etc and those things I don't have. But all is not lost, if and when I ever return to the UK to live my UK license will still be valid and the address/picture can be chaged at that time.

[rixalex]

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

From Dorset Police two months ago when I got a ticket for using my mobile phone whilst driving . My UK license shows the address of a home I sold ten years ago, shortly before I moved to Thailand. I was duly ticketed, and asked for a mailing address where they could return the license so I gave them my sisters address and they were perfectly happy with that, that's how the subject of addresses on licenses came up in the first place. BTW my license was duly mailed back to me c/o of my sisters address, the license had been endorsed by DVLC..

I don't think a couple of bobbies being happy with the fact that the address on your license was not your real address (as in where you reside) necessary reflects what is actually written in law and what is demanded of you by the DVLA, rather it reflects that the police perhaps have bigger concerns to worry about. Hence why i said most of us will probably chance our arms and not have a problem.. not as far as the police are concerned anyway.

Where people may run into trouble however, is should they be unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. Insurance companies don't need any invitation to find a reason why you are not covered, and being non-resident is a perfect one for them.

[stevenl]

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

From Dorset Police two months ago when I got a ticket for using my mobile phone whilst driving . My UK license shows the address of a home I sold ten years ago, shortly before I moved to Thailand. I was duly ticketed, and asked for a mailing address where they could return the license so I gave them my sisters address and they were perfectly happy with that, that's how the subject of addresses on licenses came up in the first place. BTW my license was duly mailed back to me c/o of my sisters address, the license had been endorsed by DVLC..

I don't think a couple of bobbies being happy with the fact that the address on your license was not your real address (as in where you reside) necessary reflects what is actually written in law and what is demanded of you by the DVLA, rather it reflects that the police perhaps have bigger concerns to worry about. Hence why i said most of us will probably chance our arms and not have a problem.. not as far as the police are concerned anyway.

Where people may run into trouble however, is should they be unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. Insurance companies don't need any invitation to find a reason why you are not covered, and being non-resident is a perfect one for them.

That would officially be not possessing a valid DL, since the DL is not valid without having an official address.

Would it not be easiest to drive in the UK on a Thai license?

[Ace of Pop]

So what if you rent a car on a current U.K. Licence but have no address.No insurance then.?.Sounds belt and braces to me.Insurance get out,no way.

[chiang mai]

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

From Dorset Police two months ago when I got a ticket for using my mobile phone whilst driving . My UK license shows the address of a home I sold ten years ago, shortly before I moved to Thailand. I was duly ticketed, and asked for a mailing address where they could return the license so I gave them my sisters address and they were perfectly happy with that, that's how the subject of addresses on licenses came up in the first place. BTW my license was duly mailed back to me c/o of my sisters address, the license had been endorsed by DVLC..

I don't think a couple of bobbies being happy with the fact that the address on your license was not your real address (as in where you reside) necessary reflects what is actually written in law and what is demanded of you by the DVLA, rather it reflects that the police perhaps have bigger concerns to worry about. Hence why i said most of us will probably chance our arms and not have a problem.. not as far as the police are concerned anyway.

Where people may run into trouble however, is should they be unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. Insurance companies don't need any invitation to find a reason why you are not covered, and being non-resident is a perfect one for them.

You don't seem to understand, my license was sent to DVLC by Dorset Police, DVLC are the only people who record penalty points. So, whatever you think DVLC might demand in that situation they were perfectly happy to return my license to an address which was different from that on the license and was clearly marked as being my sisters address on the ticket, as were the words, "lives in Thailand". So it's slightly more than a case of a keeping couple of bobbies happy.

Also, there is no requirement for an ex-pat to turn in his/her license once he/she leaves the country and their current address becomes invalid, in that scenario the license remains valid (because it hasn't expired) although the address needs updating.,

[rixalex]

You don't seem to understand, my license was sent to DVLC by Dorset Police, DVLC are the only people who record penalty points. So, whatever you think DVLC might demand in that situation they were perfectly happy to return my license to an address which was different from that on the license and was clearly marked as being my sisters address on the ticket, as were the words, "lives in Thailand". So it's slightly more than a case of a keeping couple of bobbies happy.

DVLC? I still don't think your anecdote provides conclusive proof of anything. By requesting your license be sent to a different address than the one on it, doesn't mean that the DLVA can simply assume your license is wrong. You could have been staying for a short period with your sister.

Anyway, have a look on the DVLA website. It's all there in black and white.

[chiang mai]

You don't seem to understand, my license was sent to DVLC by Dorset Police, DVLC are the only people who record penalty points. So, whatever you think DVLC might demand in that situation they were perfectly happy to return my license to an address which was different from that on the license and was clearly marked as being my sisters address on the ticket, as were the words, "lives in Thailand". So it's slightly more than a case of a keeping couple of bobbies happy.

DVLC? I still don't think your anecdote provides conclusive proof of anything. By requesting your license be sent to a different address than the one on it, doesn't mean that the DLVA can simply assume your license is wrong. You could have been staying for a short period with your sister.

Anyway, have a look on the DVLA website. It's all there in black and white.

"Before the DVLA became an agency the government body was known as the DVLC (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre). Some

people still use this historical term out of habit and, perhaps, can still be seen as referring to the actual huge

building in Swansea"".

Shows how long I've been away!

http://www.nationalnumbers.co.uk/dvlc-plates-uk.html

[stevenl]

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

From Dorset Police two months ago when I got a ticket for using my mobile phone whilst driving . My UK license shows the address of a home I sold ten years ago, shortly before I moved to Thailand. I was duly ticketed, and asked for a mailing address where they could return the license so I gave them my sisters address and they were perfectly happy with that, that's how the subject of addresses on licenses came up in the first place. BTW my license was duly mailed back to me c/o of my sisters address, the license had been endorsed by DVLC..

I don't think a couple of bobbies being happy with the fact that the address on your license was not your real address (as in where you reside) necessary reflects what is actually written in law and what is demanded of you by the DVLA, rather it reflects that the police perhaps have bigger concerns to worry about. Hence why i said most of us will probably chance our arms and not have a problem.. not as far as the police are concerned anyway.

Where people may run into trouble however, is should they be unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. Insurance companies don't need any invitation to find a reason why you are not covered, and being non-resident is a perfect one for them.

You don't seem to understand, my license was sent to DVLC by Dorset Police, DVLC are the only people who record penalty points. So, whatever you think DVLC might demand in that situation they were perfectly happy to return my license to an address which was different from that on the license and was clearly marked as being my sisters address on the ticket, as were the words, "lives in Thailand". So it's slightly more than a case of a keeping couple of bobbies happy.

Also, there is no requirement for an ex-pat to turn in his/her license once he/she leaves the country and their current address becomes invalid, in that scenario the license remains valid (because it hasn't expired) although the address needs updating.,

But there is a requirement to have a valid address in UK. So following the letter of the law the license does become invalid, even though it has not expired, since the requirements (in this case possession of valid address in UK) are not met.

[chiang mai]

From Dorset Police two months ago when I got a ticket for using my mobile phone whilst driving . My UK license shows the address of a home I sold ten years ago, shortly before I moved to Thailand. I was duly ticketed, and asked for a mailing address where they could return the license so I gave them my sisters address and they were perfectly happy with that, that's how the subject of addresses on licenses came up in the first place. BTW my license was duly mailed back to me c/o of my sisters address, the license had been endorsed by DVLC..

Your information is wrong. Where are you getting it from? Mine has come from the DVLA.

A UK license holder is only required to have a UK address where he/she can be contacted, it does not have to be their home address.

I don't think a couple of bobbies being happy with the fact that the address on your license was not your real address (as in where you reside) necessary reflects what is actually written in law and what is demanded of you by the DVLA, rather it reflects that the police perhaps have bigger concerns to worry about. Hence why i said most of us will probably chance our arms and not have a problem.. not as far as the police are concerned anyway.

Where people may run into trouble however, is should they be unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. Insurance companies don't need any invitation to find a reason why you are not covered, and being non-resident is a perfect one for them.

You don't seem to understand, my license was sent to DVLC by Dorset Police, DVLC are the only people who record penalty points. So, whatever you think DVLC might demand in that situation they were perfectly happy to return my license to an address which was different from that on the license and was clearly marked as being my sisters address on the ticket, as were the words, "lives in Thailand". So it's slightly more than a case of a keeping couple of bobbies happy.

Also, there is no requirement for an ex-pat to turn in his/her license once he/she leaves the country and their current address becomes invalid, in that scenario the license remains valid (because it hasn't expired) although the address needs updating.,

But there is a requirement to have a valid address in UK. So following the letter of the law the license does become invalid, even though it has not expired, since the requirements (in this case possession of valid address in UK) are not met.

Which brings us full circle to my first post in this thread where I wrote that there is a requirement to have a valid address but it doesn't have to be where the license holder lives, just contactable.

If you're trying to suggest that my UK license became invalid when I moved abroad ten years ago, numerous car rental companies plus Dorset and West Oxfordhsire police don't seem to mind, for those reasosn I think you are incorrect!

[rixalex]

Which brings us full circle to my first post in this thread where I wrote that there is a requirement to have a valid address but it doesn't have to be where the license holder lives, just contactable.

This is the criteria for applying to renew your license, taken from the DVLA website:

To apply online, you’ll need to:

• have a valid UK passport issued within the last 5 years
• be a resident of Great Britain
• pay £20 by MasterCard, Visa, Electron, Maestro or Delta debit or credit card
• provide addresses of where you’ve lived over the last 3 years
• have your driving licence (if you don’t have your driving licence you must say why as part of your application)
• have your National Insurance number
• not be disqualified from driving

To change the address on your license, the criteria is much the same. The second one about residency will be a problem if you spend less than 6 months of the year in the UK. The fourth one will be a problem because they want to know not where they can contact you, but where you live, and if you tell the truth, and give them your Thai address, they'll tell you that you can not have a foreign address on a UK license.

https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence

[chiang mai]

Which brings us full circle to my first post in this thread where I wrote that there is a requirement to have a valid address but it doesn't have to be where the license holder lives, just contactable.

This is the criteria for applying to renew your license, taken from the DVLA website:

To apply online, you’ll need to:

• have a valid UK passport issued within the last 5 years
• be a resident of Great Britain
• pay £20 by MasterCard, Visa, Electron, Maestro or Delta debit or credit card
• provide addresses of where you’ve lived over the last 3 years
• have your driving licence (if you don’t have your driving licence you must say why as part of your application)
• have your National Insurance number
• not be disqualified from driving

To change the address on your license, the criteria is much the same. The second one about residency will be a problem if you spend less than 6 months of the year in the UK. The fourth one will be a problem because they want to know not where they can contact you, but where you live, and if you tell the truth, and give them your Thai address, they'll tell you that you can not have a foreign address on a UK license.

https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence

Youré talking about license renewal and I'm talking about existing licences - In post 16 above I've already agreed that renewal of a UK license whilst overseas/non-UK resident is not possible, my earlier post is solely focussed on whether an existing license is valid where the address is not the license holders residence and it is!

[rixalex]

Which brings us full circle to my first post in this thread where I wrote that there is a requirement to have a valid address but it doesn't have to be where the license holder lives, just contactable.

This is the criteria for applying to renew your license, taken from the DVLA website:

To apply online, you’ll need to:

• have a valid UK passport issued within the last 5 years
• be a resident of Great Britain
• pay £20 by MasterCard, Visa, Electron, Maestro or Delta debit or credit card
• provide addresses of where you’ve lived over the last 3 years
• have your driving licence (if you don’t have your driving licence you must say why as part of your application)
• have your National Insurance number
• not be disqualified from driving

To change the address on your license, the criteria is much the same. The second one about residency will be a problem if you spend less than 6 months of the year in the UK. The fourth one will be a problem because they want to know not where they can contact you, but where you live, and if you tell the truth, and give them your Thai address, they'll tell you that you can not have a foreign address on a UK license.

https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence

Youré talking about license renewal and I'm talking about existing licences - In post 16 above I've already agreed that renewal of a UK license whilst overseas/non-UK resident is not possible, my earlier post is solely focussed on whether an existing license is valid where the address is not the license holders residence and it is!

Existing licenses have to be updated by law when your circumstances change. It's not just a case of renewing them when they expire.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1158471/Drivers-risk-fines-totalling-1-billion-failing-update-licences.html

Motorists could be facing combined fines of almost £1billion through failing to change their driving licence details after moving home, the RAC Foundation has warned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20968886

Many drivers face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to update their photo-card driving licences, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Even failing to notify the DVLA that you have changed address could be costly.

Edited May 5, 2013 by rixalex

[chiang mai]

Which brings us full circle to my first post in this thread where I wrote that there is a requirement to have a valid address but it doesn't have to be where the license holder lives, just contactable.

This is the criteria for applying to renew your license, taken from the DVLA website:

To apply online, you’ll need to:

• have a valid UK passport issued within the last 5 years
• be a resident of Great Britain
• pay £20 by MasterCard, Visa, Electron, Maestro or Delta debit or credit card
• provide addresses of where you’ve lived over the last 3 years
• have your driving licence (if you don’t have your driving licence you must say why as part of your application)
• have your National Insurance number
• not be disqualified from driving

To change the address on your license, the criteria is much the same. The second one about residency will be a problem if you spend less than 6 months of the year in the UK. The fourth one will be a problem because they want to know not where they can contact you, but where you live, and if you tell the truth, and give them your Thai address, they'll tell you that you can not have a foreign address on a UK license.

https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence

Youré talking about license renewal and I'm talking about existing licences - In post 16 above I've already agreed that renewal of a UK license whilst overseas/non-UK resident is not possible, my earlier post is solely focussed on whether an existing license is valid where the address is not the license holders residence and it is!

Existing licenses have to be updated by law when your circumstances change. It's not just a case of renewing them when they expire.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1158471/Drivers-risk-fines-totalling-1-billion-failing-update-licences.html

Motorists could be facing combined fines of almost £1billion through failing to change their driving licence details after moving home, the RAC Foundation has warned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20968886

Many drivers face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to update their photo-card driving licences, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Even failing to notify the DVLA that you have changed address could be costly.

Dude, do what you will, you ask questions but don't like the answers you're given so why even bother in the first place, I've given you my first hand experiences, do with them as you choose, over and out!

[rixalex]

Dude, do what you will, you ask questions but don't like the answers you're given so why even bother in the first place, I've given you my first hand experiences, do with them as you choose, over and out!

Calm down. What question have i asked you? The only question i asked was in my opening post about finding insurance as a non-resident. As it turned out, i found the answer myself.. or at least my mum did.

The rest of the thread has been a discussion. I have told you what it says on the DVLA website, and you have argued against this on the basis of one experience you have had.. an experience i don't question, but an experience that does not match what it says on their website.

Here is a question i would like to ask you, how are you insured when you drive in the UK? As i said, there were virtually no companies that when my mother explained that i was non-resident, would touch me. My guess is most people get by simply by giving a care of address and not declaring themselves as non-resident. All well and good but what happens when you need to make a claim?

[stevenl]

W

If you're trying to suggest that my UK license became invalid when I moved abroad ten years ago, numerous car rental companies plus Dorset and West Oxfordhsire police don't seem to mind, for those reasosn I think you are incorrect!

Believe me, there is a reason the insurance companies are refusing to cover.