How can car used for half of the year in France be insured?
Existing policy may not cover extended time spent in France
Many insurance policies offer between 30 to 90 days (rolling or cumulative) which will only cover shorter trips.
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Reader Question: We are looking to split our time roughly 50/50 between France and the UK now we have dual citizenship. How would we get insurance for our vehicle that covers us in both countries? Can we buy a car and leave it in France to register there even if we do not live there?
As a reminder, all vehicles on French roads must be covered with at least third-party insurance (au tiers, acting as essentially civil liability insurance)
In terms of insuring a car for part of the year, this depends on the origin of the vehicle.
Second-home owners with a car they keep in France solely to use in the country (or in the EU) can register a vehicle to this address, even if it is not their main home.
This can be done with a French insurer, and indeed is the standard route for cars kept in France.
Insurance for cars used in two countries can be trickier
If however you are planning to use your main car and keep it here for several months per year, it can be more difficult to insure it.
All UK policies provide the bare minimum third-party cover in Europe (the UK is part of the Green Card system for vehicle insurance).
This basic third-party coverage may be limited to a set number of days, and you should carefully check to see what your policy includes.
Many insurance policies offer between 30 to 90 days (rolling or cumulative) which will only cover shorter trips.
Drivers often choose to obtain enhanced European cover for their journeys, as they deem the minimum third-party coverage as insufficient.
It is often possible to obtain this via an add-on to your policy – or to add on extra days of basic third-party coverage – and you should contact your insurer to see if this is possible.
If however you are planning to stay up to six months per year in France and use your vehicle in both countries equally, specialist insurance may be required.
Insurance brokers specialising in international or global car insurance can offer tailored policies to these needs.
Generally, it would be advisable to contact an insurer in the country which you would consider to be your ‘main’ home.
If you split your time equally between the two, we suggest choosing the country where you are domiciled for tax purposes.
