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I lost my policy, and I am unable to retrieve my policy details. What do I do now?

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Car insurance is one of the four basic documents you need to keep in your car after your registration certificate, driving license, and PUC. But, despite this, the question 'how to find my car insurance policy details' is the most commonly asked question across forums. Since you need your policy for multiple reasons, and to err is human, we bring a list of ways to access your policy details and keep them handy for future reference.

But, before we get started, let us look at some of the situations where you may need to find the policy number of your car.

1. Renewing policy: Renewal with an existing insurer or new; you will require the car insurance policy number at all times. This is for two purposes: first, to confirm the date of expiry of the current policy, and second, to confirm the No Claim Bonus that may be applicable to your policy.

2. Filing a claim (cashless or reimbursement): In case your car has been damaged, partially or totally, you will have to claim for damages. Whether you file a cashless claim or reimbursement claim, you will require your car insurance policy number.

3. Procuring lost documents: To obtain fresh copies of lost car-related documents, an FIR must be filed at the nearest police station. When reporting the loss, you need to provide details, including registration number, car insurance policy number etc.

4. Verification & evading penalties: Any time during your drive, you may be stopped by traffic police and asked to produce your car-related papers. In case they are illegible, you may have to provide your car insurance policy details to evade a fine of INR2,000.

5. Purchasing pre-owned car: If you are planning to buy a used car, you must also check the insurance details of the car you intend to buy. If the car seller is hesitant to share the policy document or policy number, you must find out the policy number on your own to conduct the pre-purchase due diligence.

Multiple ways to find car insurance policy number:

Finding your car policy number can be as easy as simply calling the insurance company and asking for the number to logging into government apps and portals. It all depends on if you remember the company from which you purchased the policy. The more you remember, the fewer hoops you will have to jump through to retrieve the policy number.

Scenario #1: If you remember the name of the insurance company

• Customer care: A policyholder can simply connect with the customer experience team of the insurance company and verify few details to obtain the car insurance policy details

• Official website: A policyholder can visit the official portal of the insurance company and log in to find the policy details. It is best to keep the registration details handy to avoid confusion.

• Past communication: A policyholder can search the emails and SMS inbox to refer to the communication sent by the insurance company to obtain the required details.

Scenario #2: If you do not remember the name of the insurance company

• Government-based Apps and Portals: A policyholder can visit various apps and portals such as mParivahanand and e-VAHAN to obtain car insurance policy details.

• Insurance Information Bureau (IIB): A policyholder can access this web portal introduced by IRDAI. The IIB maintains a searchable record, and by registering on this portal, one can get all policy-related details.

Key Takeaway

While there are many ways to find car insurance policy number, it is best to ensure that you do not land in a situation where you have to do so. Back up all your important data to an easily accessible location. You can take a photo of the policy document and save it on your phone and email as well. Or, if you resonate well with technology, then Digilocker is another popular way to store all your policies in one place.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

This blog has been written by:

S. Gopalakrishnan | Motor Insurance Expert | 40+ years of experience in insurance industry

A veteran in insurance industry. S. Gopalakrishnan is a name to reckon with in the field of reinsurance, he has headed the Reinsurance department and has rich experience in other fields of motor insurance. He loves to share his opinion on latest topics in the insurance industry and how he can help people in safeguarding their assets using insurance products.

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Few Other Articles:

• 4 simple steps to check car insurance policy status online

• Why Should You Always Renew Your Car Insurance Policy on Time

• Why Your Car Insurance Claims Can Be Rejected ?

• Still driving your car with a lapsed insurance policy? Here's what you should know

• What's in a number? Let your car registration number do the talking

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