Foreign car insurance for Canada and/or the U.S

Question

Still working on my plan to Ship my car from Europe to Canada or the U.S. We're planning on leaving early January.

Shipping turns out not to be the problem. However, the next hurdle is: car insurance. My European liability insurance is not valid in the U.S. nor Canada. So, I'll need to purchase a car insurance for those two countries.

I've been searching on the internet, but I cannot seem to be able to find the answers I'm looking for.

So, my question is:

What insurance options are available to foreigners (we're Dutch) to insure a foreign, privately owned car* so we can drive it in the U.S. and Canada.

The cheapest options will be the clear winner here : )
It would be nice if one insurance would cover both countries, but if two separate insurances are cheaper, I'll opt for that.

_{*) a Lada Niva from 2007}

Answer 1

It is straightforward to get car insurance if you get to the US or Canada on a work or student visa. Things are more tricky if you want to get car insurance as a tourist. Here, you'll be looking for "temporary auto insurance".

There are insurance sites that specifically mention insurance for foreigners, so I would assume that they may insure you, and there is this form (pdf) that would appear perfect for you, but you may want to contact the company first.

From the Lonely Planet FAQ, it appears that you may be able to visit brokers in person to obtain insurance. At any rate, make sure that your license, as well as any other useful documents (history of no accident) are translated and come with some official stamp that the translation has been approved.

Answer 2

You can get insurance no problem, but it will be at the highest rate as you have no driving history in the U.S, i.e. you don't have a U.S drivers license.

They do want an address, nobody will sell you insurance without one.

All you need is a friend or someone willing to let you use their address, it really doesn't matter.

It is more a case of them wanting a zip code (post code) to calculate the fees and somewhere to post any correspondence to.

How do I know?

I have done it.