How long does the insurance database take to update?

Luke · 15 Mar 2012 at 11:32

I'm selling a bike this weekend and once gone I'll be transferring the insurance onto my other bike which is currently SORN'd.
It will take the insurance company a few days to send out the insurance docs so in the meantime I'll not be able to tax or ride it.
How long does it normally take the insurance database to catch up so I could tax the bike online?

Unicorn · 15 Mar 2012 at 11:45

Get them to email you the forms and print them, tax online.

Fully legal this is what i did for my car earlier this year

EDIT: I didn't get pulled over but if you do it will only take a little bit longer and aslong as you have your insurance docs and some reference for tax you should be fine

Luke · 15 Mar 2012 at 11:50

If I had the forms I'd go to the post office. My point is that until the insurance database updates I will not be able to tax online even if I had certificates in my hand.

SGWills · 15 Mar 2012 at 12:14

taxing the car online i believe can take up to 7 working days from the point of accepting the insurance, however in my head i keep thinking its 3 - 4 days it should be up to date, easier just to print off cert and pop to the post office tbh

Luke · 15 Mar 2012 at 12:16

I feared as much. Looks like there will be a short period where I'll be bikeless.

crinkleshoes · 15 Mar 2012 at 12:57

Uh no... it happens overnight, usually.

You can also declare that the bike is insured to tax it online... I've taxed a bike online within minutes of taking out insurance on it and it had been off the road / uninsured for a couple of months.

Luke · 15 Mar 2012 at 13:13

I thought that unless the database supported your declaration of insurance being in place it wouldn't let you proceed?

Gib_Gib · 15 Mar 2012 at 14:21

Doing something similar with my car a month or so back. When I changed my insurance over, they emailed me the insurance documents, I printed those and took them to the post office. Worked fine. If you want the bike straight away I would just do the post office route rather than online.

crinkleshoes · 15 Mar 2012 at 14:23

Luke said:
I thought that unless the database supported your declaration of insurance being in place it wouldn't let you proceed?

I had no issue - but I supposed it's not impossible for there to be another reason for it to have gone through.

merlin · 15 Mar 2012 at 14:35

Generally insurers systems upload every night - so generally if you insure before the DB snapshot (generally 5pm/6pm) then the upload will be that night - so any time early next morning the MID will see the reg and see the cover.

There are of course many reasons for this not to work - ie the MID is busy like a mofo and then the upload re-tries 24 hrs later, or there's an issue with the insurer DB snapshot, in which case it releases the snapshot and tries again the next day.

Computers huh.

Luke · 18 Mar 2012 at 20:15

The bike was sold last night but after flux had closed.
Tried taxing the bike just to see if it would let me (I'd not have completed the transaction regardless) and it would not let me proceed as the bike wasn't shown as insured.
I'll get on the phone to Flux and ask them to email me the certificate so I can take it to the post office tomorrow lunchtime.