International and Temporary Motorcycle Insurance

by webBikeWorld.com Staff

More:  Visitor Comments (Below)

We often receive emails asking about temporary motorcycle insurance for visitors to the U.S.A. and also for Americans who wish to travel to other countries.

The visitors or tourists are usually renting a motorcycle but they sometimes bring their own bike on tour.

Motorcycle Services wrote this article for us that describes some of the issues to consider when purchasing international motorcycle insurance or temporary motorcycle insurance for tourists.

Motorcyclists who travel with their own bike in a foreign country are required to carry proof of insurance while riding.  Your current insurance policy probably does not provide coverage for you or your motorcycle in a foreign country.

Note also that Customs in the U.S.A. will not release a motorcycle without proof of insurance, and this is true also for most other countries.  Also, a lien holder (i.e., the lending institution that owns your motorcycle until it's paid off!) will not provide a release to ship a bike without proof of insurance for the country you will be traveling.

Motorcycle Insurance for Touring in Europe
Americans and Canadian citizens who plan on using a motorcycle for touring in Europe will need to purchase foreign motorcycle “Green Card” Insurance.  This insurance provides coverage for American and Canadian citizens while riding in Europe.  This insurance program meets foreign regulatory requirements for tourists.

You need to purchase coverage for liability only or liability with fire, theft, vandalism and collision for the number of months you will be traveling.

Also required are liability coverage; suggested is $750,000 per accident; bodily injury and property damage and medical payments coverage.

You may also wish to consider optional coverage, including collision and comprehensive, guest passenger accessories coverage.

Motorcycle Insurance for Visitors to the U.S.A. or Canada
Visitors to the U.S.A. or Canada will require temporary U.S./Canada motorcycle insurance.  This insurance provides insurance coverage for visiting foreign nationals while riding as tourists in the United States and Canada.  This insurance program meets the statutory requirements of each state in the U.S. and will comply with each Canadian Province.

Coverage requirements include a choice of liability only or liability with fire, theft, vandalism; and collision overage for the number of months you will be traveling.  Also required are liability coverage for $50,000-$500,000 per accident and bodily injury/property damage coverage, along with medical payments coverage.

Optional coverage includes collision and comprehensive, guest passenger coverage and uninsured motorist coverage.  If you know of a source for this type of insurance, please contact the Editor (below).

• Temporary U.S./Canada Motorcycle Insurance
   
• Foreign Motorcycle “Green Card” Insurance

Comments
To comment on this article or if can provide information on international or temporary motorcycle insurance, of if you have actual experience in purchasing this type of insurance, please contact

Also on International Motorcycle Travel:  Jeff Munn has some good tips on travelling with your own motorcycle in Europe

Note: This article is published as a public service only.  webBikeWorld does not and can not vouch for the accuracy of this information; make sure you ask first and determine the motorcycle insurance coverage you will need for your trip.

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►Reader Comments and Owner Feedback

Editor's Note:  The following information came to us from Court Fisher, Global Touring staff at the BMW OWNERS NEWS of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, who have a web page devoted to this subject entitled "Global Touring With Court Fisher".  Court has information on that page for "Touring in Europe", "Touring Beyond Europe" and "Touring North America", so visitors to and from the U.S.A. might want to visit that page for more information.

"The folks who wrote your piece, Motorcycle Services, Inc. are one good source of information and international bike insurance.  A more 'complete' description is available..." (on this page on the BMWMOA website, which also has much more information and links to European and worldwide shipping, insurance and transfer agents).

European Bike Insurance and Agents
(Note: The following information was sent by Court and extracted from the BMW MOA website)

Minimum mandatory European 'Green Card' liability coverage is required for your North American (or other non-European)-registered bike taken to ride in Europe; it is not part of your US domestic policy and not available from your domestic US bike insurance company (with one known exception noted * below). 

Get it before you leave to clear bike through Euro Customs, and to ride legally in Europe. Euro 'Green Card'--and optional physical damage & theft--coverage is available for bikes registered in any country from these brokers.

• Berglund Insurance Agency (Brian Berglund/Shelly Moore)
  800-537-2555 or 480-949-1034
  Fax 480-994-0321
  Email: manager@berglundins.com
  5625 E. Indian School Rd.
  Phoenix Arizona 85018
  (Berglund also sells coverage for Euro-registered bikes in North America)
   
• Motorcycle Express (Michael Mandell)
  800-245-8726 or 516-682-9220
  Fax 516-682-8231
  Email: info@motorcycleexpress.com
  6800 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 201W
  Syosset, New York 11791-4488
  (Mandell also sells coverage for Euro-registered bikes in North America)
   
• Sunrise Group International Insurance
  800-478-7648 or 407-977-7001
  Fax 407-977-7004
  Email: sbsforyou@aol.com
  251 Plaza Drive, Suite C
  Oviedo Florida 32765
  (Sunrise also sells coverage for Euro-registered bikes in North America)
   
• Tour Insure GmbH
  Contact: Torge Spruth
  Geschäftsführer
  Herrengraben 5
  20459 Hamburg
  Telefon +49 (0) 40 25 17 21 - 50
  Telefax +49 (0) 40 25 17 21 - 21
  E-Mail torge.spruth@tourinsure.de
  (Tour Insure also sells coverage for Euro-registered bikes in North America).  Torge writes: "Tour Insure is an agency for green card insurance in Europe too.  Handling is very easy and fast.  We provide coverage from 1 up to 12 month.  The liability coverage is € 2.500.000,00.  If you have further questions please feel free to contact us."

Minimum mandatory third party liability-only Green Card insurance is administered by the 'motor insurance bureaus' of most European countries, through a Council of Bureaux.

In addition to the brokers above, it is also sold at some Euro (but not UK) auto club offices, including notably any German ADAC office, at premiums much lower (2003 = ~US$40/month) than charged by American brokers.

But optional physical damage or theft insurance is not available or included as part of Green Card coverage sold by Euro auto club offices.  Effective 2002, Green Card insurance is not available by application to ADAC in advance of arrival in Europe; you can obtain it directly from ADAC only by personal visit to any ADAC office with your vehicle registration & drivers license (payable by Visa/MC).

Green Card Insurance
Effective 2003, Green Card insurance can be obtained in advance of arrival in Europe through rental/tour agents:

• Knopf Motorradreisen, Heidelberg, Germany, knopftours@aol.com,
   
• Mototouring, Milan, Italy, info@mototouring.com,  ; insurance valid in all Western Euro countries.

*Active duty or reserve US military and dependents, and others who insure their US-registered bikes with USAA, www.usaa.com, can get Euro coverage--including comp--on bikes taken to Europe, at very favorable rates compared to US specialty brokers above; contact USAA's Foreign Dept, 1-800-531-8189, for details.