irish registered vehicle through canada, north america and mexico

[Mervifwdc]

Hi,

I'm exploring the idea to ship an overland truck from the UK to Halifax, then drive down via the USA to central america, and then ship again to South America.

i've tried searching, but cannot find out if I can insure the truck for the canada and USA portions. I keep reading about re-registereing it with US plates, but I'm hoping that's not going to be an issue?

Anyone done this with an Irish or other european plate?

I'm Irish, and drive on an Irish passport.

The truck will be a 7 ton overlanding camper.
Thanks!
Merv.

[hplp]

Hey Merv,

Did you have any luck in your search for info? Im in ireland too and am interested in shipping my land rover to the US and then the drive down to the tip of south america.

Did you find out how to get a carnet too in ireland?

H

[Mervifwdc]

Hi,

I've not found out loads but:
it seems we can drive in the US for up to a year on our Irish plates, same for Canada. It also seems that Canada, USA and Mexico have a combined deal, whereby the longest we can stay in all 3 combined is 1 year, crossing their borders does not change the time limit.

it also seems that shipping in the Canada (Halifax) is the easiest. the USA seems to operate more stringent checks on vehicles arriving by sea than by land crossing..

it also seems that for this trip, no Carnet is required. recomended by some people, but not mandatory. however I've been informed by the AA in ireland that they (and in fact no Irish body) issues them. they do have an arrangement with the RAC in the UK that they will issue Carnet's for Irish vehicles.

it is possible to insure an irish registered vehicle for Canada and USA, but not cheap. I've not tracked down who will do it yet, but I believe it can be done.

Hope this helps a bit!

When are you going?

Merv.

[mark manley]

I managed to get a quote from these people for a UK registered bike and they also insure cars, you could give them a try.

Car Insurance: Auto Insurance & Online Insurance Quotes - Progressive

You will need a US address and there is a place somewhere on the form for foreign vehicles and drivers but I forget the details.

[hplp]

Originally Posted by Mervifwdc

Hi,

I've not found out loads but:
it seems we can drive in the US for up to a year on our Irish plates, same for Canada. It also seems that Canada, USA and Mexico have a combined deal, whereby the longest we can stay in all 3 combined is 1 year, crossing their borders does not change the time limit.

it also seems that shipping in the Canada (Halifax) is the easiest. the USA seems to operate more stringent checks on vehicles arriving by sea than by land crossing..

it also seems that for this trip, no Carnet is required. recomended by some people, but not mandatory. however I've been informed by the AA in ireland that they (and in fact no Irish body) issues them. they do have an arrangement with the RAC in the UK that they will issue Carnet's for Irish vehicles.

it is possible to insure an irish registered vehicle for Canada and USA, but not cheap. I've not tracked down who will do it yet, but I believe it can be done.

Hope this helps a bit!

When are you going?

Merv.

Hey Merv,

Im not 100% sure when I'll go. Im in the initial planning/ thoughts stage at the moment. Just looking through all the links, I managed to find these guys though the links page for insurance in the states.

Sunrise Worldwide - Home

Im hoping to drive a defender 110 1995 that could be registered in Canada but that probabily wouldnt help much.

The carnet was the big difficulty just to find some information.

What is your truck? A bedford?

H

[Mervifwdc]

Hi H,

I've a Mog camper, a 1300L which is the 7.5 ton sized one. I think the Bedford is a little longer, which makes it much better inside at the back, but I've dreamed of Unimogs for years so.... :-)

Thanks all on the heads up on Insurance companies!

I emailed the EPA, and it seems to be easy to get the EPA clearance letter, but you do need to do it in advance or you could be held up a few weeks. I'll post again when I've gone through the process.

Merv.

[Zigeuner53]

Here's the linky:

Overseas Visitors

-for USA and Canada, ask for Phyllis

Mexican insurance linky:Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Sonora, Mexico - Ajo Insurance Center

-for Mexico

[hplp]

Hey,

I had a look and they seem to just do motorbikes. is that the case?

H

[Zigeuner53]

if I remember correctly...at least email Phyllis there, ....