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Learn the difference between “Full” Coverage and “Liability Only” Mexican Auto Insurance.

“Liability Only” Mexican Auto Insurance: “Liability Only” Coverage meets the minimum liability requirements of the Mexican government. It means Legal liability deemed to be caused by you for injuries or death of persons (bodily injury) not in your vehicle, property damage deemed to have been caused by your vehicle, and medical expenses for you or other persons within your vehicle caused by a covered loss.

“Full” Coverage Mexican Car Insurance : “FULL” Coverage means”Liability Only” Coverage and in addition, coverage for Physical Damage to your vehicle and Total Theft of your vehicle. It protects your vehicle for total theft, collision, turnover, fire, lightning, explosion, and meteorological phenomenon such as windstorms, cyclones, hurricanes and earthquakes. Partial theft and acts of vandalism are excluded except by purchasing Broader Coverage. Towing expenses are covered in order to move the vehicle to a place designated by the company for repairs.

Tip Number 1: If you drive an older car, you might save money by purchasing “Liability Only” Protection.

Check with your U.S. Insurance Provider to find out if they provide any protection for your vehicle within Mexico. Just be careful as most exclude Physical Damage & Theft, and some include it for only a few miles along the border areas into Mexico.

Tip Number 2: If your vehicle has some value, it’s a good idea to purchase “Full Coverage”. Keep in mind however that Mexico Insurers require that you have valid “Full Coverage” on your US or Canada policy in order for you to be eligible to purchase “Full Coverage” while driving in Mexico.

Some ?Full Coverage? Packages include coverage for partial vandalism and also increased medical payments coverage if you are injured by an uninsured motorist. It is usually worth the small increase in premium to get these two options.

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Why Your Current Plan Is Not Enough

While your current auto insurance may offer limited coverage along the border regions of Mexico, in most cases it only covers costs for you and your car. The Republic of Mexico requires proof that you can pay for costs due to injuries or death of persons not in your vehicle, property damage caused by your vehicle, and medical expenses for other persons in your vehicle. There is an additional consideration in that authorities will not RECOGNIZE the policy as legitimate unless it is written by an admitted Mexican Insurance Carrier. This is why you must purchase a Mexican insurance policy from a company authorized to do business in Mexico.

How to Find a Mexican Insurance Plan

It is highly recommended that you purchase Mexican auto insurance before entering Mexico with your car. Although Mexican insurance can be purchased from various vendors just prior to crossing the border, you will have great difficulty verifying if your policy is from a quality company approved by the Mexican government, if you have the proper coverage for your trip, if the areas or activities that you plan to do are excluded, or if you even paid the best price for the policy.

The easiest and quickest way to find Mexican auto insurance is online. Look for sites that offer more than one policy, and allow you to compare and customize quotes for the policies they offer.

What to Look For In a Mexican Insurance Plan

The minimum insurance required by Mexican law is liability coverage. However, depending on the severity, location, and/or length of the investigation by authorities this will not be enough. When selecting a plan, look for one that offers at least the following:

? Third Party (Civil) Liability
? Medical Expenses for Driver and Occupants
? Medical and Travel Assistance
? Physical Damage and Total Theft of Vehicle
? Legal Assistance and Bail Bond
? Roadside Assistance
? Urgent Message Services

Make sure the plan covers you during your entire stay. Most plans have daily, six month, and annual policies. You may find it cheaper to purchase a policy with a longer coverage period if you plan to stay close to 4 weeks or a month.

In addition, take into consideration the type of activities you plan to enjoy and their locations. Look for plans that offer medical emergency options with very few limitations or exclusion such as:

? Maximum of Number of Passengers (Other Plans Only Cover Up To 4 Passengers)
? Monetary Limits for Any Service Including Expensive Air or Land Evacuation (Look for Assist America because they have NO Monetary limits)
? Rural Mexico Territory Exclusion
? Exclusions for Pre-Conditions (Except Late Pregnancy)
? Sport or Adventure Activity Exclusions (Surfing, Cycling, Mountain Biking, Mountain Climbing, Snorkeling, Kayaking Or Diving)
? Civil War or Terrorism Exclusions

What you Should Get When You Purchase Your Mexican Insurance Plan

When you purchase your policy, you should receive the following from the insurance provider:

? Authentic and recognized Mexican auto insurance policy
? Accident instructions and essential policy information
? Important phone numbers
? Premium payment receipt

These items should be kept in your car at all times while traveling in Mexico. Write down your Policy number(s)& important telephone numbers and put it in your wallet or purse. This way you can get help if you are not near your vehicle or if your vehicle can’t be found.

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Learn Why Your Current Auto And Medical Plans Are Not Enough

Mexico consistently ranks amongst the top ten destinations for travelers. Its tropical resorts and mountain retreats offer a range of activities from shopping to adventure sports. It also creates the right circumstances for accidents and injuries.

According to the Department of State, the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, many American visitors assume the standards of security and safety are the same as they are in the U.S. These presumptions have lead not only to serous injuries, but even deaths. Compounded by differences in Mexican law, accidents and medical emergencies can become a costly and bureaucratic nightmare. As a result, the Department of State urges citizens to take responsibility for their safety, and to also ensure that they have the auto and medical insurance needed.

Driving and Mexican Law

Mexico?s law is based on Napoleonic Code where guilt is assumed over innocence. As a result, all drivers must have a Mexican insurance policy from a company authorized to do business in Mexico to cover damages or injuries.

?U.S liability insurance is simply not valid in Mexico,? says Linden Gray, Director of the http://MexicanInsuranceStore.com. ?That even includes most of the major U.S. collision and comprehensive coverage plans.?

In addition to the required Mexican auto insurance, you should also consider a plan that covers legal aid and bond fees.

?In Mexico, it is considered a felony to have a traffic accident, says Gray. ?While the police are investigating who is at fault, your vehicle may be impounded and you will be detained by Mexican authorities.?

The Department of State further warns U.S. travelers that they can be prevented from leaving the country even if ?life-saving medical care? is required.

Emergency Medical Services

Mexico has a free national health care system; however, visitors are not entitled to this service. Tourists can only receive medical treatment and medications from private clinics and hospitals. Gray?s company strongly urges customers to check their medical insurance company to confirm whether their policy applies in Mexico and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.

Surprisingly, most Mexican auto insurance plans will only help you find a facility, and may only cover up to four passengers. Many medical assistance plans only cover portions of the cost depending on location, activity or cause of injury. For those with the Social Security Medicare Program, costs for hospital or medical care outside the United States are not covered at all.

?It?s important to fill the gaps and exclusions that your auto and medical insurances have,? says Gray. ?In addition to Mexican auto insurance, travelers should add an emergency medical assistance option because most health plans exclude medical evacuation in foreign countries.?

Gray recommends a plan like Assist America which is used by the American Medical Association and the American Red Cross. This type of plan provides services such as emergency medical evacuations, critical care monitoring, and guaranteed hospital admission.

Selecting A Plan

The easiest and quickest way to find Mexican auto insurance is online. When selecting a plan, look for one that offers the following:

? Third Party (Civil) Liability
? Medical Expenses for Driver and Occupants
? Assist America Medical and Travel Assistance
? Physical Damage and Total Theft of Vehicle
? Legal Assistance and Bail Bond
? Roadside Assistance
? Partial Theft and Vandalism
? Guaranteed Hospital Admission

Make sure the plan covers you during your entire stay. Most plans have daily, six month, and annual policies.

In addition, take into consideration the type of activities you plan to enjoy and their locations. Look for medical emergency assistance plans with very few limitations or exclusions such as:

? Maximum Of Number of Passengers (Other Plans Only Cover Up To 4 Passengers)
? Limits less than%100,000 per passenger for Any Medical Assistance Service Including Expensive Air Or Land Evacuation.
? Rural Mexico Territory Exclusion. (Almost all emergency assistance wording says ?We will do the best we can in rural Mexico?)
? Exclusions For Pre-Conditions (Except Late Pregnancy)
? Sport Or Adventure Activity Exclusions (Surfing, Cycling, Mountain Biking, Mountain Climbing, Snorkeling, Kayaking Or Diving In Mexico Are All OK with Assist America )
? Civil War Or Terrorism Exclusions

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The truth is; most Mexican auto insurance brokers will NOT tell you that auto insurance, when driving in Mexico is not enough.

The fact of the matter is that if you get into an accident, there is a VERY high likelihood that you will need emergency assistance? particularly in Mexico where the severity of accidents can be much worse than in the United States.

Additionally, most people consider health insurance a MUST ? but your health insurance policy here in the United States usually does not cover an injury or medical evacuation in Mexico.

This means that if you get Mexican auto insurance for your trip, and you end up NEEDING it, your United States health insurance will not cover any injuries.

Of course while it is true that Mexico does have a health system that gives free medical coverage to its citizens, those facilities are not available to foreigners. If you?re from the U.S. you will need to use a more expensive private clinic.

Then, it?s no secret that legal officials in Mexico may attempt to take advantage of visitors from north of their border. If you?re in an accident, you may certainly need legal help, which means you?ll want your auto insurance to cover those matters as well.

The truth of the matter is that most Mexican auto insurance brokers do not sell auto insurance that adequately covers emergency medical assistance or legal assistance. Emergency medical assistance services are so restricted among most auto insurance carriers that the Red Cross and a whole host of other international relief agencies use ONLY ONE company for their travel to Mexico and throughout the entire world.

On top of that, most of these service contracts are written with such low limits and so many exclusions as to render them potentially worthless.

To make matters worse, many brokers sell ?Emergency Medical Evacuation Services? that end up being subcontracted to a third party vendor in Mexico who often uses additional subcontractors. In other words, the services provided are not being performed by the company you?re giving the money to.

You can get an excellent comparison of these plans by going to Assist America Comparison Chart. Once there you will quickly see why the American Medical Association, The American Cancer Society, the Red Cross, and on and on all rely on this one company to ensure emergencies are properly and appropriately handled.

To learn more about Mexican auto insurance, how to get the coverage you want at a price you can afford (without getting ripped off by some fly-by-night scam artist), see ?Is Your Mexican Vacation Covered? http://tinyurl.com/y5hz5q.

It was written by Linden Gray, an international insurance veteran with over 29 years of wholesale, retail, and direct insurance experience. He represents the only company deemed to adequately and inexpensively cover the various international relief agencies for their trips to Mexico (and as such, people that work for those agencies tend to use this company for their vacations to Mexico). Further, as the Director of MexicanInsuranceStore.com he runs the only ?direct to consumer? insurance agency that I?m aware of that represents the company used by those agencies.

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Auto accidents are considered both civil and criminal offenses in Mexico. Even if the accident is minor, you should be prepared to provide proper documentation to authorities, and you should report any insurance claims immediately. Failure to report a claim before leaving Mexico subjects the claim to denial by any Mexican Insurance Company.

Must Have Documents

A driving accident can become a costly and bureaucratic nightmare if you do not have the proper documentation. You should carry the following documents with you.

1. Mexican Auto Insurance Policy: You must have Mexican Auto Insurance issued by a company recognized by the Mexican government. In addition to the policy, you should have premium payment receipt, accident instructions, and contact information for your provider.

2. Valid Driver’s License: The license should have your photo and match the name on the title or registration of your vehicle.

3. Vehicle Title or Registration Receipt: The title or registration should be up in your name or the insurance policy should identify the owner by name and the principal driver. Unregistered vehicles or vehicles with expired tags will have their vehicles confiscated.

4. Proof of Citizenship: Drivers License, Birth certificate, passport, or notarized proof of citizenship. (Must have passport in 2008)

5. Permission Letter From Bank or Lien Holder: If you do not own the title on the car, and you will be traveling beyond the border zone, (Approx. 70 miles from the border) you must have a letter of permission from the bank or lien holder for financed cars, rental cars, leased cars, or company cars (on company stationary).

6. Credit Card: A credit card, such as Visa, MasterCard, or American Express, in your name.

7. Vehicle Permit: If traveling beyond the border zone, you must obtain a temporary import permit, and display it on your windshield while in Mexico.

8. Affidavit of Vehicle Return to the United States: If traveling beyond the border areas, you must sign an affidavit promising to return your vehicle back to the United States, and pay a refundable deposit.

When An Accident Occurs

In an event of an accident be prepared to do the following:

1. Do not move your vehicle until Mexican police arrive.
2. Contact your medical emergency assistance provider if necessary.
3. Contact your insurance provider.
4. Remain with your vehicle until the Auto Insurance Adjuster arrives.
5. Complete the Accident Report.
6. Complete and sign a parts inventory form before having your car towed.

After The Accident

Following the accident, you will need to obtain the following documents for insurance claims:

1. Police Report: A Copy of the original report filed by the Mexican Authorities.

2. Medical Report: Your insurance company will provide a form that must be signed by a licensed physician who provided the medical services.

3. Medical Invoices: Any invoice issued by the hospital, physicians, and pharmacy.

Finally, allow your insurance company to manage issues related to the accident. Do not reach any verbal agreements or sign any written agreements with the other party. Most importantly, do not assume liability in the accident. Your insurance company will guide you through the claims process, and will inform you of any liabilities, if any, that you have incurred.

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