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Cross-country Moves With Auto Insurance

When packing up your life and relocating cross-country, it can be easy to forget that moving your insurance coverage plan is equally as important. Moves are very busy times, and the last thing on most movers' minds will typically be their insurance.

Ensuring total auto insurance coverage is a very critical step to most policyholders' contemporary livelihood. When jumping across state lines, the following basic insurance facts for movers could prove invaluable in the days leading up to your big move.

Before the move
Let's say you've just graduated from the University of Miami and are accepting a job offer in San Francisco, California. This is undoubtedly a major life change, and more than just your policy will be altered. Before you can make the jump, however, you'll want to make sure you're not going to leave yourself uninsured, especially when crossing state borders is involved. Creating any spaces in your insurance coverage, no matter how small, can drive up future insurance premiums for certain types of coverage. 

"Moves are busy - the last thing on most movers' minds will be insurance."

According to New York's Department of Motor Vehicles, you'll need to turn in your license plates to your new state's DMV so that they may be canceled and destroyed, though, note that these rules and regulations vary from state to state. Each state runs separate databases for registered drivers, so this will be an internal process before or after you move. Turning in your plates post-move might be your best option, as you want to be sure to avoid gaps in coverage. It is illegal to cross state lines in an uninsured or unlicensed car, so plan this process accordingly. 

Don't forget to give your new state's DMV a call before the move. Touching base with their local office before arriving can help you determine how to get new plates, how long you have to get a new driver's license and if any additional examinations are needed to receive it.

You'll typically have between 30 and 90 days of grace period to switch your insurance after a move, so its okay to wait, yet you may want to begin researching and considering new plans before you uproot. As such, you'll want to begin hunting around for new plans as soon as you have time before the move, so start by talking with your insurance agent. Your agent can advise you as to which coverage offered by your current company will work best for your new life, and attempt to get you the best deal on company policies. Don't just take their word for it, however. Take your search online to cross reference the best possible deals in your new area with your newfangled life's stipulations. You may be pleasantly surprised at what great deals you will find, but you'll never know unless you search.  

During the move
The days leading up to the move are going to be the most critical, and quite possibly the most hectic. You'll want to update your address with your insurance provider as close to the actual move date as possible. According to Esurance, both your new and old coverage providers will most likely need to send you important documents, which you'll probably need to view as soon as possible. Ensuring that your documents arrive at your new address shortly before you do is critical, so make this information change as close to the big day as you can. 

In addition, you'll want to confirm that your old policy is actually ending. Occasionally, policyholders will forget to fully cancel their previous coverage and wind up paying for and locking into a contracted insurance premium for an additional 6 to 12 months. And, if you haven't turned in your license plates already, you can typically mail them in after the move to your home state's DMV as a means of handling the process after you move and have your new plan set up.

Before the big move, be sure to phone both your local, and soon-to-be local DMV to check that all systems are go regarding the big move.
Before the big move, be sure to phone both your local and soon-to-be local DMV to check that all systems are go regarding the big move.

Post move
According to American Family Insurance, it might be possible to keep your current automobile insurance coverage when moving to a new state. If this is indeed the case, the coverage-transfer process will be a lot smoother and will most likely require you, the policyholder, to simply update your new address and information. 

If you have previously changed policies or still need to do so, be sure to cancel the previous plan only after your new one is active. Once again, it is imperative that policyholders avoid gaps in coverage. This will help policyholders avoid a rise in premiums later in life and financial fallout from any unfortunate incidents that may occur when coverage is no longer active. This is also an ideal time to check all other insurance coverage policies and make sure your possessions and material life is fully covered. 

Be sure to search using CoverHound when researching the best post-move auto, homeowners, renters or motorcycle insurance policy for your new life.  

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Insurance shopping simplified

Review personalized quotes, select coverages, and buy online - Everything insurance, all-in-one-place.

Insurance shopping simplified

Review personalized quotes, select coverages, and buy online - Everything insurance, all-in-one-place.
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