Policy holders with a No Claims Discount moving abroad

Taking off for a while? If you’re moving or travelling abroad for more than a couple months, you’ll want to get in touch to with us to see how it might affect your policy. Check how your specific situation applies to your coverage on 02890 020104 or visit on of our branches.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for some general information before you leave, here’s what you’ll need to know.

If you’ll be away for less than a year:

• If you have other named drivers on your policy who will be driving your car while you’re away, you should keep the policy as-is.
• If your car won’t be used for 28 days or more, you can suspend your insurance instead of cancelling it. All you have to do is return your certificate and disc to your insurer. This will give you a pro-rata refund of 75% of the premium you paid at the last renewal date for the suspension period based on the amount of time your car is out of use. Keep in mind there could be some administration fees with this.
• If you suspend your policy, you and any other named driver(s) will have no cover to drive the car, but you may still be covered against fire or theft. Check the specific terms of your coverage to be sure this applies to you.
• If you are having too much fun to come home and decide to extend your time abroad, taking you into a new period of insurance, your best option is to cancel your contract.

If you’ll be away for 1-2 years:

• A No Claims Discount is valid for a two year period from the last date your policy was active. This means before it lapsed or was cancelled, and was not being used on another vehicle.
• If you’ve been away for less than two years, your No Claims Discount will still be valid.
• Your No Claims Discount is based on your previous claim free driving experience in your own name.

If you’ll be away more than 2 years:

• Your No Claims Discount is not valid if more than two years pass since your Irish motor insurance policy was cancelled or lapsed.
• If you have a claims-free driving record in your own name in another country, we may take this into consideration when you want to get a new quote back in Ireland.
• Please contact us with your details and we will advise if this experience will be taken into account and what if any additional documentation may be required.

Regardless of what your travel plans are, it’s a good idea to get in touch with us so you know exactly how your policy is affected while you’re away.