Clarification of insurance policies
 

HI there all

As the title suggests, im planing my trip through south america for december of this year, I have insurance that covers my bike through south amreica, but from reading the post below it suggests that i need even more insurance when i arrive ??? :(

im a new zealand passport holder and i have a uk registed bmw gsa 1150 which is being permantly exported to nz ...... if it gets that far

any advice would be greatly thanked :mchappy:

Most people buy insurance in each country as they get there, Peru and Colombia being 2 difficult ones but possible. The big question is if the insurance you have bought is accepted by borders/police.

Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for it ? Insurance in SA is generally cheap.

Hi there Bruce

Its through a company in rotterdam ,and is for all of SA i only have the quote at the moment but its 1 year for £526.95

Thanks Ray

I can only speak for Colombia where I live and rent motorcycles, foreign insurance is not accepted here and if you are pulled over without the mandatory SOAT insurance, they can impound your bike.

Martin
Vacaciones en Cartagena

[QUOTE=Adventure;429556]HI there all

As the title suggests, im planing my trip through south america for december of this year, I have insurance that covers my bike through south amreica, but from reading the post below it suggests that i need even more insurance when i arrive ??? :(
[QUOTE]

Just a thought, but your post makes little sense to me: I've highlighted in red the bit that confuses me + you don't say what type of cover this insurance quote is for - it could be for what we call in the UK "comprehensive cover" or green card cover, or something else entirely.
The "Trip Paperwork" forum has sticky threads that deal with the details of insurance cover.

Save your money and buy locally.

My experience is

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

Colombia and Peru are (IMO) a bit awkward to get, but I have put all the info in this forum (just search for Columbia insurance etc)

Colombia and Peru 1 month are available for about $30 each.

Ecuador, I never found any, and I don't think it is compulsory there.

Argentina/Chile/Bolivia are covered by 1 policy obtainable in Chile either near the border or in the Falbella store chains.

Chile is not compulsory, and they find it hard to sell it for a foreign bike. However they can sell you a policy for Argentina ????

Great thank you bruce for your help on this issue :) your a star

Walkabout - my apologies for not makong this clearer , I was referring to the tread not the posts below , due to the amount of contradicting information !

Peru and Colombia insurance
 

I found it easy to get insurance in Ipiales, Colombia. When entering from Ecuador I bought a policy at the service counter of an Exito (superstore) on a Saturday night. There were minor delays while waiting as customers returned toasters...

Entering Peru near Yunguyo (south of Copacabana, Bolivia) the police allowed me to enter the country without insurance with the promise that I would buy insurance when I got to Puno, 132 km away. It was a Sunday afternoon and no insurance agents were working the border (not sure if they do on any other day of the week.) I found an insurance agent easily in Puno and bought insurance quickly.

These countries require insurance and you will be fined if stopped and unable to produce proof. In Peru you are given a sticker to apply to the windshield.

Different types of insurance
 

I think we may be talking about two different types of insurance. The SOAP is a manditory personal accident insurance and covers (some) medical costs for (some) of the people involved in any accident you may have. It DOES NOT cover damage to you bike or theft of it, for example. I believe it is usually purchased at the border of each country you enter rather than for the whole continent. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Motorcycle vehicle insurance is to cover for damages to the bike and is difficult to source in the west. No company in Australia will insure my bike while I am riding in South America. So if the company you found in Europe will do it I would very much like their contact details.

Yes, SOAT and similar schemes are mandatory liability insurance policies that are equivalent to the green slip and similar third party personal injury liability insurance needed to register a vehicle in all australian states. Once you take the vehicle out of the country, the insurance would not be valid. Despite opinions to the contrary, most countries try to protect their citizens by having some sort of compulsory liability insurance. Those that don't have other ways of getting even.

Lot of travellers in Americas have little choice but to self-insure their vehicles and hope for the best. Some of the Europeans seem to get comprehensive policies covering their vehicles worldwide but it isn't cheap. Going uninsured may not be wise if you spent your whole life savings on a 500kEuro expedition truck, but most of us have somewhat less invested in our lifestyle and walking away is not quite so painful.

Liability insurnace for the little countries...
 

Guyana requires insurance, bought in Lethem when entering from Brazil.
Bought insurance for Suriname while in Georgetown, Guyana.
French Guiana is part of France and the European Union. If you have insurance that covers the EU, then you are all set.

Tried and tried to buy insurance for French Guiana, while in Georgetown, Guyana and Paramaribo, Suriname. Failed. Brokers in Guyana and Suriname sell French Guiana car insurance and once upon a time sold motorcycle insurance, but not anymore. I even went to the French Guiana embassy in Paramaribo seeking advice. I left with a business card from the business development officer, but no solution. On arrival I talked my way across the border into French Guiana with the promise that I would buy insurance and I tried. Never found anything less than a 6 month policy for several hundred Euros. For the few days I would be in country, forget it! Encountered one security check point somewhere near the middle of the country. Proof of insurance was not required. Never got pulled over by the police and was not asked to produce insurance when leaving the country at St. George. I was in touch with riders that were a few weeks behind me and they were allowed into French Guiana without insurance. The border official I worked with let me in, but was not happy. He said I should look for insurance on the internet and I replied that was a big place, could he be more specific. Crickets. I listed a half a dozen insurance companies I had contacted in Guyana and Suriname, then as a kicker pulled out the business card from the embassy. A phone call was made and I was allowed entry.

I really wish there was a short term liability insurance product available in French Guiana. Maybe a policy can be purchased from a French company (remotely), but this is for someone else to figure out. The chances are very remote that I will ride there again.

13 countries
 

Most people don't travel to all 13 countries. Even if they did, buying insurance when you arrive at each border, while slightly inconvenient the cost is much lower, and you'll be sure to have acceptable coverage. In Peru you are given an insurance sticker to apply to the windshield. You may attract attention from the police by not having the sticker.

Yes, I noticed that some vehicles at Quinta lala had stickers but not all. I wasn't given one.

I did notice that all of the vehicles without stickers were driven by very handsome men so maybe the lovely ladies issuing the policy were distracted so much they forgot about the stickers.:yes: I'll leave the aftershave off when I go to renew it when we go back in a few weeks.