Car Insurance

[Wolfie]

I'm from Canada and plan to bring my car with me to lawschool in the states. Anyone know if there's a procedure to go through? I'm guessing I need it to be insured by a US car insurannce company for sure.

[greengrl]

Check with your insurance provider. If you're going to remain a resident of Canada while studying in the States, your insurance may still cover you; my American policy is valid in Mexico and Canada.

If you're going to take up residency in the U.S., you may have to register and insure your car here.

the only major issue i can see if is you have to make a claim and they for some reason deny it on the basis that you operate the vehicle the majority of the time in an area other than the one for which is was originally insured.  i have no idea to what lengths an insurance company would go to prove this, and if they even could.  when i moved from one part of the state (more rural) to another (more urban) i was required to make this change with my insurer. obviously rates are determined based on where the car is stored and operated the majority of the time. when you're on vacation or whatever, it's fine. it's not uncommon for people in large cities to register their address in the suburbs to save on rates. this is a really long reply to say that you may be able to keep your current policy but you will need to tell your insurer that you are residing in the states.

[laurrk]

I will be moving from Massachusetts for New York for school, and I know that New York requires you to register your car within 30 days of becoming a resident of New York. The tricky part is how they define resident:

"Section 250 (5) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law defines the term "resident." The law defines a resident as a person who lives in NYS with the intent to make NYS a "fixed and permanent" place to live. To live in a house, a home, an apartment, a room or other similar place in NYS for 90 days is considered "presumptive evidence" that you are a resident of NYS. A police officer can use this evidence as the reason to issue a traffic ticket if you drive in NYS without a driver license or vehicle registration issued by NYS.

A judge considers the law and the evidence of your intent and decides if you are a resident of NYS. For example, if you pay taxes or your children attend school in another state, a judge considers these facts to decide if your intent is to make NYS a "fixed and permanent" residence. The DMV will not decide if you are a resident of NYS, if you must get a NYS driver license, or if you must register your vehicle in NYS.

According to this law, students from other states or from other nations who attend school in NYS are normally not considered residents of NYS."

I'm guessing that other states are similar. Personally I am happy about the move because it means I'll be paying less for car insurance.

[Wolfie]

Well I'll be "living" in the States under student visa so I have no claim to residency. I do plan to drive home during the holidays, but the majority of the time, my car will be used to compute to and from school. In terms of my current car insurance policy, I know I can be insured and out of the country for 30 days but haven't found anything about actually having my car in another country most of the time.