If you own a car or truck in Nigeria, the law demands that you have them insured. If you haven’t done this and you’re not sure how to go about it, you may ask someone at an insurance firm closest to you to explain the steps to you.
But if you have obtained a vehicle insurance policy, how do you ascertain that it’s been officially recognized and documented in the insurance industry’s database?
Besides taking a trip to see your insurers, you can confirm your motor insurance online, by dialing a dedicated mobile USSD code on your phone, or by requesting verification via text. You can do this without leaving your current location. All that’s required is a mobile phone or a device with internet access.
If you would like to check your policy online, you can do so on the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database (NIID) portal. The NIID contains information about all insured vehicles in Nigeria, and functions as a reference tool for law enforcement agencies working to keep uninsured cars, buses, and trucks off the road. The platform is run by the Nigerian Insurers’ Association (NIA), the country’s official body of insurance companies.
Newly insured vehicles are typically added to the database within 24 hours of their policy being issued (at least that’s what the portal says). So if you have purchased a policy for your car, you could check the NIIA website after one working day to ascertain that it’s been included in the records for insured vehicles.
As we earlier mentioned, there are USSD and SMS options as well, if you can’t do the internet thing and prefer to get answers via text instead.
Here’s how to check that your motor insurance policy is recognized or still valid.
Option One: The NIID Online Portal
1. Visit the NIID website, askniid.org.
2. Go to the menu. Click on ‘check policy’. This takes you to the policy verification page.
3. Select either single or fleet (depending on whether you got a policy for a single vehicle or a fleet).
4. Enter your policy number and registration numbers into the appropriate boxes. Click the ‘search’ button.
5. If your insurance policy is valid, details of it will be displayed.
Note: If your policy is not on the database, or if the search turns up a ‘policy expired’ or ‘policy not found’ result, you should contact your insurer or the NIA to find out what the next steps to take are. You can find the NIA’s contact details here.
Option Two: A USSD Code
Dial *565*11# and follow the directions you’re sent to verify your motor insurance policy.
Option Three: Send an SMS
Send an SMS to 33125. The message should follow this format:
Policy number*vehicle plate number.
You should receive a response via SMS with information about the status of your insurance policy (if you have one).
Featured Image Source: Naija Auto