UK Insurance in non EU Europe
 

What experiences do people have with using UK bike insurance in non EU Europe?

The BMW insurance that i currently have does not cover FYR or Romania, and is only third party for much of Eastern Europe. I will probably cancel it before heading off and switch to Carole Nash, as this seems to cover all countries.

Any suggestions?

Hi Roboybo,

See my comments regarding Carole Nash under "Visa's for Serbia-Montenegro"

Regards,

Dicky

Hi,
I asked Carol Nash if I would be covered for Morocco (I know it's not Europe but might be useful info for you anyway) just before my trip and they said yes but when I got there I was not and had to buy insurance at the border. It seems you can get different stories at Nash depending on who you speak to so make sure you get advice from 2 or 3 of their staff and then decide which one is correct. Also make sure it is obvious on your insurance papers which countries you are covered for...preferably the name of the countries on the paper.

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I used Carole Nash for a trip to Morocco a few years ago. However I knew that I needed to have the word 'Morocco' or 'Maroc' somewhere on my insurance form, so I arranged for them to print me a new set of docs.

If you get to Morocco and your insurance docs don't say 'Morocco' on them, you'll have to buy insurance at the border/port.

Iain

Thanks for the advice. I've given up on trying to get insurance for my trip to Romania. I only found two policies that would cover it.

One was by Zenith, which was 3rd party only for Romania, and contained too many other problems (high excess). I suspect it is not any better than the standard policy they sell at the border.

The other was Carole Nash, and given that a friend of mine has been waiting 3 months for them to payout after an accident, i will avoid them.

So, i'll stick with my BMW policy, and just be very careful in Romania - 2 metre Abus chain and lock etc. The bike's probably only worth £2000 now anyway, and the BMW recovery/travel insurance does cover Romania.

Rob

Hi Roboyobe,

We had no probs in Romania with a brand new Pan European STX 1300. We spent most of our time in villages around Transylvania and never feared for the safety of our bike. We took the normal precautions with a disc lock and chain. We felt less concerned in Romania than in Bulgaria. Maybe the Bulgarian feeling was more due to "bad press" than any real threat.

Carole Nash, My favorite company! Prior to going on our jaunt I contacted them and informed them of the countries we would be going through and requested a letter and green card off them explaining cover for each country. 3 days before we were due to depart I had not received the letter. "We'll send two copies first class" I was told. Of course the stuff didn't arrive and still has not. Result, a total of 92 Euro to shell out at the Serb and Bulgarian borders in addition to 35 quid to increase my normal premium to cover Serbia. Naturally I have complained and they will refund me but I have to wait twenty days to get the cash. Frankly they are crap!!

Have fun. You will, just be sensible.

Regards,


Dicky

Thanks for the info Dicky.

Did you have to pay for insurance for Romania? I suppose they will make me buy third-party insurance at the border. I'm planning on going to Maramures and Bukovina, so just small villages.

I think that as a whole bikers are treated badly by insurance comapnies. My friend who has the outstanding claim from Carole Nash (R1100RS trashed on the M40) is still waiting for them to fix the bike after 3 months!

Rob

Evening Roboyobo,

The Romanian border guards, both in and out, never even asked for insurance docs. They wanted the vehicle reg doc and passports but that was all. C Nash said my insurance was fully comp for Romania.

As a matter of fact the Romanian border guards were a breath of fresh air. Well turned out, polite and professional with a sense of humour, they even welcomed us into their country and gave the impression they meant it.

Enjoy,

Dicky

And Finally....

Just got my letter of apology from C Nash plus £50 for my inconvenience and a refund of the additional premiums I had to pay.

Confidence level is'nt sky high though.

Dicky

Can anyone advise me who can offer affordable 3rd party insurance that will cover me for 2 months in Europe?
My present insurance expires just before I leave the UK so to use this I would have to pay a years premium & £98 top up to cover 6-7 weeks in eastern europe. I would then cancel my policy as I am going to be continuing on through Iran, etc & onto NZ, but the refund on the policy is not great & the total bill for 2 months 3rd party insurance works out at approx £200. Rather excessive I feel.
Have tried Carole Nash but they weren't much help & not getting any joy ring around the bike insurers in the MCN.
Any ideas?

Can anyone provide me with a website link (URL) or phone number for Carol Nash insurance? Sounds like the kind of company I would like to do business with.

TIA, PanEuropean

Re: Carole Nash:

www.carolenash.com
O800 - 298 - 5599 (UK only?)

I use Mitchell & Partners, never had problems with obtaining insurance for Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia etc. They also offer a very good European Breakdown Recovery option for £37.00pa. I had need of it in Germany in Sept. 2003 when I had to hire a bike (1150RT) due to a gearbox problem with my GS. They had no problem paying for the hire even though the cost was excessive (525 Euros / £383.00 for one week).
They also offer a good multi-bike policy.

www.mitch.co.uk
0845 - 230 - 4410 (call from UK only?)

Also try Bennetts: www.bennetts.co.uk

It may also be worth your accessing the MotorCycleNews website which is where I obtained the above info from.

www.motorcyclenews.com

Hope this helps

Steve