Recommendations For Insurance

[jbhenson]

I have been trying to find insurance here and so far unsuccessful in every aspects of insurance. I had insurance with La Caja for my car for over a year and was paying almost 1300 per month for one car and 900 for another.


Last month I had a wreck where a woman talking on the phone didn't stop. She didn't even look at she came to the crossing, she just chatted on her phone. I was given a letter from La Caja saying they weren't going to cover our car because I was living here and my US drivers license wasn't valid here. Yet I had the blue card to drive the car and they knew I had a us drivers license and passport when I bought the insurance.

At any rate I wanted to know if any of you other expats had a good insurance company that would cover cars, house, household effects while I am awaiting my DNI process under my US credentials.

 

[Rich One]

Foreign drivers licenses NOT valid to drive in Argentina..??

 

[ElQueso]

Foreign drivers licenses are indeed valid - if you're not a resident. If you are a resident you have to have an Argentine driver's license. I don't know what the law is specifically as related to insurance in non-resident cases (I never have had a claim and for awhile I drove with my Texas DL), but if you are not resident here you might have a case with a lawyer (weren't you living in Uruguay previously, at least for awhile?). I'm finding out that you really, really have to push insurance companies to pay, here.

 

[jbhenson]

so does anyone have recommendation for insurance other than la caja?

 

[steveinbsas]

Foreign drivers licenses are indeed valid - if you're not a resident.

But they are only valid during the 90 days a non-resident has a tourist visa (and an additional 90 days if a prorroga de permencia is obtained at migraciones).

I asked about this when I went to get my first license in 2010 and that was what I was told.

If an agent sells a policy to someone with an expired tourist visa the company is not obligated to pay a claim if the individual with the expired visa was driving when there was an accident. It's the responsibility of the driver to have a valid license. The vehicle would be covered if it was driven by another foreigner who's visa had not expired or by any resident or citizen who had a valid Argentine license. The registered owner would have to be present when someone else was driving unless the driver had a blue card which would authorize him to drive the car without the owner.

 

[steveinbsas]

At any rate I wanted to know if any of you other expats had a good insurance company that would cover cars, house, household effects while I am awaiting my DNI process under my US credentials.

Maphre (who has paid three claims I've made without any hassles) will insure your house and your car while you are awaiting your DNI, but the auto policy will not cover damage in case of an accident if you are driving with an expired visa, even if your foreign license has not expired.

 

[Iwaslukky]

But they are only valid during the 90 days a non-resident has a tourist visa (and an additional 90 days if a prorroga de permencia is obtained at migraciones).

I asked about this when I went to get my first license in 2010 and that was what I was told.

If an agent sells a policy to someone with an expired tourist visa the company is not obligated to pay a claim if the individual with the expired visa was driving when there was an accident. It's the responsibility of the driver to have a valid license. The vehicle would be covered if it was driven by another foreigner who's visa had not expired or by any resident or citizen who had a valid Argentine license. The registered owner would have to be present when someone else was driving unless the driver had a blue card which would authorize him to drive the car without the owner.

Yes, this is exactly what I was told too. No foreign license is legal no matter what your residency status is after the 90 days. However, to me they only mentioned these 90 days of tourist status. But perhaps the prorroga is valid too for additional days. An insurance company wont care which drivers licence the person paying for the insurance has and to me they even said that a foreign one was fine, probably because they knew they wouldn't have to pay if something happened (not sure you even need to have a license at all to pay for an insurance?). Not sure how renting car works if not within these 90 days as tourist, but I would be careful since lots can be hidden in the small letters in the contract or not even there if general traffic law.

And sorry, no recommendations really. Did a lot of research between different companies, all seem ridiculously expensive, but ended up finding an ok deal through a colleague. Anyway, the price was ok 1 year ok. Now its already double in 12 months.

 

[ElQueso]

i know the foreign license, as a non-resident, is by law only valid for the 90 day entry visa granted. But the reality was, at least, quite different for me. Maybe it's changed now, I don't know. But I've crossed borders many times, been stopped at provincial and city check points and had always had my Texas DL, without a DNI for about 3 years and with a DNI for about the same amount of time. Never any issues. Only told (calmly) that I needed to get an Argentine license once I had my DNI and got stopped (even then not every time, and not at all at the border to Paraguay), but they never hassled me about it. I only got hassled about it when my TDL expired and I had no license at all. I stopped driving for almost two years, until recently.

But I admit I was being a bit thick for not going ahead and getting my Argentine license...

As far as insurance, I have Meridional, which people have told me is decent, and price-wise I like it (though I have an old car and don't pay much anyway). We got it because at the time (about 2008 or so) it was the only company we could find that would allow us to buy insurance with only a passport (i.e., no DNI). But I've never had to use it, so I don't even know if I should recommend them. heh.

 

[Iwaslukky]

I have also heard from many people that have been driving for many years on a foreign license without any issues, not from police, traffic control or anyone. And even being told that its not problem from the same. My only worry was not being paid insurance even if being hit by another car. I guess the insurance companies would look for any excuse not to pay, and here they seem to have a pretty solid one. But not sure really, perhaps someone can let us know if they have actually managed to receive insurance payment while driving on foreign DL? Anyway, for me it was worth it, getting national DL was not too hard, and at least take away that one struggle with the insurance company if something would happen.