Can I Get Car Insurance if I Have a Conviction Recorded Outside of Ireland?

Caeva O'Callaghan | July 2nd, 2021

If you are convicted of a motoring or non-motoring offence, even if it’s not in Ireland, will you still be able to get car insurance?

Yes, you will be able to get car insurance even if you have a prior conviction in another country. No matter if your conviction was in Ireland or somewhere else, this will not affect your ability to get car insurance.

You always need to disclose any criminal history to your insurance provider. Not doing so may result in you being unable to get car insurance in the future.

In this article, we’ll answer the following questions:

• How do convictions affect car insurance?
• Do non-motoring offences affect car insurance?
• What happens if I don’t tell my insurance about a conviction?

Lying to your insurance provider is no joke, and you may face extra penalties if you do it.

How do convictions affect car insurance?

Unless you’ve been banned from driving and cannot legally go on the road, having a motoring or non-motoring offence won’t affect your ability to get car insurance. If you’re able to drive in Ireland and have a car, you must have the necessary insurance so that you can travel safely.

However, the type of car insurance you get, and the questions your provider will ask you at the quote stage, may be different if you have a conviction.

Committing a motoring offence, especially if that conviction is within the last 5 years, will make getting car insurance in Ireland difficult, but not impossible. Most mainstream insurers will give you an inordinately high quote, or refuse to quote you at all.

At QuoteMe.ie, we have access to special markets which are willing to take on drivers with recent motoring convictions, such as:

• 2 or more speeding offences
• 2 or more sign and signal offences
• Any motoring offence
• A poor history of motoring convictions, penalty points or disqualifications

Even drivers with a drink driving related conviction are able to get car insurance. During the application process, we will require additional details from you, such as date of the offence and the penalty you received. However, we no longer need to know the statistics around your blood/alcohol levels at the time of your offence.

Do non-motoring offences affect car insurance?

As long as your conviction doesn’t impair your ability or legality to drive, you will still be legally allowed on the road and will need car insurance. However, no matter if your conviction is in relation to motoring or non-motoring offences, getting insurance might be trickier than for someone with a clean record.

Specialist convicted driver insurance is available for drivers who have been convicted or who have open claims, no matter if their conviction is in Ireland or abroad. Don’t worry, we can help find you the best car insurance in these circumstances.

Some car insurers will only want to know about convictions that you have received within the last five years. Others will need to know about convictions within the last 10 years. Yet more insurance providers will turn you down if you have ever had a conviction, motor-related or not, wherever it happened.

The penalty you face will be a major factor in determining the cost of your car insurance policy. For instance, if you were disqualified from driving for more than 2 years, you will have lost your no claims bonus, with the obvious consequence. And if you faced a motoring conviction in another country and seek to get insured in that same country, you may face complications.

What happens if I don’t tell my insurance about a conviction?

No matter where you got it, if you have a criminal conviction for any kind of offence – motoring or non-motoring – you will need to tell your car insurance company as soon as possible.

Hiding your convictions from your insurance provider is a false economy. In the event of a claim, your insurance company will do thorough background research and if they discover that you had a conviction, even though it is outside Ireland, the claim will be declined. Not only that, but your policy will be cancelled for non-disclosure.

And if that happens, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get car insurance again without a lot of hassle. Non-disclosure is a serious mistake: every provider at the quote stage asks if you’ve ever had a policy cancelled on you, and “yes” is an immediate red flag!

It’s much better to be upfront and honest with your insurer: if you find out after a conviction in a foreign country that your monthly premiums or cover has changed too much for your liking, get in touch and we can help you shop for a new one.

Call and talk to our insurance experts!

If you have a criminal offence registered outside of Ireland, pick up the phone and talk to our insurance team.

Feel free to talk to our insurance experts anytime Mon-Fri between 8.30am and 5.30pm on 0818 224433 or 042 935905.