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Tue 2 Apr 2013 16:05

Any - Moving back to the UK - GGOY

I'm moving back to the UK in a few weeks after living for 24 years in France. I called around a few insurers to get comparitive quotes for my short list of three new (right hand drive) cars that I'm considering buying when I return, and discovered two things:

1) Some insurers - such as AXA - wouldn't insure me at all as I'd spent too much time away from the UK (I still have a UK passport, so is that legal?) and

2) those who would - notably Admiral - needed proof of my no-claims bonus. This had to be in English, on a UK insurers headed paper, and show the number of years of no-claims bonus I'd earned. The problem is that in France I'm insured by AXA (who refuse to insure me in the UK) and even AXA in France won't translate my no-claims bonus into English, transfer the percentage bonus (called the 'malus, which is the standard way of expressing no-claims bonuses in France) into the number of years, and obviously wouldn't put all that on AXA UK headed paper in any case.

Does that mean my 23 years of no-claims bonus is down the toilet? If so, bravo the European Union ;-(

Anyone know of a workaround for this?

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Tue 2 Apr 2013 18:51

Any - Moving back to the UK - Alby Back

I had similar issues years ago but for different reasons. I'd had company cars but the company went suddenly and spectacularly bust. I was out of a job and decided to start my own little business for which I needed a car and obviously insurance cover. There was no one left to ask for proof of ncb and ironically because I'd never had an accident I had no idea who they had insured the company vehicles with.

The best help I got was from a good old fashioned High Street broker. A local firm with one bloke, two computers, a part time secretary and possibly a dog was all they had in their office but by sitting down with them over a brew he found me something acceptable.

I gave him my business for years after that and he always managed to get me very good deals by comparison to anything I could ever find elsewhere.

He's retired now as his business had dwindled due presumably to competition from online sites so I guess not enough people felt he was offering a service they wanted. I always found he made it easier for me though.

Might be worth trying to find such a guy wherever you plan to live? Some of them must still exist?

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Tue 2 Apr 2013 18:57

Any - Moving back to the UK - jamie745

Yes the EU want 27 countries to all be the same - apart from when it'd benefit the citizens, then they don't.

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Tue 2 Apr 2013 19:13

Any - Moving back to the UK - davros

Yet bizarrely, when I first insured a car in France a few years ago, I had no trouble getting a French insurer (GAN) to accept my UK no claims (from Admiral - in English. 10 yrs no-claims gave me c. 50% malus.). As I recall, the broker at the time mentioned that the EU services directive had some impact on this.

That doesn't help you, though: perhaps try Adrian Flux or NFU direct?

Davros

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Tue 2 Apr 2013 20:55

Any - Moving back to the UK - Hamsafar

Have an official translation made and stamped by a Notary Public Public and then submit the original and translation.

Edited by Hamsafar on 02/04/2013 at 20:55

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Wed 3 Apr 2013 16:57

Any - Moving back to the UK - GGOY

Thanks Davros - I contacted Adrian Flux and they couldn't have been more helpful. They're sorting it all out and I'll be able to keep my French no-claims bonus. Well done!

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 14:06

Any - Moving back to the UK - Rats

I had similar issues years ago but for different reasons. I'd had company cars but the company went suddenly and spectacularly bust. I was out of a job and decided to start my own little business for which I needed a car and obviously insurance cover. There was no one left to ask for proof of ncb and ironically because I'd never had an accident I had no idea who they had insured the company vehicles with.

The best help I got was from a good old fashioned High Street broker. A local firm with one bloke, two computers, a part time secretary and possibly a dog was all they had in their office but by sitting down with them over a brew he found me something acceptable.

I gave him my business for years after that and he always managed to get me very good deals by comparison to anything I could ever find elsewhere.

He's retired now as his business had dwindled due presumably to competition from online sites so I guess not enough people felt he was offering a service they wanted. I always found he made it easier for me though.

Might be worth trying to find such a guy wherever you plan to live? Some of them must still exist?

Totally agree, I had the same when trying to insure a second vehicle a few years back before multi vehicle policies were common, the big boys wanted me to start with zero NCD, but the broker found a company and got a discount that was similar and allowed me to build up a second round of NCD.

one - nil to the broker

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Tue 2 Apr 2013 22:20

Any - Moving back to the UK - BigJohnD

How are you getting on with a UK driving licence, which requires a UK address?

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Wed 3 Apr 2013 09:58

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

I have both German and British insurance and have had no bother whatsoever in transfering my no claims to Germany and back to the UK .Aviva in the UK and RVV in Germany ,just take your AXA docs in French and have it translated the point about a UK licence you will find you do not need one as your French licence is valid.If you look on any insurance application form under licences there have a tick box for EEC licences.

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Wed 3 Apr 2013 15:08

Any - Moving back to the UK - GGOY

I wasn't going to bothering with the licence until I'm back in the UK, when I'll use my French driving licence until I can get the DVLA to issue me a new UK licence. Is there anything I should know about why I couldn't do that?

Edited by GGOY on 03/04/2013 at 15:10

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Wed 3 Apr 2013 17:04

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

There should be no problems exhanging your licence but you do not need to do it until the French licence expires.

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 08:36

Any - Moving back to the UK - dacouch

Try speaking to a broker situated near a UK military base as they will deal with this type of thing all day.

The general requirement is that the no claims bonus must be on the Insurers headed paper and refer to you and state how many years you've been claim free and be written in English.

Some Insurers will accept this, amusingly Axa being one of them as they're a French Insurer. The broker will know who he will accept the no claims

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 12:14

Any - Moving back to the UK - BenG

It's kind of irrelevant to the thread, but why on earth would you want to move back to the UK??

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 17:37

Any - Moving back to the UK - jamie745

It's kind of irrelevant to the thread, but why on earth would you want to move back to the UK??

Interesting question which perhaps our friend can answer but I can certainly see why a sane individual would want to get out of France. If the OP has any money then he'll be wanting to get it the hell out of France before the Government steal it and with the un-noticed economic gap opening up between France and Germany, it's only a matter of time before France is stealing euros from peoples bank accounts too.

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 17:48

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

Is this according to the Jamie school of economics .

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 17:51

Any - Moving back to the UK - jamie745

Oh god the patronising troll is back. Have a day off will you.

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 19:06

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

Never been away unlike you.Your economic theories are very interesting and always fetch a good smile and a laugh.

Edited by Collos25 on 04/04/2013 at 19:07

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 19:42

Any - Moving back to the UK - jamie745

Are you completely incapable of making a post without patronising somebody?

Not that I should care, people like you were saying Greece would be absolutely fine just a few years ago. People like me were saying otherwise. I'll stick to my own analysis if it's all the same to you.

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 08:48

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

Are you completely incapable of making a post without patronising somebody?

Not that I should care, people like you were saying Greece would be absolutely fine just a few years ago. People like me were saying otherwise. I'll stick to my own analysis if it's all the same to you.

N ever mentioned Greece you have many times.

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 08:25

Any - Moving back to the UK - carr

France is a wonderful place to live and as an EU citizen you don't need to have a deposit account here to qualify. However leaving my money in sterling has lost me around 20% of it's value against the euro, I would have been better off switching to almost any other currency too.

QE and the UK's institutional incompetence are just as effective at destroying wealth as any Cypriot government initiative.

It's now months since we've seen any snow, by the way.

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 23:15

Any - Moving back to the UK - Avant

Please stick to the question posed by GGOY.

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Thu 4 Apr 2013 23:19

Any - Moving back to the UK - jamie745

When you finally get round to banning Collos - as has been requested many times for years - sticking to thread subjects will be made much easier.

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 08:45

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

Your the one who constantly drifts of subgect with your political and economic diatribes if anybody should be banned its you .

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 11:10

Any - Moving back to the UK - FP

Both of you are pretty much as bad as each other. It has been suggested, on various occasions, that both of you should be banned.

Not that it bothers me much. It's the same old gripes all the time. A couple of childish individuals who think it proper that their petty squabbles should be placed in front of a wider public.

Probably, like many other members of the BR, I shall just yawn and stay away a bit more.

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 14:21

Any - Moving back to the UK - Dutchie

You are both good reads Jamie and Collos.Hope all is well in Dresden off subject.>:)

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 14:39

Any - Moving back to the UK - Ethan Edwards

Sorry to disagree but I always enjoy reading Jamie's posts.

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 15:33

Any - Moving back to the UK - FP

"...I always enjoy reading Jamie's posts."

Always? Like the ones a bit higher up this thread?

Edited by FP on 05/04/2013 at 15:34

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 16:30

Any - Moving back to the UK - Ethan Edwards

Guess I too have a warped sense of humour then.

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Fri 5 Apr 2013 19:13

Any - Moving back to the UK - Collos25

I am in the UK my mother is not so good but Dresden is OK thanks.

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