Croatian coast road motor insurance problem
Hi has anyone had any recent experience of the well-known potential problem of obtaining motor insurance to drive through the c.10km section of Bosnia on the E65 coast road in Croatia between Ploce and Dubrovnik, please? I know one could take the ferry to
Trpnj to avoid this section but at c.£50 each way (incl van), the extra time and hassle and not brilliant roads on the Peljesac peninsula I would prefer to stay on the main road. Like many UK suppliers my insurer (Aviva) will not cover me, and though the Club
say Devitt's would, switching insurers at some cancellation cost for c.15 mins driving each way is not appealing! The Croatian tourist office says no problem, you can buy insurance locally - has anyone done this recently, can they say where one could do
it (Ploce?) and how much it might cost? Thanks for any advice anyone can offer!
Comments
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Surely, it's collision insurance that is the prime concern, not the possibility of a breakdown. Should you be involved in an accident you could face criminal conviction, and if to blame you could lose your life-savings and your house in paying compensation!
We've made the ferry crossing and the drive down the peninsula. We made it part of the trip, and stopped at Orebic where we had a day trip to Korcula. On the way back we stopped at Trpnj for the night before catching the ferry back to Ploce.
taken on the peninsula road to Dubrovnic
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It's a good road and I considered the risks to be very small but it is down to each individual to make up their own mind. If insurance was easily available at low cost when I wanted it then perhaps it would have been different. As it was I did the journey both ways without incident.
peedee
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Following on from chasncath's post, anyone contemplating 'taking the chance' should remember they will be driving illegally without insurance in a foreign country and consider how they might view foreigners driving in the U.K. uninsured.
I also wonder, if this is a well known issue surely at some time the local police will become aware and stop all UK registered vehicles on this stretch as a matter of course.
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If the only reason you want to drive through Bosnia is to visit Dubrovnik you might want to consider going on the bus rather than driving. Ploce to Dubrovnik takes about 2.00 - 2.25 hours and costs about £7.
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A quick look at the UK government foreign travel website indicates that cars must be insured for travel in Bosnia and also states it can be bought at/near the border.
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Hi
Just got this from our Gov.UK site...hope it helps
You need valid insurance to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina in a vehicle. If you don’t have the correct insurance, you’ll need to buy border insurance when you enter the country. The border police should be able to direct you to the insurance company office at the border crossing. Euros are accepted, but credit card payment is not always possible.
You can’t buy border insurance at all border crossings. The border police advise travellers to use the recently upgraded crossings at: Bijaca, Crveni Grm (south), Zubci (south-east), Karakaj and Raca (east), Samac (north-east), Kamensko and Izacici (west).
You can’t buy border insurance at the Neum border crossing. If you’re entering Bosnia and Herzegovina via Neum, you should be able to buy insurance at the Doljani border crossing.
Make sure you have original vehicle registration and ownership papers with you as border guards, customs or the insurance company may want to see them.
Contact the Bosnia and Herzegovina Embassy in London if you have more detailed questions about bringing a vehicle in to the country. The British Embassy won’t be able to help if you don’t have the correct documentation on arrival at the border.
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Obviously if you were going to travel around in Bosnia, insurance is expected and necessary but I wonder if the reason it is not available at the Neum border is they don't expect you to have it just to transit that short section. My breakdown insurance covers me for all of Europe but the providers of my vehicle insurance flatly refuse to provide accident cover but will cover public liability for Bosnia.
As the Club is a provider of vehicle insurance perhaps they can comment further??????
peedee
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I went through last June going north, having island hopped heading south, no separate cover and no cover available at the border. It really is a short section that takes about 10 minutes through what is basically a Bosnian holiday resort; I decided to take the risk, as do hundreds of others with no problems. The road is good, with (I think) only one junction which would take you inland to Bosnia. Nobody checks anything apart from passports. There is a good cafe / duty free shop at the southern end which is used by all the coaches, plenty of space to park a car & caravan.
The Croatians are looking to build a bridge across the shortish stretch of water that would cut out the border crossing, but we may all be too old to travel, or the oil may have run out by the time they do that!
Take normal care and don't worry.
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