ClareBC

There is often huge friggin' confusion about how long you have in BC on a UK licence before you have to get car insurance. Well, a driver was "denied coverage for an accident when it was discovered he had lived in the province much longer than 90 days without getting a B.C. driver's licence." (The fact that they take your money is not proof that you are covered )

ICBC spokesperson stated that "it is illegal for anyone to drive in B.C. if they have lived in the province for more than three months and do not have a B.C. license".

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...insurance.html

Clare

TheCanes

So, how does that work in Alberta? I mean, I can buy and insure a car, even when I'm not a resident, but can't get a AB license. I might be staying in AB for several months at a time (if DS gets study permit); would that mean I would not be covered by my insurance, if I had an accident? Slightly unfair if you ask me.

nikki dreaming

I work in the Insurance Industry here in the UK, and this would not prevent you being covered in the UK as the Insurer would still have a legal obligation to meet the claim of a Third Party if you were involved in an accident.

On my recent visit to NS I have made enquiries and am looking to start the qualification for Insurance in Canada and I have also read that if you do not have a "valid" licence that this would invalidate your insurance full stop, so it appears that the insurers do not carry the same legal obligation in Canada, I believe this is a judgement that recently went through the court in Canada.

I'm not sure how it would work when you are driving on your UK licence for the permitted period of time, surely you should be covered for this time period but as you soon as you go over the 90 days/6 months/year whichever you are allowed to drive depending on province then it would appear you definitly need to change your licence/sit the driving test!

dbd33

Our experience in Ontario:

- my partner was here on a study permit
- my daughter's partner is current here on a study permit
- both brought cars, the cars have been here for multiple years
- both insured the cars in their native country with a policy endorsement saying that the cars were to be used in Canada; this is a standard endorsement for students, diplomats, military personel and so on
- both retained their foreign licenses and have not applied for local ones
- in both cases it was/is lawful for the owner of the car to drive it but not anyone resident in the country
- both cars are regularly driven by people resident here but we know this isn't technically lawful and in the event of a collision, no insurance would apply.

What I don't know is the crucial bits:

- if the non-resident partner of a non-resident student drives the car is that lawful and does the insurance apply?
- is it all different if the car is registered in Canada?

I suspect the answer is that for a non-resident student to insure a Canadian registered car in Canada to be driven on a foreign license would be prohibitively expensive - the big advantages of having a foreign registered car are that it need not comply with the more silly Canadian laws and that the insurance is hundreds, not thousands, of dollars a year.

JonboyE

In BC every car owner must buy Basic Autoplan from the government owned ICBC. Basic Autoplan includes underinsured motorist protection.

If I am involved in an accident with someone who does not have a legal driving license, my Basic Autoplan will cover my losses. If the accident was not my fault my no claims bonus will be preserved.

The other driver's insurance will be denied. Even if he has bought optional collision insurance he is out of luck and ICBC will not pay for the repair of his vehicle or any of his medical expenses. ICBC will also sue him to recover the cost of my claim (and if I was injured this would include all the cost of my medical treatment). He can also expect a visit from the police.

Iain Mc

The article certainly raises a fair gripe about the insurance people not vetting strictly enough, but I think the comments below it are spot on!

The guy took the test; failed, and never thought to try again. Presumably, he must have known he had to do it otherwise he wouldn't have tried in the first place.

Even after he HAD the accident, ICBC gave him ten day's grace to take the test and they'd cover the claim (which seems quite reasonable of them, in the circumstances). During that time he managed to do it twice more, and failed both times.

You have to wonder about some people. Not quite sure why he thinks he's 'owed'!



But yes; take your test!

dingbat

DS can drive, as DS has a study permit and falls under the visiting student exemption that most provinces (including BC) have.

http://www.servicealberta.ca/Drivers...rators_Licence

The issue might be you - my friend came to Calgary with his wife on her study permit. He had an accident about six months in - insurance denied. You might want to check your actual status for insurance purposes. By the look of the above link, you are OK, but my friend is still fighting this issue, as far as I know. I don't have enough information to understand what the distinction was that has evidently been made.

scottymallo

Depends on legal status in BC if you are a PR you can get insurance for 6 months but must pass your driving test within 90 days of landing! or your insurance will be invalid! If you are a tourist you can drive on your uk licence for 6 months!

ClareBC

Good point - which is part of the confusion with the insurance brokers...

Sam the lamb

We were confused about the BC licence - we are on a bunac visas and were advised as we are not classed as residents we could drive for 6 mths on our UK licences. It was also suggested just b4 the 6mths if we went into the US then come back in are 6mths would start again....

Rich_007

Who gives a crap. This is Canada, things are different here.

R.

nikki dreaming

exactly, this was the point I was making, that there clearly are differences that people should be aware of

scottymallo

if you do want to renew your insurance after 6 months! as a visitor! you defo need to leave canada then come back in a new stamp in your passport should be enough to prove to the insurance that again you are back as a visitor! this could become costly if your not needing another full 6 months or if they will not let your no claims build! im lucky as only 5 miles to the border! but will hopefully have PR status by end of the year!

AlexInBC

Sounds about right. I was living over here on visitor status for 2.5 years (!!!) before getting my PR in March and the local ICBC people wouldn't let me take a test without a PR card Luckily we'd been back to the UK 4 times in that period so I always had the relevant entry stamps in my passport to show that I was only a visitor, and had arrived within the last 6 months, if the police had ever stopped me and asked.