Import vehicle insurance · Updated November 2026

Import Vehicle Insurance: Marine Cover at Sea and Motor Insurance on Arrival

To insure an imported vehicle you need marine cargo insurance while it is shipped, which we provide from €200 for a single trip, and then motor insurance to drive it. In the UK, specialist motor insurers can usually insure an imported car on its VIN (chassis number) before it is registered with DVLA; motor insurance is a regulated product, so we introduce you to insurers rather than selling it. For touring abroad you need cover valid in every country you drive in, such as a green card or temporary import insurance, and we give you contacts for that too.

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Marine cargo insurance while shipping

from €200

Single trip, value up to €25,000 · motorhomes from €300 · motor insurance by introduction

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At sea

Marine cargo insurance from €200, provided by us

Arriving in the UK

Specialist insurers can usually insure on the VIN before registration

Before registration

Drive only to a pre-booked MOT or approval test, insured

Touring abroad

Green card, or local temporary import cover

Period abroad

1–12 months in Europe, 3–12 months in the Americas

Our role

We provide marine cargo insurance; for motor insurance we introduce you to insurers

Which insurance does an imported vehicle need?

An imported vehicle needs cover for each stage of its journey, and one policy does not replace another. Your existing motor policy usually covers neither the sea crossing nor a vehicle that is not yet registered in the UK.

During shipping: marine cargo insurance: Covers the vehicle as cargo, from loading to unloading. We provide it with your shipping booking.
After arrival: UK motor insurance: Needed before the vehicle is driven on UK roads, including the drive to a pre-booked MOT or approval test. We introduce you to specialist insurers.
Touring abroad: motor insurance valid where you drive: A green card or temporary import (frontier) cover for each country. We give you contacts and introduce insurers.
Travel insurance: Covers you, not the vehicle: medical treatment, evacuation and your belongings. It is bought separately.

Travel insurance for long trips →

During shipping: marine insurance for car shipping

Marine insurance is not included in our shipping prices unless stated. You choose it in the quote form, and it is added to your quote. It covers the risk of a total loss, significant damage and general average claims during transit.

General average is a long-standing rule of the sea: if a ship or its cargo is sacrificed to save the voyage, every cargo owner shares the cost. Without insurance, you may have to pay your share before your vehicle is released. Carriers' own liability for loss or damage is limited, so uninsured goods may not be covered.

All Risks: Cover for loss and damage in transit, excluding chips, dents and scratches.
All Risks & Survey: As above, with a condition survey. Third-party survey fees start from €100, $100 or £100, plus an admin fee of 50, and surveys are only available at certain ports.
Insured value: The value of your vehicle including any receipted professional modifications. Personal effects are not included in the value.
Contents: Contents can be covered up to €15,000, but only for motorhomes and similar touring vehicles insured through us. Anything else left in a vehicle is entirely at the owner's risk.

Vehicle	Single trip	Multi-trip	Insured value
Cars, 4x4s, vans and other vehicles	From €200	From €400	Up to €25,000
Motorhomes, campervans and similar touring vehicles	From €300	From €600	Up to €50,000
Higher-value vehicles, classics and machinery	Quoted	Quoted	Above these values

Marine insurance is mandatory on some routes, such as the UK to Iceland, and not available on others, such as cargo to Ecuador. We tell you when you get your quote.

Motorhome marine insurance price bands →

If the vehicle is damaged in transit

Check the vehicle carefully when you collect it and note any damage on the delivery paperwork. If there is a significant claim, contact the insurer, or the carrier if the vehicle is not insured, before the vehicle is removed from the port or terminal, in case either of them sends a surveyor.

How to make a claim →

After arrival in the UK: insuring an imported car

GOV.UK sets out the steps for a vehicle shipped to the UK: make an import declaration, pay any VAT and customs duty, tell HMRC within 14 days through NOVA, get vehicle approval if needed, register and tax the vehicle with DVLA, and insure it. You can be prosecuted for using the vehicle on a public road before these steps are complete, except to drive it to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test, and it must be insured for that drive. Third party insurance is the legal minimum.

Many mainstream insurers only cover standard UK models, so imported cars are usually insured through specialist insurers and brokers. They can normally insure the car on its VIN (vehicle identification number, or chassis number) before it has a UK registration, so cover can start on the day it arrives. Once a vehicle is registered in the UK, its use must be covered by a policy from a motor insurer authorised in the UK.

When DVLA issues the registration number, give it to your insurer straight away so the policy and the Motor Insurance Database (MID) show it. The MID is not updated instantly, and police can stop a vehicle that does not appear on it.

The VIN (chassis number), make, model and year
The purchase invoice or value, and any receipted modifications
Whether it is left-hand drive, and any changes from the original specification
Its approval and MOT status, and the date it arrives in the UK
The address where it will be kept

Motor insurance is a regulated product, so we do not sell it. We introduce you to insurers who cover imported cars, classics, motorhomes and commercial vehicles.

Guide: registering an imported vehicle (NOVA, V55/5 and plates) →

Guide: import duty and VAT on cars →

Customs clearance →

Touring abroad: green cards and temporary import insurance

UK-registered vehicles: GOV.UK says all UK motor insurance gives the minimum third party cover to drive in the EU, including Ireland, and you do not need to carry a green card there. You may need a green card in other countries, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine. A green card is proof of insurance issued by your own insurer, often digitally; ask for it before you travel and check what extra cover you have abroad.

Non-EU vehicles visiting Europe: a vehicle entering the EU from outside must be able to show evidence of insurance, such as a green card. If your home insurer cannot provide it, you need temporary import (frontier or visitor) cover for the countries you will drive in.

Foreign vehicles visiting the UK: GOV.UK lets visitors use a foreign-registered vehicle for up to 6 months in total over 12 months without registering it here, if it is registered and taxed in its home country. It still needs third party insurance valid in the UK.

GOV.UK: vehicle insurance when driving abroad →

Overland vehicle shipping guide →

Europe: temporary import insurance for non-EU vehicles

Motor insurance is a regulated product, so we do not sell it. We give you contacts and introduce you to insurers who cover non-EU cars, 4x4s, motorhomes and trucks touring the European Union, usually for 1–12 months.

From what our customers tell us, third-party frontier or visitor cover costs around €150 a month, and comprehensive cover costs more.

Third party liability
Third party liability, fire and theft
Comprehensive insurance

USA, Canada and Mexico

We give you contacts and introduce you to insurers covering cars, 4x4s, motorhomes and trucks touring the USA, Canada and Mexico. Policies can cover third party liability only, fully comprehensive, or be motorhome-specific, for 3–12 months, and some can be extended while you are on the road. Premiums are quoted case by case, based on the vehicle, its value and age, and the driver's details.

It is getting harder to insure foreign vehicles in North America. Which policies you can get depends on where your vehicle first enters the Americas. Older vehicles can be more difficult to insure, and some policies are only for campervans and motorhomes, although converted vehicles, such as a Land Rover fitted out as a camper, may be accepted.

Insurers for foreign vehicles in the USA, Canada and Mexico →

South America: Mercosur insurance

We give you contacts and introduce you to insurers offering Mercosur insurance for foreign cars, 4x4s, motorhomes and trucks. It covers Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil on a third party liability basis, for 3–12 months. Specialist insurers can provide extra cover; ask us for details. Outside the Mercosur countries, insurance can normally be bought at each border, and Colombia requires its own SOAT cover.

Full name, passport number and date of birth
The dates you need cover for
Vehicle make, model, year, chassis number, engine number and registration
Photos of the vehicle, one showing the number plate

Australia and New Zealand

Visitors importing a vehicle temporarily into Australia need third party insurance as well as a carnet. We give you contacts for road cover in Australia and New Zealand with your shipping booking.

Shipping to Australia and New Zealand →

Insurance for every kind of shipment

Import and export: Marine cover for the crossing, then UK motor insurance on the VIN from a specialist insurer until the car is registered. Once a vehicle is registered in your new country, it is insured there like any local vehicle.
Classic and collector cars: Insure the full value, including receipted professional work, and consider All Risks with a survey. Agreed-value classic policies are available from specialist motor insurers.
Business and equipment: Marine cover for trucks, plant, machinery and dealer stock. Send us the values with your vehicle list and we include the cover in your quote.
Touring / Overlanding: Marine cover for the crossing, including motorhome contents, then road cover country by country.

How to get insured with your shipment

Get your quote Fill in the 2-minute form, choose your insurance level and enter the vehicle value; you get instant pricing.
Book Marine cover is confirmed with your booking.
Road cover Tell us where you will drive first and for how long, and we give you contacts and introduce you to insurers.
Check the policy Read the terms before you travel: limits, excluded countries and where the vehicle must first arrive.
Collect and drive Carry your policy documents when you collect the vehicle.

Get a business quote

Official sources

These are the official rules this page follows. Check them before you drive, as they are updated from time to time.

GOV.UK: Importing vehicles into the UK →

GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance →

GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance when driving abroad →

GOV.UK: Temporary imports of vehicles →

nidirect: Motor insurance for visiting and imported vehicles →

MIB: Green Card explained →

askMID: Check your vehicle is on the Motor Insurance Database →

Questions about import vehicle insurance

How do I insure an imported vehicle?

In stages. Marine cargo insurance covers it while it is shipped, and we provide this from €200 for a single trip. When it arrives in the UK, a specialist motor insurer can usually insure it on its VIN until it is registered with DVLA. We introduce you to motor insurers; we do not sell motor insurance.

Can I insure an imported car before it is registered in the UK?

Usually, yes. Specialist insurers can insure an imported car on its VIN (chassis number) before it has a UK registration. Give the insurer the new registration number as soon as DVLA issues it, so the Motor Insurance Database shows it.

Can I drive an imported car before it is registered?

Only to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test, and it must be insured. GOV.UK says you can be prosecuted for using it on a public road before the import, NOVA, approval and registration steps are complete.

Does my car insurance cover my car while it is being shipped?

Usually not. Motor policies cover driving on the road, not cargo at sea. Marine insurance covers the vehicle during shipping. It is not included in shipping prices unless stated; you choose it in our quote form and it is added to your quote.

How much is marine insurance for car shipping?

From €200 for a single trip or €400 multi-trip, for a value up to €25,000. Motorhomes start from €300 single trip or €600 multi-trip, for a value up to €50,000. Higher values are quoted.

Are belongings left in the vehicle insured?

Only for motorhomes and similar touring vehicles insured through us, where contents can be covered up to €15,000. Anything else left in a vehicle is entirely at the owner's risk.

What is temporary import car insurance?

Motor insurance for a foreign-registered vehicle visiting a country, sometimes called frontier or visitor cover. In Europe it usually runs for 1–12 months and in the Americas for 3–12 months. We give you contacts and introduce you to insurers who offer it.

Do I need a green card to drive abroad?

Not in the EU, including Ireland, if your vehicle has UK motor insurance. GOV.UK says you may need one in other countries, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine. Your insurer issues it.