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Car Insurance For Tourists In The USA

If you want to drive in the USA legally and you’re from another country, you’ll need to have the fundamental United States requirements including insurance and license to drive – both from your country as well as that of an International Driving Permit. Obtaining these things will most likely take a bit of time and planning, so when you want to make a trip to the United States, you’ll need to begin preparations timely enough that you have all of this lined out.

What Is An IDP?

As a foreign driver to the United States, an IDP or International Driving Permit shows that you have a license to drive in your home country but it is not on its own a valid driving license. You can call it a ‘translation’ of the license from your country and it should always be presented with the license from the native country. It will be a requirement that all of the legal driving regulations from the home country be passed and that this legal license is in your possession from that country at all times. There will be no need to have to take any type of driving sequential testing while here in the U.S. with the foreign license and the IDP in hand.

Is A US License Required?

It will be dependent on where you are staying within the United States as to whether you will actually need to get a local driving license so that you can be legal to drive there.  In certain states, e. g. Virginia, those visiting from outside of the United States must obtain a legal driver’s license for Virginia if they reside in the commonwealth for longer than a six-month period or if they take work there.

Obtaining Insurance In the USA

There are a few options available for international tourists to obtain insurance within the United States. You can either receive it from a rental company or you can get it through an actual insurance carrier. For someone who is using a foreign car as a means to just take a vacation, using a rental company to obtain insurance makes more sense. But if you are someone who will most likely purchase a vehicle with plans to be here on a longer-term basis in a more residential-type status, obtaining insurance through a carrier would be a better option. 

It is very costly to get car insurance in the USA as a tourist. Some carriers will only sell policies to those who possess a U.S. driving license mostly because there is no driver’s record or history of credit to use for credentialing. They have no idea what type of risk you are or how much they would need to charge.

United States Car Insurance Requirements

Car insurance in the United States differs by each state as far as the terms and the amount of coverage that is required. Having coverage that meets the regulations for one state will mean that you can legally travel throughout another state using that same insurance on a temporary stance. Insurance carriers and rental car companies are not going to sell tourists coverage that will not ultimately meet at least the minimum legal coverage mandates. These are what is typically required but not standard for every state:

  • Liability. This is going to pay the medical expenses as well as damage to the vehicle for the other driver if you are responsible in an accident.
  • Motorists lack of insurance. If the other driver in a vehicle is at fault for an accident but is under or uninsured, this will cover your medical costs as well as any damage that has been done to your own vehicle.
  • PIP. Regardless of who is responsible, Personal Injury Protection or PIP is going to pay for your medical expenses after a vehicle accident. 

Not every state has these as a requirement, you will need to check with the host state’s Motor Vehicle Administration in order to be sure that you meet the particular state standards.

Summary

Buying auto insurance for a tourist in the USA doesn’t need to be complex. It just requires a little bit of auto insurance knowledge and assistance from a local auto insurance broker. Most short-term visitors will be renting a car for which the rental company is going to take care of most of the insurance details prior to the car rental. Buying a car would be a much more complicated process but, even then, the folks who sell the car would be of much assistance. 

Either way, it is extremely important to follow all of the local laws and make sure to meet the necessary insurance requirements for whichever state that you intend to visit. The United States is an awesome place to visit, but their legal system is vast and complex and we all need to respect it.