What
insurance company which will provide coverage for Cook Islands registered
cars?
There are a number of
options. No insurance company provides coverage absolutely worldwide, and
if they did it would be extremely expensive. So first of all you have to
decide the geographic region in which you will be driving. In Europe, we
can recommend one insurer based in the UK and another in Spain, both of
whom will issue an annual green card based on the chassis number,
covering almost the whole of Europe.
If you require coverage
simply for one country, this is best obtained from a local insurance
company in that country. If you call 800 numbers or search on the
internet etc you will be wasting your time, as the people who answer are
not properly trained and will not have the information to respond to your
question. Most likely they will tell you it is not possible, because they
don’t know.
It is possible in almost every country. You need to find a knowledgeable
and experienced insurance broker who represents many insurance companies
and explain that you want to insure a temporarily imported vehicle based
on the chassis number. We have found that insurance brokerages who
specialise in dealing with expatriate clients, for example brokers who
advertise in local foreign language newspapers, are the best source of
information. Nearly every large city and country has an English language
newspaper or internet site, and typically they carry ads from insurance
brokers. Another technique is to call the insurance company’s head office
switchboard number directly.
In many European countries it is possible to purchase short term border
insurance policies irrespective of plates, at a kiosk at the border,
entering the country. This is a very simple procedure where you just show
the registration documents and pay a fee. It can be purchased for terms
from a week up to a year in some places. When it needs renewing, you
simply repeat the process. This option is ideal for many clients as the
cost is, logically enough, much cheaper than purchasing insurance to
cover the whole of Europe which you might not need anyway. Many clients
are in countries short term so this is an excellent option for them.
Similar ‘visitor’ insurance is also available in USA, Mexico and Central
America. Often you can buy the insurance policy over the internet in
advance of your trip. But you will need a separate policy for each
country you visit.
Outside of Europe policies and procedures differ widely. Although
insurance is not our business and we do not receive commissions from any
insurance brokers, we are happy to provide advice, contacts and
recommendations to our clients. We have substantial experience in this
area.
Please note: We are sorry, but we do not have time to deal with questions
about insurance from persons who are not paying clients of ours. In the
past we have spent many hours answering such emails for free, helping
clients of our competitors who have been left high and dry with no
insurance advice. We have had to stop this as it is simply not economic
for us. Therefore questions about insurance from non-clients will not be
answered.
How can I
insure a car on Andorran Tourist Plates?
In the case of Andorra
it is obligatory to take the car physically to Andorra. You or your
representative (we can do this) can then easily purchase a temporary
local insurance policy from any Andorran insurance company. Once the car
has been inspected and the new plates have been issued, then any Andorran
insurance company can issue an annual green card valid in most European
countries. When we say Andorran insurance companies, they are actually
mostly international insurance companies but they must be registered with
the Andorran authorities. We typically work with French or Spanish
insurance companies.
For most clients the annual green card is more than enough. If, however,
you plan to drive outside Europe, then the situation is exactly the same
as for Cook Island plates, so please refer to the above question and
answer. But anyway if you are going to drive outside Europe, Cook Island
plates will almost certainly be a better option than Andorran plates as
the cost is lower..
Is it possible
to register cars which have already been registered elsewhere?
Yes. The Cook Islands
government is willing to register a car that is currently registered
elsewhere so deregistration should not be a problem for you.
Are there any
extra taxes or charges depending on the age of the vehicle, engine size
etc?
No (in the Cook Islands.)
The cost of registration neither depends on the price or age of the
vehicle, nor on the capacity of its engine.
Do I have to
ship my vehicle to the Cook Islands to complete the registration?
No. It is
not required to present the vehicle at the place of registration - a
photo, documents and a technical inspection certificate from a qualified
mechanic in any country are sufficient to get the entire process carried
out by courier.
