Mexico Insurance...who bothers?
 

There seem to be a lot of people recommending insurance for Mexico (because it is a legal requirement), even though it seems nobody will ask for it unless you have an accident.

Having travelled through so many countries without insurance I'm reluctant to pay for it. Best quotes I've got are U$96 inc Legal from Baja Bound and U$84 from Mexins.

How many actually buy the insurance? Who's had to claim? and most importantly, who's had an accident without it?

PS. I have no idea why everything is underlined!

Why not pay the legal amount as required by a country you want to visit? How about if people enter your country without paying then have problems, I am sure you would like to see the book thrown at them?

Pay the dues, then maybe you won't have the problem of explaining "NO" to a Mexican Bubba ;)

nb. I paid and it was asked for when I was stopped by the police, so it is a gamble.

Cheers
TS

I have lived in Mexico for over 30years and have never had bike insurance. I am sure I will get a lot of flak for this but think if you feel ok without it then save your money.
If you come to Mex City and need a place to stay contact me and we can put you ip.

GarryHostel.com

I'm with TravllingStorm on that.

Also, traveling from the US into Mexico, you'll typically encounter a checkpoint ~20 km land inwards. With foreign plates (non-Mexican) the likelihood of being stopped is greater. Not having the insurance may cause them to turn you around and obtain coverage after all.

But, first and foremost, edit 09/29/10: (if) it is Mexican law on Mexican soil. Assuming you are not a Mexican national, you are a guest in the country. Just my $0.02

Enjoy, Mexico is beautiful and the people are fantastic.

We paid $72 for each of us, traveling on 2 bikes. We have been in Mexico for just over 15 days and have been waved through all checkpoints except the very 1st one just outside Tijuana. To us, it was peace of mind as we don´t want to spend time in a Mexican jail till the justice system decides who was at fault in case of an accident. Everyone is different and you have to way up the + as well as - of traveling in Mexico without it. To date, we have not been asked for it, however I almost had a bus run me over in Zacatecas yesterday.

There seems to be a misunderstanding about insurance in Mexico. It is NOT a legal requirement. I have never been asked for it. Not at the inland Aduana checkpoints, not at the military checkpoints, not at the Policia Federal checkpoints and not at the local police checkpoints. If you were asked for it by police at a routine checkpoint that might have been a bribe attempt upon an unsuspecting tourist.

Having said all this, I did buy insurance. The prospect of hanging out in a Mexican jail does not appeal to me at all.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Huh! So all it amounts to, is "keep your butt out of jail" in case of an accident, because the US/Canadian liability insurance will not automatically cover accidents in Mexico.

But, your are right, none of the offers for Mex-insurance I have seen so far specifically say "mandatory or required by Mexican law"

thanx for putting it straight.

After doing my above post I did a bit more research. It may actually be possible that some Mexican states have made it mandatory. I found a reference to it being mandatory in Jalisco since 1999. If this is correct it would be a similar situation to Canada and the USA. In Canada/USA motor vehicles and their insurance fall under the jurisdiction of individual provinces and states. Each state/province has its' own licence plate and laws. All provinces in Canada have enacted laws requiring mandatory insurance. Most US states have done so as well (as far as I know). But some US states still do not require it. It follows to reason that maybe things are the same in Mexico. After all, they all have state licence plates down there as opposed to a "Mexican" plate. So maybe there is a patchwork of insurance requirements in Mexico and maybe it is mandatory after all ...in some states.

Now that the matter is even more confusing:

Regardless, I would recommend insurance. Mexico is advanced enough in their systems to make it a serious problem for a visitor involved in a crash with no insurance.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Yup, I'll second that motion. Good info/view point Michelle...:smile3:

+1 Michelle,
indeed it is being made compulsory in Mexico , but it is along process.
No roadside cop or army check or passport control ever asks for proof of insurance IF there is not an accident. This seems to be a tradition in deference to all the Mexican drivers who never have bought insurance ever.
Buying liability insurance for Mexico at the cheapest rate through a drivers license policy, ,as low as $85 fo r a full year, is a minor expense to cover your self just in case.
As a motorcylist you are likely to be on the loosing end in any crash, but you never know if somebody sees fit to claim you were responsible.Feels good to be able to call for help.

Can of worms this one...I feel like I just asked "What oil should I put in my bike!"

Thanks for all your input everyone.

Blackbeast - that's the best price I've seen. Where did you buy it?

Adam

San Ysidro - just before the Tijuana border crossing. Turn right as you get off the Hwy, and the place is on the left. Baja 4 Less Insurance. We opted for the 6 mth option as it worked out cheaper than buying one for 30 days. We drove around to 4 places along that strip and this was the cheapest at the time.
Daryll

Thanks Daryll - I'll give them a go.

Don't bother w/ insurance. Police check points don't care. It's not against the law to drive w/o insurance in Mex.

I've just entered Mexico from Belize today. The Aduana guy said insurance is NOT mandatory but I inquired anyway in the local office. I was quoted around US$200 for 2 months.
Quite expensive, so I didn't go for it. At least for now.

Still, I'm confused: is insurance really not required, I mean in ALL states? Does anyone know a good/cheaper place to buy insurance? Maybe somewhere in a bigger city in "mainland" (not at a border)?
I'd be happy to pay US$50-100 for two months.

My last time through Mexico I bought on-line. I don't remember from whom, and I don't remember how much it cost, but I do remember that it was easy to do and cheaper than I've paid in person on other trips.

Just Google and go with what you find. You'll print out your proof of insurance almost immediately after paying by credit card.

In case it's not yet clear: there is no federal law requiring insurance in Mexico. However, some states do require it (I can't claim to know which ones). In practical terms, if you don't buy insurance no one is likely to ask you about it until you're in an accident....at which time you need to either settle up before the police arrive or risk having your bike impounded and your lonely self held until things are settled. As best I can make out, this part is for real, and it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with who was "at fault" in the sense that I use this phrase.

I buy insurance in Mexico. I don't bother in a lot of other places. Make your own decision, but think about that scenario where someone hits you but the police take your bike away and throw you in jail.

Please remit: dos centavos.

Mark

Yup: Not mandatory, but guilty until innocent is not a good place to be without insurance cover.

Motorcycle express covered me for $40 for 1 month BUT not being American, I had no faith that my insurance was valid - the online booking form is geared towards american residents (address, zip code, etc) and the payment didn't even come off the account until after the 1 month period had expired. I very much doubt we would have received much support from them in the event of an incident. Having said that, we got a piece of paper that we could print off and use as blagummution (new word - like?;-) in case of being pulled over.

Doing it again, I wouldn't bother. BUT... we stuck to the toll roads in the northern half of the country.... it depends how much time you spend in mexico, where you go, how you ride......

In short: a bloody impossible question to answer!

Good luck

G

As I read the Motorcycle Express description it's not valid in Mexico (or Costa Rica, or certain other places). AFAIK, if you're looking for the man who shows up when you phone and arranges to keep you out of jail following an accident, you need an insurance policy from a company licensed to provide primary 3d party insurance in Mexico.

I've never really understood just what Motorcycle Express does offer. I know that it sounds enticing when you see on their website that they'll promise to cover you all over the world. But what will they really do for you on the ground?

Mark

I did a google search but could only come up with sites that cover for US-registered vehicles.
Do you remember, was yours available for other (UK) registered vehicles as well?

Just my .02, but I would not dream of riding without insurance. Better safe than sorry. :alucard:

As has been mentioned several times, in Latin America unless you have 3rd Party with legal assist you stand a better than average chance of ending up in the slammer until who did what to whom is decided. Try Mexpro or Sanborns or angelica.garcia@iigins.co Hopefully the Mexpro site will work first but if not, Angelica is a friendly lass. Ride safe.

A bit late since you are now probably out of Mexico already , but if you would feel more secure with the Mexico liability insurance you should know that for under $100 US you can obtain a full year's cover of DRIVERS LICENSE INSURANCE.It is sold online from the USA and at border insurance offices if you ask about DL insurance . Do a small search here on HU and ADVrider , it has been described and addresses given as to suppliers. e.g ADA VIS Global Enterprises, Inc. | Mexico Travel Insurance
Even if you are still in Mexico you could arrange it from the US source online, and it will be good for repeat visits for the year.As I said in my earler post, some states are making such insurance compulsory but since many ,if not most , Mexicans drive with NO insurance it is sort of an agreement that in case of a non-accident traffic stop no policeman ever asks for proof of insurance