Going through a divorce can be an emotionally and financially stressful time. Regardless of the reason, figuring out who gets what and how to separate from each other legally takes time. One of the most overlooked items during the process is removing an ex-spouse from an auto insurance policy. And if you are married, it’s not as simple as just taking the other driver off.
Here are five tips for making the process smoother.
- You cannot remove an ex-spouse from the policy without consent. Even if you aren’t on speaking terms, you must still have their permission to take them off the policy. Typically, you both will have to sign a request to get this done.
- Title the vehicles appropriately. Let’s say there are two vehicles, and both are titled to one spouse. The title spouse will have to sign over the title of the car being taken off before it can be removed from the policy along with the spouse who is being removed.
- Establish two addresses. If you haven’t already, setting up separate living arrangements is the quickest way to divide liability. By continuing to live under the same roof, liability is still shared.
- Decide who will get the new auto policy. Generally, the person with the new address should get the new policy. But before you start removing drivers and vehicles, be sure a new policy is in force. You don’t want someone driving around without car insurance unknowingly.
- Provide proof of the divorce. Some insurance companies may ask to see proof of your divorce before removing a named spouse. Generally, a divorce decree or certificate will suffice as proof.
The Takeaway
Car insurance is a legal binding contract. Be sure that you have taken care of all the legalities, including setting up two separate addresses, auto policies and have spousal consent before removing drivers and vehicles from a policy.
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