BajaNomad

refund on British Columbia car insurance for time spent in Mexico?

standingwave - 9-28-2011 at 10:26 PM

Are there any nomads from British Columbia who have received a refund from ICBC for the time their vehicle was in Baja? If so, what paperwork did ICBC require from you before supplying the refund?

daveB - 9-29-2011 at 01:04 AM

We have gotten many refunds over the years for vehicles taken into Mexico. ICBC, in fact all vehicle insurace for B.C residents, is not in effect anywhere in Mexico, but as one is required to display a current rear license plate insurance decal, they must be prepared to reimburse users for the time their insurance is not in effect.

We write a letter with the details, that include exact days out of their jurisdiction, to prove where we say we were by including fuel receipts, campground receipts, toll road receipts and anything else of a similar vein.

Also include copies of the Mexican insurance that you bought.

We always brought the entire paperwork into our ICBC seller, and they always sent it off for us. Always got the correct amount back within a couple of weeks, always with a stern warning that we should be better able to provide more evidence that we were in Mexico - we often drycamped for extended periods and perhaps they were looking for chits from organized campgrounds where we'd only stay about a quarter of the time.

Daveylikesit - 9-29-2011 at 09:42 AM

Send letter to ICBC 151 West Esplanade North Vancouver
BC.V7M 3H9 . Send copies of foreign insurance policy,entry visa into Mexico and gas and camping receipts on the date of returning to USA. You should receive refund within 2-3 weeks.I understand that if u bought any extra medical insurance thats its claimable on your income tax return which i will try to claim this year

standingwave - 9-29-2011 at 11:10 AM

DaveB & Daveylikesit
Thanks for the info. I'll give it another try. When I tried the first time my insurance agent, who had never encountered this situation before, phoned ICBC for the procedure. She was told - and told me - that I needed to get a special form from Mexican Immigration on entering and leaving Mexico... that all the info I had (same as the stuff you two had) was just not good enough.

redmesa - 9-29-2011 at 11:41 AM

I had no idea you could do this. We have FM3s so what type of proof do you think we could get? They hardly even talk to us at the border. Should I have something written in Spanish and English for the border people to sign? I wonder if they would?

just a thought...

Mulegena - 9-29-2011 at 12:37 PM

How about sending a copy of these:

-your stamped passport, in and out, of Mexico?
-your stamped visa, in and out, of Mexico?

I know, we don't usually ask for this, but it can be done.

daveB - 9-29-2011 at 02:06 PM

Our last time in Mexico with a vehicle was 2009, after doing seven winter trips. I can't see it changing much, getting anything from the Mexican aduano seems pointless, they do their job and that's it. I once wanted them to stamp a piece of their own certificate and they flat refused. Good luck with that.

ICBC requires you carry their insurance (how else are you going to have up-to-date decals) so they have to be prepared to pay for the interuption.

We have submitted our travel medical insurance for taxation purposes with good result.

With a trip planned into the San Felipe area for January, we will again be submitting a claim for the Mexican vehicle insurance we need to buy on our return to British Columbia.

standingwave - 9-29-2011 at 02:25 PM

daveB. did you get a refund for the amount you spent on Mexican insurance, or a refund of your ICBC insurance for the length of time you spent in Mexico?

ICBC refund

Brinloor - 9-29-2011 at 03:11 PM

I have done this several times and only showed the Mexican insurance policy with the overlapping dates. Always a prompt refund of ICBC amount minus $25 fee.
I have even sent an authorization letter to my office and had a staff member do it for me.

windgrrl - 9-29-2011 at 03:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by daveB

We have submitted our travel medical insurance for taxation purposes with good result.

With a trip planned into the San Felipe area for January, we will again be submitting a claim for the Mexican vehicle insurance we need to buy on our return to British Columbia.


Thanks from Alberta for the reminder about submitting this expense at tax time!

standingwave - 9-29-2011 at 04:46 PM

It hadn't even occurred to me to submit my travel medical insurance for taxation purposes!
What a bonus for starting this thread, eh... :lol:

daveB - 9-29-2011 at 08:04 PM

standingwave,

I honestly can't remember about the insurance rebate but I would only expect from ICBC (and the private insurer that did our comprehensive -we always sent out two letters and two copies of the Mexican policies) an amount that I had paid them for our insurance which they did not cover. We always bought Mexican insurance by the year and most of the time left home with two policies, last spring's for going south and the new one for coming back home (the policies expired in November).

BajaKeela - 9-29-2011 at 10:30 PM

We apply every year for ICBC refund.. Show a few fuel and campground receipts at beginning and end of vacation ..must be over 30 days... and a copy of Mexican vehicle insurance. I tried showing stamped passports and just got told that it wasn't proof that the vehicles were in Mexico. Good thing I kept receipts.. Now I keep all and send them copies ..also get refund from private insurer on 5th wheel... Weve done this for ten years now and never a problem.. Leaving next week for Baja !!! Yeah..