US car insurance & UK spouse?

Here is my situation and I am hoping that someone here that lives in the US with a spouse in the UK will have some advice 

My car & motorcycle insurance is with Geico (in NY State) I changed my last name over the winter (marriage) and notified Geico and the reason for the change is because I got married, so they asked for DH's info., I told them he is a UK citizen, doesn't live here, will never live here, will never get a US license, they said fine and added him to my policy for the car.

 As far as the motorcycles I was told he can ride the bikes with his UK license, if there is an incident, it would be considered a lending loss, (same as if I had let a friend ride the motorcycle, so why can't it be the same with him and the car??).

Anyway, I since gotten a letter from Geico asking for his driver's license info and if I don't provide it they will cancel my policy, called them up and told them the same as I told them before, he is a UK citizen, does not live here, does not/will not have a US license. They told me that since my policy expires in August, it will be reviewed in June and most likely will not be renewed.

I want to keep my car and the motorcycles in New York and be able to use them when I return to visit, also my (soon to be) 18 year old son is insured on my policy and I want to keep him on my policy, he can't get his own insurance at his age, it would cost a small fortune!!

As I understand it, the foreign spouse has 12 months to get a US license, but that is for a spouse who resides in the US, what about the spouse who doesn't reside in the US?

Since he isn't ever going to get a US license, do I just switch companies and not mention that I am married? Or do I tell them about the foreign spouse and have to switch companies every year because he doesn't have a US license? I'm not sure if I could even do the temporary insurance like DH does for me in London because he is a spouse and considered part of my "household", if he was relative or friend from abroad it wouldn't be a problem.

Sigh, what a mess why oh why did I ever change my name!! 




 

Tell GEICO that want to exclude him from the policy. You will need to sign a waiver saying that you understand the implications, etc.

I had Geico while I was still in the US and my husband was in the UK. After we were married, I updated my name on the policy, and indicated the change was due to marriage. I got a similar notification to what you got:

Dear [me],

Congratulations on your marriage!

At your request, we have updated [my] Name.

Please Note: even if your spouse will maintain separate insurance, we require that he/she be listed on this policy. This will allow us to list you as married, ensuring that your policy information remains current.

To list your spouse for the first time, please visit GEICO's Policyholder Service Center and visit the  Driver Page, or give us a call at 1-800-841-3000.

I responded with this email:

Hello -

The email below says that I'm required to list my husband as a driver on my policy. When I updated my name on the policy page, I received a message that it was required to list all drivers in my household. The problem is, my husband is neither a driver, nor does he live in my household. He currently lives in the United Kingdom; this policy is only intended to cover me until I join him there in early 2012. Can I just leave him off the policy until that happens?

Thank you for your assistance,

Soon after I received this response:

Thank you for your Internet request. My name is Jesus, and I am happy to assist you today. I hope your day is going well!
 
Based on the information provided, your husband would not need to be listed on your GEICO policy, since we cannot provide coverage outside of the United States or Canada. The principal reason that we require your spouse to be listed on your policy is because our insurance contract automatically extends them coverage. This would be invalided due to his location. However, please note that we would not be able to adjust your policy for a change in marital status since he would not be listed.
 
If you have any further questions about your policy, please do not reply to this email [...]
 
Sincerely,
 
Jesus Melero
GEICO Internet Service Representative

I didn't really care that they couldn't update my marital status; it didn't really affect my rates, and I just wanted to have the proper name on my documentation, and they kept that in place. I also wasn't worried about my husband not having coverage, since he doesn't even have a UK license, and so wouldn't drive in the US anyway.

Not sure if that's helpful for you, but thought I'd share the situation I experienced.

Tell GEICO that want to exclude him from the policy. You will need to sign a waiver saying that you understand the implications, etc.

Hmmmm, good idea SS  Now I wonder can that be done and then get him temporary insurance from Geico when he visits so he can drive the car/ride the motorcycles, when he visits?

I had Geico while I was still in the US and my husband was in the UK. After we were married, I updated my name on the policy, and indicated the change was due to marriage. I got a similar notification to what you got:

I responded with this email:

Soon after I received this response:

I didn't really care that they couldn't update my marital status; it didn't really affect my rates, and I just wanted to have the proper name on my documentation, and they kept that in place. I also wasn't worried about my husband not having coverage, since he doesn't even have a UK license, and so wouldn't drive in the US anyway.

Not sure if that's helpful for you, but thought I'd share the situation I experienced.

You had nice people from Geico!

I received a letter in the mail basically stating "give us your husbands driver's license information now or your policy will be cancelled"!

You had nice people from Geico!

I received a letter in the mail basically stating "give us your husbands driver's license information now or your policy will be cancelled"!

Maybe that's because Jesus was helping ymberlenis. 

Sincerely,
 
Jesus Melero
GEICO Internet Service Representative

 

Maybe that's because Jesus was helping ymberlenis. 

 

Haha!