Suspension of car and motorcycle insurance: what does the Cura Italia Decree say?

Forced to remain on foot due to government restrictions on mobility, many drivers of insured vehicles may be wondering about paying their mandatory car or motorcycle third-party liability insurance . Faced with the inevitable economic repercussions of the coronavirus emergency, the Cura Italia Decree (Decreto Cura Italia) has addressed a variety of issues with ad hoc measures to overcome the ongoing crisis. Among the most significant measures implemented by the Cura Italia Decree, published in the Official Journal as a Maxi Decree-Law on March 17, 2020 (No. 18), was the suspension of car and motorcycle third-party liability insurance due to the Coronavirus. While the original decree—and we're talking about last month—applied exclusively to the 11 municipalities in the red zone, where insurance premiums were suspended, with the emergency spreading nationwide, the situation has changed profoundly. Let's take a closer look at how the mechanism works and who is eligible to benefit from these advantages.

Suspension or Extension of the Deadline?

First, it's important to clarify the type of benefit provided. In practice, this isn't a true suspension of liability insurance payments, but simply an extension of the expiration date of the insurance certificate. This means that the validity period of car and motorcycle insurance will be extended from 15 to 30 days after expiration, but only for car and motorcycle insurance policies expiring between February 21 and April 30, 2020. This measure will affect an estimated 7-8 million vehicles. After the 30 days granted by the decree, policyholders will have two options to maintain adequate insurance coverage:

• Renewing the policy with the same company : once the premium has been paid, the new policy will take effect from the day following the expiration date of the original policy.

• Signing a new policy with another company : in this case, the citizen may benefit from an extended insurance period, thanks to the one-month extension of the original policy. It should be noted that any claims occurring during the 30-day extension of the car and motorcycle insurance policy will be covered by the original company.

And the temporary suspension?

If you're considering a full suspension of car and motorcycle insurance, provided they're properly stored in a garage and not in a public space, when can you request it?

• if you are up to date with payments and with the documents required by the contract

• if the policy has a residual duration of at least 30 days

Once these basic requirements have been met, requesting a suspension of your car or motorcycle insurance is very simple.

You must send the following documents to your insurance company:

• Letter requesting suspension of the policy , via an online form downloadable from the company's website
• Copy of insurance certificate and green card.

One final point, perhaps trivial, to clarify the difference between a suspension and an extension of the terms of car or motorcycle insurance. With a suspension, the vehicle cannot be driven at all, while with an extension, the vehicle not only can be driven but continues to be covered by insurance.