How To Ensure Your Car Insurance Is Valid In Multiple States
Highways and major interstates make travel between states easy, but if you're traveling across the country or to the next state for work it's imperative to have ample liability coverage to ensure you meet basic insurance requirements. Options for fulfilling state insurance requirements as an out of state driver include purchasing rental car coverage, applying for an auto insurance quote for temporary coverage or purchasing a temporary out of state car insurance policy. A number of travel situations can arise that require drivers to take out additional coverage to satisfy state requirements. Students attending college in another state, workers who temporarily reside in another state for employment and residents with homes in multiple states where they reside for a significant portion of the year are typically required to purchase out of state car insurance. However, regulations and basic insurance requirements vary drastically depending on your home state and where you are traveling.
To ensure your car insurance is valid in multiple states, it's imperative to contact the insurance regulator in the state where you are traveling. In most cases, travelers are permitted to temporarily drive in other states with liability coverage issued in the state where their vehicle is registered. Some states allow travelers and temporary residents to drive with liability coverage from their home state as long as they are not employed out of state. Once you have established employment or lived in another state for a specific period of time, state's consider you an official resident and require you to purchase liability coverage that meets the minimum requirements of the state you are driving in at the time.
Because all states have different minimum requirements, it's essential to apply for a new auto insurance quote for temporary car insurance coverage or an out of state insurance policy if you are planning on establishing residency or staying for an extended period of time. Thresholds vary on how long drivers must reside or work in a state before they are required to purchase in-state liability coverage. In some cases, residents have 10 days after establishing employment before they must satisfy state liability insurance requirements while other states have a 90-day window.
Failure to satisfy liability insurance requirements after the allowable time period can lead to insurance claims denials and severe fines imposed by state agencies. Drivers that don't purchase out of state liability insurance within the deadline can face fines of $1,000. Applying for an auto insurance quote is simplest way to avoid harsh penalties and ensure your auto insurance is valid in multiple states for extended periods if you're driving a rental car, a borrowed vehicle or your own car.
