Question: I am coming to America for a 2 month long trip. I’ve got relatives here and they’re ready to lend me their old car. I want to know if I can buy American auto insurance, so that I don’t have to drive without insurance when I arrive.

Answer: If you’re visiting America and you intend to drive here, make sure you bring along a valid license of your home country, and if you have an international driver’s license, bring it along too. American auto insurance companies will sell short-term insurance to foreign drivers if they have a valid license, and are legally authorized to drive on American roads.

America authorizes drivers from countries on a reciprocal basis. That is, only drivers from those companies are authorized where American drivers are authorized to drive. If you are coming from any place with good trade ties with America, this shouldn’t be a problem, but it wouldn’t hurt to verify whether you’re legally allowed to drive in America or not.

Once you meet these conditions, getting short-term insurance shouldn’t be so hard. If you’ve got any contacts in America, ask them to contact an insurance broker and ask him if he has a policy available. I think most big American auto insurance companies provide this facility.