Moving Abroad or Returning Home?
If you are planning on moving abroad or if you’re moving home, we thought that the following information may be useful as you plan your move.
- If you will be away for less than 1 Year
If you will be away for more than 28 days but less than 1 year, your best option may be to suspend your policy. You can suspend the insurance by letting us know, and returning your certificate and disc. We will then calculate a pro-rata refund of your premium paid at the last renewal date for the period of suspension (subject to possible administration fees and no claims being made in that period of insurance) based on the time your car is out of use.
It’s important to note that you or any named drivers will not have any cover to drive your car during this period, but your vehicle may continue to be covered against fire or theft, if Liberty Insurance have agreed with you, to leave these terms in force.
If you have other drivers named on your policy who need to use the vehicle while you are abroad, you should keep the policy running as normal.
If your stay is extended and you remain abroad, cancelling the contract is the better option.
- Returning home after 1-2 Years
Your No Claims Discount is valid for a period of 2 years from the last date on which your policy was in force (i.e., before it lapsed/was cancelled and not being used on another vehicle). So, if you have been abroad for less than 2 years, your No Claims Discount will still be relevant when you return home. Your No Claims Discount is based on your previous level of driving experience in your own name.
- Returning home after more than 2 Years
If more than two years have passed since your Irish motor insurance policy was cancelled/lapsed, your No Claims Discount is no longer valid.
However, if you have claims-free driving experience in a different country in your own name, we will take this experience into consideration if you seek a quote from us on your return to Ireland, subject to the appropriate documentation being provided. This will be a No Claims Bonus Statement and/or a letter of driving experience in respect of the relevant country. Please bear in mind that we must be able to verify all documentation you gather abroad and it should contain as much detailed relevant information as possible, e.g., dates, type of insurance, certification of claims-free driving, etc.
We recommend making sure at the beginning, that your new insurance provider abroad will be in a position to provide such documentation at the end of your period living/driving abroad.
