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Still working on my plan to Ship my car from Europe to Canada or the U.S. We're planning on leaving early January.

Shipping turns out not to be the problem. However, the next hurdle is: car insurance. My European liability insurance is not valid in the U.S. nor Canada. So, I'll need to purchase a car insurance for those two countries.

I've been searching on the internet, but I cannot seem to be able to find the answers I'm looking for.

So, my question is:

What insurance options are available to foreigners (we're Dutch) to insure a foreign, privately owned car* so we can drive it in the U.S. and Canada.

The cheapest options will be the clear winner here : )
It would be nice if one insurance would cover both countries, but if two separate insurances are cheaper, I'll opt for that.

*) a Lada Niva from 2007

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    I love that you're doing that with a Lada Niva. I didn't know they still made it in 2007 though. Enjoy your trip!
    – Vince
    Commented Dec 6, 2012 at 22:23
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    @jacco - removed my answer, after perusing their terms and conditions, WorldNomads probably wasn't for you.
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 6, 2012 at 23:46
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    @Vince Lada is still selling Niva in Germany(under the name Lada 4x4)
    – Dirty-flow
    Commented Dec 7, 2012 at 16:45
  • To partly answer your question, In Canada, it is law that you have vehicle insurance. It is valid anywhere in Canada and the United States (found on kanetix.ca/auto-insurance). Now remains finding a Canadian company insuring to non-residents.
    – Vince
    Commented Dec 10, 2012 at 13:12
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    I once met a couple with dutch licenseplates in Seattle. They had insurance, so it must be possible somewhere. They had more issues with getting their car in par with the American environmental requirements. It is as strict as in Europe only with different bureaucratic numbers.
    – user141
    Commented Dec 10, 2012 at 22:35

2 Answers 2

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It is straightforward to get car insurance if you get to the US or Canada on a work or student visa. Things are more tricky if you want to get car insurance as a tourist. Here, you'll be looking for "temporary auto insurance".

There are insurance sites that specifically mention insurance for foreigners, so I would assume that they may insure you, and there is this form (pdf) that would appear perfect for you, but you may want to contact the company first.

From the Lonely Planet FAQ, it appears that you may be able to visit brokers in person to obtain insurance. At any rate, make sure that your license, as well as any other useful documents (history of no accident) are translated and come with some official stamp that the translation has been approved.

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  • Is Progressive available in all states & Canada?
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Dec 10, 2012 at 22:42
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    I've only ever lived in California (well in Massachusetts, but there I didn't have a car) - but it did cover Mexico and Canada.
    – Jonas
    Commented Dec 10, 2012 at 22:43
  • We're travelling as tourists, so we have no address nor a work visa :( We also don't have a canadian drivers license (and I don't think we can optain one on a tourist visa).
    – Jacco
    Commented Dec 11, 2012 at 0:05
  • @Jacco: That complicates things. I've edited my answer.
    – Jonas
    Commented Dec 11, 2012 at 14:57
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You can get insurance no problem, but it will be at the highest rate as you have no driving history in the U.S, i.e. you don't have a U.S drivers license.

They do want an address, nobody will sell you insurance without one.

All you need is a friend or someone willing to let you use their address, it really doesn't matter.

It is more a case of them wanting a zip code (post code) to calculate the fees and somewhere to post any correspondence to.

How do I know?

I have done it.

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    Can you provide more details, like what insurance company you've had experience with and about how much it cost you?
    – joulesm
    Commented Dec 20, 2012 at 14:39

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