Insurance and car tax

[Mxfan]

My girlfriend passed her test last week. She insured the car today but she can't get tax until she has the insurance certificate. Why can't she use the e-mail confirmation certificate of her insurance instead of waiting a week for it to come in the post?

[New Judge]

If you want to tax a car at a post office the clerk has to see the original insurance certificate. An e-mail confirmation is not such a document.

As soon as a policy is taken out the details should be placed on the database used for the on line taxation process. You can check whether this has been done here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVe hicle/Motorinsurance/DG_071948

Apllying on line may speed up the process, but you still cannot legally use the car until the disc has been received through the post.

[Mxfan]

Does that mean she could get a tax disc from the post office if her information is on the database?

[New Judge]

Unfortunately not.

The Post Office Counter Service has not yet progressed into the digital age and they still require a paper original cetificate of insurance.

All the details are here:

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1 ;jsessionid=KQUNQLIRKMXPWFB2IGVUUBQUHRA0UQ2K?c atId=19100193&mediaId=19100270

[debbz1969]

If I was her I'd wait until the 1st December anyway. November is almost over now that means a lost months tx. It's only just over a week away.

[stevec000]

hi i work in a mail room dealing with insurance
and all car insurance gets priority and is in the post within the ame day as you register so it should be no more than 2-3 working days unless your postie is a lazy git like mine

[Siandyxxx]

insure with swiftcover, they are the cheapest i can find !! and you print out your own cert !!!!

[j9pink]

I work for an insurance company and we can email all documents within the hour of setting a policy up. We dont use any embossed paper or signatures on our paperwork so as long as you print a good clear copy of the certificate (i.e using a laser jet printer) then your documents will be accepted by the post office.

As for the comment about Swiftcover being cheap, they are cheap because they are an online based company only. If you need to discuss ANYTHING about your policy at all the number they give you is a premium rate number which is where they make their money