If you are facing an unfortunate situation where your car has been stolen, you should refrain from panicking (as hard as it sounds) and make sure that you file your car insurance claim successfully and intelligently. There is a step by step mechanism that you should keep in mind at this juncture to execute your end of the bargain properly.
Your car getting stolen or burgled is of course a big mishap but if you have the right copy of your car insurance plan, you should refrain from worrying. A comprehensive car insurance coverage provides protection for theft along with third party liabilities and losses/damages to yourself and your vehicles in tandem with man-made and natural disasters. Always keep in mind the fact that your coverage will only be valid when your claim is authentic, convincing and properly made.
Know the full process how you can file a claim for Car Insurance in India:
- FIR: Whenever you chance upon theft of your car, you should first go to your nearest police station and file a complaint. This is the FIR (First Information Report) which is the basis of any successful claim. This step should not be missed out by all means.
- Intimating the insurance company: The second stage of the process is to intimate your insurance company in a timely manner. The company will have its own process started once you have got on a call with them. Always make sure this is done without any delays.
- RTO intimation: You should also intimate the theft to the transport department as deemed mandatory by law. The RTO (Road Transportation Office) should be intimated since they will have to give you the RTO transfer papers and other vital documents.
- Documentation: You should embark upon collection of all vital documents for submitting your claim. You should submit the claim form and these documents to your insurance company as soon as you can. Car theft situations require submission of the following documents- (i) Original copy of FIR, (ii) Signed claim form, (iii) Copy of policy papers, (iv) Original car keys, (v) Driving license copy, (vi) Vehicle RC copy , (vii) RTO transfer papers which are signed, (viii) Forms 29, 28, 35 and 30.
- Untraced Report: Make sure that you get hold of the untraced report which is the report for untraced vehicles. This document can be obtained from the police which states that the vehicle cannot be located. This document is necessary for your claim processing. The police will require at least 1 month approximately from the accident date for this report to be generated.
Your insurance company will hire investigators to help trace the vehicle along with helping you obtain documents from the local police. These initiatives may take up to a couple of months so remain calm and do not panic. In case your vehicle is not located after filing of the FIR, it requires approximately 90 days for the insurance company to furnish the IDV (Insured Declared Value) of the car.