How do you change the address on your car insurance policy? Notify your insurer or broker before the move, provide your residence, mailing and principal garaging addresses, give the effective date, and get written confirmation of any premium or coverage change. Updating only your online profile may not be enough if the insurer needs more details about where the vehicle is kept or used.
For this article, our team opened FSRA’s termination and disclosure guidance, Ontario’s address-change service, FSRA’s explanation of rating factors and the current Ontario Automobile Policy.
Keep reading for the exact information to provide, Ontario timing and what can happen when a material address change is not disclosed.
Read More: Learn How Location Affects Car Insurance in Ontario
Which Address Does Your Car Insurer Need?
| Address | What it means |
|---|---|
| Residence | Where you live. |
| Mailing address | Where policy documents and notices should be sent. |
| Principal garaging address | Where the vehicle is normally kept, often overnight. |
These addresses may differ for a legitimate reason, but you must disclose the real circumstances. Tell the insurer where the vehicle is kept, who regularly drives it and how it is used. The insurer decides how the risk must be listed.
How Do You Change the Address on Your Car Insurance?
- Contact the insurer or broker before the move, or as soon as you know the details. Use the phone, app or online account the insurer provides.
- Give the move date, residence, mailing address and principal garaging address. Disclose regular drivers, commute, business use and any interprovincial use that changes with the move.
- Ask whether the move changes the premium, payment schedule, coverage or insurer eligibility. If you move provinces, confirm whether the insurer operates there and when a replacement provincial policy must start.
- Get written confirmation showing the correct address and effective date. Review the revised certificate and keep it with your policy records.
How Quickly Must You Update an Ontario Address?
Ontario requires you to update the address on your driver’s licence and vehicle permit within six days. That government deadline is separate from your insurance contract. FSRA lists moving without informing the insurer as an example of a material change of risk, so notify the insurer before the move or as soon as the change is known.
How Can a Move Affect Your Premium?
The premium can rise, fall or stay the same. Location is one rating factor, but vehicle, drivers, use, kilometres, coverage and insurer also matter. Ask for the exact before-and-after quote for the true garaging address.
Do not assume that every GTA move increases price or that a move to another province lowers it. Provincial products and mandatory coverage differ, and insurers use their approved rating methods. Subjective labels such as “nicer,” “gated” or “quiet” do not explain a quote.
Read More: How Much Premiums Vary Across Ontario
What If a Student Lives Away From Home?
Do not assume the parents’ address remains correct. Disclose where the student lives, where the vehicle is normally kept, who drives it and whether it is used in another province. The insurer may keep, change or separately rate the arrangement based on its rules.
What Can Happen If the Address Is Wrong?
An honest administrative error and a deliberate false garaging address are not automatically treated the same. Contact the insurer as soon as you find a mistake and request a written correction.
If the information is material, the insurer may investigate, correct the premium, apply policy and statutory remedies, terminate the policy where permitted or decline renewal under an approved rule. Claim treatment depends on the misstatement, timing, loss, policy and law. Denial is not automatic in every case.
There is no universal insurance “black mark,” and an insurer does not lay a criminal charge. It may refer suspected fraud to authorities. Police and prosecutors decide whether criminal charges are laid.
If the policy ends, do not drive until replacement insurance is effective. Ask for the written reason and use the insurer’s complaint process if you believe the decision is wrong.
Read More: See What to Do After an Ontario Car Insurance Cancellation