Extended road trips, working abroad, snow bird vacations, going away to school any of these situations might lead you to have your car out of the province or out of the country for an extended period of time. So what happens to your Alberta insurance coverage when you have your car in Ontario for 2 months over the summer?
Generally speaking, nothing, but there are circumstances where you must notify your insurance broker so they can make the appropriate changes to your policy.
Extended Vacations
If you're going to be visiting another province on vacation there is really no danger in your policy lapsing. As long as you are still in Canada and you are not taking up residence in another province, you should be fine. Travelling to another country is a slightly different story though.
If you are going to be using your vehicle to travel to the U.S. on a regular basis, or leave your vehicle in the U.S. for an extended period of time, it is important to advise your broker so that the insurance company is aware of the situation. Some companies may change your rate accordingly, but it will make things run much smoother in the event of a claim.
Working Out of Province
Having your car out of province while you're working abroad won't directly affect your insurance coverage. It could, however, result in some other changes that do affect your policy.
One of the ways insurance companies price your car insurance is based on what your main use for the vehicle is. If you use your vehicle to commute to work, you're required to disclose this. You also have to disclose how many km you drive to and from work each day. So, if your work commute suddenly goes from 10 to 100 km you need to change this on your policy in order to avoid problems if you were to have a claim.
Changing Residence
When you more from one province to another, you have a certain period of time or grace period before you have to change your insurance AND registration over to that province. This grace period is determined province to province, so depending on where you're moving, you may have more or less time to get everything in order. Make sure you check with your local registry agent and insurance broker to find out how long you have.
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