Insurance for foreign bike in CANADA
 

Good morning.

I wish to thank all the members for their inputs to https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...-bike-us-93901
and https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...-america-96022

It was long, sometimes confusing, and difficult to tease out the info. It may be good if the moderators to make a sticky in a summary table format of company/address...

In any case, it appears the options include FERNET, MOTORCYCLE EXPRESS, PROGRESSIVE, GEICO. (Did I miss any?)

With the exception of MExpress, all companies require a US address. In EVERY case the insurance companies are American.

So here is the rub:
1- am a Canadian living in Europe, have a European plated bike and will transit CANADA only, summer 2020.
2-looking for a Canadian agency (yes it's understood that NA insurance covers USA and CDA irrespective of where it is sourced)
3-don't have US address (yes yes find a hotel..) but DO have CDA address with family.

Is there NO Canadian insurance companies capable of providing insurance for foreign bikes?

Thanks
Chris

Update
_CAA Insurance = no
_Certas/Desjardins/State Farm = no
_TD/Primus =no
_HUESTIS = nope

They all state they can only insure locally registered vehicles.

...I could say i will (eventually) register.. but not. ;) Of course to register my European bike will mess up my Temporary Importation Permit. NOT to mention my EU spec moto won't pass Canadian inspection!!

Leaves me with FERNET or MotoExpress.

BTW FERNET, from another thread
"Fernet are agents for Progressive so you'd think they would know but I have my doubts...

After this, I called Progressive directly and spoke to a guy who asked all the right people and he confirmed Progressive will not insure us. Foreign vehicles are regarded as transient and cannot be insured through Progressive.

Quite how Fernet are doing this is anyones guess as they only use Progressives online applications. Phyllis told me they never speak to them. Now I'm not saying they do anything illegal but I do wonder if they are filling in teh forms as if the US address we give is our home address. If this is the way they do it, the policy would be null and void in the event of an incident...."
https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...1-4#post586072

Jeez

UPDATE

Called Progressive. After a long deliberation the short answer is NO.

They cannot insure a foreign registered bike without a PERMANENT US residence address. Even as i was explaining that 1)i have a US address to use (family) and 2) i also dont have a permanent CDN address, they politely..but firmly told me to go find a Canadian insurance company!

Nice!

(I guess he could see that i was calling from Canada ..oops)

Apologies if this has been raised before.

If you have a French(?) plated bike in Europe you presumably have insurance that covers you in the EU and perhaps beyond to some non EU countries. Have you checked with your current insurer or other EU insurers to see if they offer coverage that would extend to North America?

It's not uncommon to see travelling European plated vehicles in Canada, including some very expensive looking overland truck type things. Most if not all of them presumably have insurance so, logically, it must be available. Perhaps looking closer to home may provide an answer.

Best of luck.

relevant thread
 

Hi Monnom, I was going to look into this myself for next year then noticed your post, I guess I can pick up hints within this thread but in general as you're a CDN resident and I'm not would it be any different for me..??

I'm doing the full east to west TCAT starting next June including an added visit to Alaska so I would need USA + CDN insurance....

Mez/UK

Hello Mez
I am a resident of France (permanent address), but have a Canadian passport. Thus bike, driver's license and address all French.

You will be in the same category.

All insurance purchased in US and CDA covers both countries, no problem.

Clearly it is not possible to get insurance IN CANADA with Canadian agencies.

So, I will be asking for quote from both FERNET (despite the conflict about Progressive) and MotoExpress. Both American sources, yet I will not be visiting USA.

Bummer. Be nice to have clarity on this: https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...022#post603046

UPDATE

We regret, we cannot offer insurance for Canada and USA anymore as most insurance companies do not want to insure foreign registered vehicles or foreign drivers anymore.

You could try and contact Dairyland insurance company in the USA - they used to offer motorcycle insurance for USA/Canada, so perhaps they can help you.



Best regards,

Maria M. Alessie

Assurantiekantoor Alessie

Eliotplaats 174

3068 VL Rotterdam

The Netherlands

UPDATE

yikes...

2020 tcat
 

Monno,

That's not looking too good for you, sorry.....

I had a quick look online at my current bike insurers and they offer cover in both USA and Canada. I did an online quote for me (not the bike) and the premium was around £240 for one year continuous or broken travel. I am ringing them on Friday to ask about the inclusion of my own motorcycle whilst travelling the two quoted for countries, let's see what they say.

Also, anyone reading this have any experience with the authorities from USA & Canada accepting UK or European bike insurance that covers for there country. OR am I mislead in thinking that I can get coverage from the UK...??!!

IF you can get coverage from a UK Company for Canada / USA I would have to call it a miracle. And not believe it actually worked. I have NEVER heard of it.

IT MIGHT BE TRUE - but be super careful and read ALL the fine print. And make sure the paper they give says clearly on it "valid Canada / USA."

Chris, we'd love to - but as you note it would be a long and tedious job - and a constantly changing document!
All we can do is hope that people like yourself that do the work required for themselves do a good job of posting results here in as clear a fashion as possible.
BTW re Sticky - we can only stick a thread, not a post. :( If you have all the details together, we can always do a new thread with all those details and sticky it.
They SHOULD all be available in the links page anyway. Let me know if you know of changes or missing info.
thanks!! :)

Point taken Grant, I think your right here, I got mislead by offers of repatriation and medical cover, there was a lot of fine print which I skimmed through picking up key words, motorcycle being included eg: 'covered for riding'. The search continues.....

UPDATE
Sent an email to FERNET asking for a quote. Just received this reply:

Hello,

Unfortunately, Progressive no longer allows us to write any Foreign vehicle travel policies. We are currently working with a few other carriers and hope to have a secure program in the beginning of the year.

At any time should we secure the dedicated program, we will contact you immediately.

Kind Regards,

FERNET INSURANCE

While i knew the answer, i did contact my French insurance company, MAAF, to verify if they could cover my trip to Canada. The response, of course was in French, the tldr is "No Way José".

To backtrack a bit, in a previous post I mentioned a Dutch company named ALESSIE. This is an address i found on a french camping carist forum. Clearly they used to do it, but no longer.

So the options have been exhausted, the only option is Moto Express with the cost of insurance for 4 months is approximately half of the value of the bike. Well ok a bit less...

So, @Grant, that table sticky I suggested? Really easy now.

Awesome. I guess I'm not going home in 2020!

UPDATE

Hi Chris
Thank you for your email. Happy to help. You can get quotes for your motorcycle on our website:

https://www.hctravel.com/essentials-extras/

and click on the US and Canadian motorcycle insurance. Follow the link, complete the form and you will receive our quote. Please note that this is currently the only available policy in the World for non US/Canadian residents to ride in the USA and Canada. We are looking to work with another insurer as an alternative option, but they have not yet agreed to consider offering a policy.
Regards
David Grist
Founder and Owner
E / david.grist@hctravel.com T / 01256 770775 W / www.hctravel.com
A / 16 High St, Overton, Hants. RG25 3HA Fb / HCTravelMotorcycleTours



...which links back to MOTORCYCLE EXPRESS insurance.

Means that there is only ONE insurance option and i can't afford it. Insane.

Vehicle Insurance
 

I too intended to ship my Land Cruiser to Halifax from Liverpool next April using Seabridge forwarders. All was booked and they offered insurance, but I was quoted £1200 for 3 months but only for a fully made up motorhome that included a bathroom. When I enquired about an ordinary vehicle, it was the same reply as everybody else. So reluctantly I have had to cancel the trip.

It is indeed insane when you can drive your vehicle all over central Asia to the Russian far east and buy insurance at every border and then find it is impossible to purchase vehicle insurance at two of the most advanced countries in the world.

Boycie

Does anyone know why this has happened?

It's a combination of things, a tightening of finances in the insurance market, so they're less interested in marginal policies like what we need, and GDPR regulations scared them. (And yes we are marginal - pain in the neck, not a recurring renewal, and short terms - so not a lot of money in it for them.)

H-C Travel in the UK is currently offering policies as noted above, but that policy is ALL there is.

Just a quick note for clarity.

MotorcycleExpress appears to be a NY based moto transport company that provides the only insurance available for foreign motorcyclists on foreign registered motos.

HTC is a moto centered travel and transport company based in the UK. HTC recommends getting insurance from MotorcycleExpress.

Did i get that right?

Yes, sadly that's it. I personally prefer to deal with H-C Travel rather than direct.
H-C Travel is working on another supplier, hope to have news soon-ish...

I have been following this insurance problem and since you are Canadian why would you not buy a moto here? Register and Insure it to a family address. sell it at the end of your trip, offer it at a discount equal to what you would have paid to ship both ways from Europe.

Hello Calvin.

As you say, the option of purchasing a bike in Canada is the only choice.

However, we are currently on a round-the-world journey. We left Paris in May '19, crossed Russia and Mongolia and landed in Japan and got stuck there until snow fell. So we found a place to store the biles. So in the upcoming season we must return to Japan and will continue to Korea. The plan was to do Korea-Canada return to Paris.

So then we still have our bikes to manage if we buy bikes in Canada this season. So canada will be another trip for another time.

So now the issue, with Canada out is where to go next to end up in Paris?

H C travel
 

Just applied for a quote with these and unfortunately HAD to answer yes to the 'Is your motorcycle modified' question so let's see what comes out the wash with this then...… every part of my body is 'crossed' not just my fingers..!!!

So MEZ, how did it go?

I've just applied with H C Travel and also Fernet (Insured with Fernet in 2012).

We'll see how it goes.

MC express
 

Ok, Motorcycle Express have come back with a $300/month minimum cover offer on monthly instalments.

Fernet have sent a form which has to have a US address included and they said there are limited cover options available...…

HC travel have yet to respond...

@MEZ, yes MOTOEXPRESS gave us a similar monthly rate, even with our small bikes. Sounds like ME has a relatively rigid 'minimum' fee irrespective of moto size/age/value. In any case, it is just too expensive for us, especially since I found a bunch of motos to buy here in Canada for the 1200USD quoted (4months). For that price I'll just buy a beater bike for traveling Canada on another trip.

FERNET just sent us a form to fill out. I'm not convinced, but i have my fingers crossed. I have returned their form but it is still the weekend.

HTC website hotlinked me directly to MotoExpress for motorcycle insurance (see the link above). Is HTC able to provide vehicle insurance for you?

Good luck
Chris

Seguro Gringo
 

Well, went onto the Seguro Gringo site as many of folk do and filled in the smallest most vague of forms out and they quoted this.... $289.00 for 180 days cover for USA/Canada/Mexico. Not a mention of addresses, bike details or any of the normal questions. Perhaps there's a more detailed form when you go to buy...….

interesting - but note that this insurance is illegal = inadequate cover in Canada, and much of the USA. In Canada minimum 3rd party is $200,000. :rain: So the premium will be much higher for that level of cover. Interesting to see if someone can get that through and how much! ?c?

UPDATE

Just received an excellent quote from FERNET through DAIRYLAND.

Basic (Minimum) insurance, no add-ons, deductibles ou medical (we already carry a very good moto centered travel insurance). If we crash the bike we'll be walking. Under $300 for the year +FERNET 60$ fee.

Looks like the trip us back on. Of course between now and the end of June -when we expect to set foot in NA- things might change again... Fingers crossed

Great = well done! Please be sure to let us know when you actually get it done ;) not that I'm a pessimist or anything...

If this is working, then problem solved!!
:mchappy::mchappy::mchappy::mchappy::mchappy::mcha ppy::mchappy::mchappy:

So you used a USA address then on the form they send...?????

@MEZ yes i used a US address. I have a long lost member of my family in the US. Eventually i'll have to ask them to use their address...but for the quote stage i did not.

There are inmates on ADVRIDER who have offered me their addresses.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/insur...anada.1418816/

For information of all, after months of extensive research, I have finally found a good insurance for my french registered motorbike. And even more important, the program of insurance for foreign motorbikes from Progressive is still valid! As everyone know, Progressive has a huge experience of this type of insurance (Fernet was its representative before).

I got an excellent quotation from Insurance Services of Idaho, with good coverage level and very reasonable price for my next summer 2 months trip with my french registered motorbike in Canada and USA, including Comprehensive, Collision, Road side assistance, etc...

No comparison with all the crazy prices, opaque policies and low coverage that I got until now.

Just like before, you just need to mention an address in the USA.

For any request and quotation, contact Haylie Morgan at Insurance Services of Idaho (on behalf of me, Jean-Louis Olive), email: haylie (at) idahoisi.com (phone: 208.383.9500).

At the disposal of anyone who need more information.

Just had an email back from Haylie and they won't quote you unless you have an address in IDAHO so that's a no go.....

Yes, I confirm that an adress in Idaho (Idaho only) is required.
Sorry for the confusion, I thought that the adress had too be anywhere in the USA.

Got an email from Motorcycle Express - prices will go down (slightly) from April:


Good News for all our Foreign Riders!
National General, the Insurance Carrier that is insuring all the Foreign Riders for the US and Canada, realized that there was a glitch in the minimum premium calculations. It incorrectly applied a $300 minimum premium for each month of the policy. The correct procedure is to apply a $300 minimum premium for the first month, and a $150 minimum premium for each subsequent month.
Most of the quotes that were processed with multiple months were not subject to the minimum premium of $300 per month.
For example: a 4-month minimum premium was illustrated at $1,210.00 plus the policy fee of $75.
The new calculations for a 4-month minimum premium will be $850.00 plus the policy fee of $75.
National General’s new online rater will hopefully be ready by April 1,2020
We strongly suggest that you go online April 1 to get the proper rate. At that time, you will also be able to print all the documents that are required.

We can do a manual quote if your effective date is prior to March 1st, if you submit the NAIP application that is currently online at www.motorcycleexpress.com.
Thank you all for your patience, I do applaud National General for bringing this to our attention as quickly as they did. As you must realize, a new program will have its glitches and Motorcycle Express along with National General are working continuously to avoid any additional issues.
Our goal is to provide excellent coverage for a fair price.
Please take the time to review our Fly and Ride Air Freight Program. Great rates and we do all the documents for you.
Go to: motorcycleexpress.com click on shipping application.

Mike Mandell

Kindest regards,
~ The Customer Service Team
International Services Department
Motorcycle Express
Phone (800) 245-8726 (within US/Canada)
Phone (516) 682-9220

Hello here is an update on the insurance issue following the COVID storm:

We are finally back on the road. After 3 years the Japanese government has finally opened the door to foreign independent travel. We arrived in Japan 3 weeks ago to recover the bikes from storage, and after considerable effort have gotten the bikes roadworthy. We are now in the process of arranging insurance for North America.

We gad a deal back in 2019 with Cheryl of FERNET. However this is no longer an option. Her mail 15 Apr 23 says-

"Our program with Dairyland is no longer available.

We are working with Motorcycle Express for these policies now. You will be able to quote your policy with the link below.

Click the link below. You will be directed to step 1 of the quote process.......

Found this alternative. In French, use Google translate

https://jp-side-car.com/2020/02/02/a...rique-du-nord/

Contact Mark Matgous at Mark@mjintegrity.com in Chicago. He runs an Insurance brokerage and will navigate you through the process. You will need a USA address.

I have just taken a policy with Carol Nash for coverage in Canada and USA and yes it's only 91 days cover but the level of cover for that period is outstanding and gives us time on the road to establish a routine before jumping back on a PC to renew another policy. @£2.30/day it's a no brainer....

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

This policy is for travel insurance but it does cover third parties affected by a collision whilst riding a motorcycle so I'll still have to get actual specific bike cover I guess. I got this policy to cover myself in the event of serious injury ok.....

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

Just had a live chat with CAROL NASH.

The response was negative. When I tried to probe a little deeper, was told that the bikes need be UK registered motorcycles.

That's a bummer sorry about that, post up when you strike lucky ok....

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

Forgive me for asking but wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to get one in USA (if you are planning to visit the states too)? The one in the states which would also cover Canada for free.

@Cyclo
For sure. We contacted Mark M in Chicago, you see his name a few postings up. He said:

Thanks so much for reaching out.
I wish I could help with insurance in Canada. I would only be able insure in the states.
I would recommend doing an internet search for a local agent in Vancouver.

Good luck,
Thanks again,
Mark

My Progressive insurance in states for all bikes includes complementary free insurance for Canada. All I need to call them and order a free card which they would mail to me. I would guess if you were to register your bike it would be in the same boat.