Hi hope I can get some help here. I have tried googling for days and keep getting turned in circles.

I would like to know how to insure my motorcycle for a touring holiday in the UK. I am coming from BC Canada.

Everywhere I call in the UK they keep telling me it has to have a UK registration. But what do travelers do?? My ICBC insurance told me that I have to insure it in the country that I will be touring.

All this back and forth is driving me crazy. Any help?

Much appreciated!

You'll be hard pressed to find a standard British insurer who will insure a foreign plated (especially non European) bike.

Try a few options

1. Motoferime in Ireland

2. Motocamp Bulgaria for greencard European insurance 3rd party cover

3. Tourinsure.de for comprehensive but more expensive European cover.

Good luck,

Let me know if you need use of a UK address

Fern



Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

__________________
https://fernsforays.wordpress.com/

Fabulous! That's a great start thank you so much. Will let you know how it works out
I've got a UK address but thanks

/Jennifer

I agree with what Fern has said and here is the thread on the subject, member dooby is a provider of good repute who has helped many non-EU motorcyclists get cover.

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...cheap-34822-20

Excellent thank you very much!
/Jennifer

UK Canuck:

No problem at all riding your Canadian-plated motorcycle in the UK. Just be sure to have a white oval sticker on the back with 'CDN' on it. Years ago, you could get these from the Canadian Automobile Association - but if you go to any sign shop you could get them to make you one easy enough. Don't get fancy with the design, use the same colour, size, shape, and typeface as you see in the picture below.

Others have given you good advice above about how and where to get insurance. In the past, I have purchased European insurance from various sources - MotoTouring in Milan, Dooby in Croatia, and Motocamp Bulgaria. The product that each of them sell is exactly the same thing (minimum liability coverage for the EC, including the UK), so choose your vendor based on service quality, reputation, and price. We have a long discussion here in the HUBB about European insurance - here is the link: Here is where you get the cheap European green card insurance. Start reading that post about halfway down page three (posts from about 2017 onwards).

Concerning transportation of the motorcycle from Canada to Europe, I have always shipped by Air Canada or Motorcycle Express. There is some information about shipping a motorcycle by air at this post: Shipping Canada to Europe.

The only problem you might run into is if you are a UK citizen travelling on a UK passport. I mention this because your username (UK Canuck) suggests this might be the case.

If you are travelling on a UK passport, you MIGHT encounter some problems with customs & excise either at the moment you import the bike, or perhaps later on if you are stopped by police or customs & excise whilst riding.

For someone like me (born in Canada, travelling on a Canadian passport, with a Canadian driver license, riding a Canadian-plated bike in Europe), it is obvious to customs & excise that I am a bona fide tourist and there is no possible chance that I am trying to import the bike illegally, or evade the requirement to comply with each country's MOT checks, etc.

If, though, you are riding in your country of citizenship (UK?) on a foreign plated motorcycle, the authorities could make a credible case that you are not a tourist, should have paid import duties, and should have plated the motorcycle in your country of citizenship, which means MOT compliance, RHD headlight, etc.

So, let's hope you have a Canadian passport & Canadian driver licence.

Michael

Note White Oval Country Sticker Under Licence Plate

First two options are not registered insurance providers at all (Martin at Motofeirme is not providing insurance to any of his clients directly, important fact), third one is registered broker and provides services of Axa as long as Axa is willing to sell their products.

Lobagola MotoTours is the only broker specialist that will provide coverage for such clients in Europe and outside Europe as well.

Just facts, so OP and other readers later wont be mislead and loose time.

BR
Dooby

Concerning Motocamp Bulgaria (the second of the two options you referred to), I believe that what that company does is go out and buy a standard "green card' insurance policy for the customer from the Bulgarian insurance provider, then mail that policy - meaning, the green card - to the customer.

I have used them in the past and been quite happy with their service. The insurance provider in Bulgaria has very low rates when compared to insurance providers in other countries that issue 'green card' coverage for out of region motorcycles.

This post from a few years back provides more information: Bulgaria- Motocamp

Michael

Marking up the price on third party liability coverage/reselling it for higher price is illegal in EU.

Bulgarian authority that overseas and regulates their insurance and financial market:

https://www.fsc.bg/en/

Just facts

BR
Dooby

Dooby:

At the risk of straining a long-time friendship with you, isn't that exactly what you did for many years before you recently acquired your status as an insurance broker?

Let's face it, buying "green card" insurance is like buying gasoline - it's a fungible commodity, all policies offer the same amount of dollar-value coverage.

Michael

EU vehicles don't need an oval sticker because it is incorporated in the license plate.
British vehicles driving in Europe do need the oval sticket

__________________
Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Mototouring in Italy will insure you for minimum liability cover on a non-EU registered bike.
They refer to it as a Green Card.

I rode a NZ registered bike in the UK for a year with no NZ oval sticker, no one ever asked why.
Yes, the rules say you can only ride a foreign reg bike in UK for 6 months, but I didn't know this at the time, so that was OK then (!)

__________________
Hear the challenge, learn the lesson, pay the cost.