Bosnian Insurance

[PaulM]

I'm planning to enter Bosnia from Croatia at the Metkovic crossing on the way to Mostar. Has anyone any experience of buying insurance at this border crossing? Has anyone bought insurance from a Bosnian company before travelling?
Cheers
Paul

[CourtFisher]

Originally Posted by PaulM

I'm planning to enter Bosnia from Croatia at the Metkovic crossing on the way to Mostar. Has anyone any experience of buying insurance at this border crossing? Has anyone bought insurance from a Bosnian company before travelling?
Cheers
Paul

Paul:
My personal log/ experience:
"2. Border crossing, Exit Croatia (Metkovic)--entry Bosnia, main Rte 17/ E73 northbound from Dubrovnik to Mostar, Tue 08 June 2010, 12noon. No passport check, and no vehicle paper check, i.e., Green Card was not required, and there was no apparent separate commercial office at Bosnia border to buy Bosnia Green Card insurance if I had wanted to buy it, even if Customs did not check/ require it."

BUT (if you intend to enter Serbia from/ after Bosnia), it cost me 60 Euros, and required 'back-tracking' to a small border crossing to obtain required Serbian minimum one-month coverage; without Serbia policy purchased at border, bike entry to Serbia would have been denied.

I inquired/ attempted to buy Croatia + Bosnia ++ insurance from one 'knowledgeable' Dubrovnik insurance broker (having already crossed Slovenia->Croatia border where separate Croatia cover was also not available); broker could have sold me Croatia only policy, but not onward cover; recommended trying at the Bosnia border.

YMMV. The Balkans are very confusing re vehicle insurance. Most continental EU moto/car insurance policies include all of the Balkans and the 'Green Card' document issued by EU underwriters so states; most UK underwriters for UK-registered vehicles (apparently) do not, or some may but at extra charge for the Balkans.
As of 2010, separate 'Green Card' cover for non-EU bikes (e.g. USA) available from ADAC/ Arisa & others does NOT cover Slovenia or Balkans. Separate 'Green Card' cover for non-EU bikes underwritten by AXA, brokered by [url=http://www.tourinsure.de]TourInsure or www.policydog.com, does cover Balkans, but at higher premium.
You may find cross-border and underwriter rules entirely different in 2011.
Good luck!

[PaulM]

Hi Court - Thanks for the detailed information. My UK insurers won't issue a green card for Bosnia but I'm OK for all the other countries on this trip. If there's no check for a green card at this crossing then I may just ride through.
(In 2008 I rode from Kazakhstan to Turkey via The Pamirs without insurance so it won't be the first time!!)
Cheers
Paul

[mudmaps]

In '08 my ADAC insurance covered Bosnia but I note that in '10 that the ADAC policy didn't.

Either a Bosnian change of rules or an underwriter change? There were no insurance agencies the border corssing we used but they were quite thorough on checking the bike papers.

[PaulM]

Thanks for the information Mark.
I seem to have come to a dead end on this one. Maybe I'll try one of the Bosnian 'local communities' on the site.
Cheers
Paul

[TurboCharger]

Crossing into Bosnia & Herzegovina last Sept 2010 from Croatia, we were never asked for GreenCard insurance.

[hannahjo]

Hi-
We are going to be traveling two-up through the Balkans. we are purchasing an unknown make/model in Prague, and will need to insure it for the following countries
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Serbia
Kosovo
Montenegro
Macedonia
Croatia
Austria

(possibly Bosnia and Bulgaria)
Any any any advice on anything paperwork-wise with this region would be extremely beneficial!!
any notes on border crossings
carnets useful or not
etc. etc.
thanks so much!
Hannah and Boris

[CourtFisher]

Originally Posted by hannahjo

Hi-
We are going to be traveling two-up through the Balkans. we are purchasing an unknown make/model in Prague, and will need to insure it for the following countries
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Serbia
Kosovo
Montenegro
Macedonia
Croatia
Austria

(possibly Bosnia and Bulgaria)
Any any any advice on anything paperwork-wise with this region would be extremely beneficial!!
any notes on border crossings
carnets useful or not
etc. etc.
thanks so much!
Hannah and Boris

Hannah & Boris,
(You would get more replies by posting this question as a new/ separate topic, because your question(s) are only a bit related to "Bosnia insurance")

You say: "...we are purchasing an unknown make/model in Prague..."

Most EU countries require that, to purchase a vehicle, you must have legal residence or status in that country. I don't know that the same rules applies in CZ, but you should first be sure what the CZ rules are about buying/ registering/ insuring a vehicle.

Assuming you can legally buy a vehicle in CZ, it will be registered in CZ, with CZ plates; and insured by a company or agent in CZ.

Only a CZ insurance company/ agent can tell you for sure which of the countries above are included in a motorcycle policy issued in CZ. Any countries above not included in a CZ policy, you would have to buy separate insurance at a border crossing--assuming separate insurance is available at a border (which it sometimes is; and sometimes not).

A carnet (CdP) is not required in Europe--for any of the above countries.

In general, any bike that is registered in any EU country has no problem with border crossings in Europe, so long as you have a current vehicle registration, passport, drivers license, and vehicle insurance document (if asked)
You will find lots of other/ more specific border crossing info by doing a search on HUBB.

[PanEuropean]

Archival Note:

More up to date information (as of summer 2014) about insurance prices and availability in the countries of former Yugoslavia can be found at this discussion:

Balkans Insurance - Here's the story, with details & sample documents

Also, apropos of the very first post on this discussion (from 2010), I attempted to enter Bosnia from Croatia at the Metkovic crossing on the way to Mostar in August of 2014, there still was no Bosnian insurance available for sale there, and the border guards would not let me enter without insurance. Hence I had to ride 100 km further south where insurance was available, and enter Bosnia there.

Michael