Insurance for people moving/returning to Ireland. A survival guide!

Depending on where you are coming from, insuring yourself/your vehicle/your property can be difficult when either coming to Ireland for the first time, or returning to Ireland after being away for a number of years. Some of the common issues we see include:

• Unable to obtain motor insurance, due to lack of driving experience or length of time resident in Ireland.
• Difficulty in obtaining motor cover, due to a vehicle being in an employer name or leased.
• High cost of health insurance. People finding it hard to work out the health insurance market, including waiting periods and commercial plans.
• Clients unaware of the process of insuring property (either contents or physical buildings). Clients unsure of how to access the wider market.
• Finding equivalent life and income protection insurance.

Why does being out of Ireland for a period cause so many insurance issues ?

Most standard insurers will require you to have a minimum of 2 years no claim bonus before quoting, if you don’t have this it can be very difficult to obtain a quotation in the Irish motor insurance market.

For people that have been insured in the Irish market previously, but then have moved away for a number of years, they may find that a lot of insurers will not accept the no claims that they have built up before leaving (Most insurers will only allow a no claim bonus for 2 years. There is also a number of insurers that will not quote if there has been a gap of more than 30 days since expiry of the last policy).

Other factors such as age of a vehicle and occupation have a big bearing on the cost of insurance in Ireland (that may not be the case in the country the client has left from).

The main factor we find is lack of knowledge of the Irish insurance market. For example, did you know that those entering the health insurance market from abroad, do not have to pay a loading for not been in the market as long as they take out cover within the first 9 months of coming to Ireland?

How can nonstandard insurance help those coming to/back to Ireland?

The main thing we can help with is advice. The Irish insurance market can be bewildering for new entrants, so we will help to explain the market and how to get the best deals available. Here are some of the ways we can help:

• Organise car insurance for you, even if it is the first time driving in Ireland.
• For those that have previously been insured in Ireland, we can often get their no claims bonus reinstated and so dramatically reducing the cost of cover.
• Help with organising life and income protection cover.
• We deal with over 30 insurers and underwriters and will help you through the maze that is the Irish insurance market.

If you have found obtaining cover in Ireland frustrating, don’t waste your time with other insurers. Contact the experts on 0818919699 for a quotation today or visit our motor insurance page  for more details