[CatherineP]

We are very imminently (less than a week) about to go back to the UK for a 'holiday'. My cousin has kindly agreed to lend us his car, however after adding us to his insurance and paying the required fee he has discovered at the last minute, hidden in one of his documents, that Non-UK Residents are not able to be named on his policy. This discovery by accident (the company concerned had said all was fine and have previously insured another kiwi relative during her stay) has led us to a bit of frantic searching. It appears that almost all car insurance companies have this exclusion.

So my question is what did you do when driving in the UK in terms of car insurance for a vehicle other than a hire car as a non-resident????

[Gar1]

You may have to get the insurance company to tell you what their defintion of a resident is.

Many insurers consider a UK resident to be a person who has resided in the UK for at least 6 months and are registered with a UK doctor. The tax office hold a slightly different view, as does the immigration dept.

But assuming that you are UK passport holders the insurance company may well decide that this is OK. I would ask them to send you a letter to this effect. I would also point out to them that you have a UK driving licence, if you do infact have one.

[dylan]

If your cousin explained to the insurance company you are living in NZ and they have agreed to insure you, they have taken the extra premium, then all should be ok. If it were me I would simply re ring the insurance company to confirm the insurance is all above board and get something in writing. Don't forget almost all calls to insurance companys are recorded for "training purposes", just get your cousen to confirm that the insurance is valid.