Steps To File A Claim For Car Theft

How to File a Car Theft Claim in India

Do you know how your car insurance protects you against theft? Do you know the process to claim for car theft? If not, read on to know the easy steps here.

We all know what all coverage a comprehensive car insurance policy offers. On one hand, the basic third-party policy protects you against the third-party damages and liabilities, while on the other hand, a comprehensive policy offers all-inclusive protection to your car against own damages and losses including damages caused by man-made disasters and natural calamities. Also, you can make a car theft insurance claim, in case your car gets stolen. So, overall you get wide coverage in case your car meets any unforeseen situation.

However, to get reimbursement of the damage, the first requirement is to file a claim. So, if your car gets stolen , you must immediately file a claim and submit it to your insurance company to avoid any kind of delays in the process of claiming for the theft. And for this, the most important thing is to clearly understand the process of claiming an insurance.

Also Read : 7 Ways to Prevent a Car Theft 

So, here we are bringing you the details of the steps that must be followed to file a claim of car theft.

• FIR report – The first step is to file an FIR or First Information Report. So, when you come to know that your car has been stolen, the first requirement is to file an FIR at a police station near you. You might have to provide some relevant details to the police if they ask at the time of registering the complaint. Once the complaint is registered, you will get a FIR copy of your FIR, which you will need for filing the claim.
• Contact Your Insurance Provider –  Once you file the FIR, the next important step is to contact your insurer and inform them about the car theft. You can do this by sending them an email or visiting their office personally. The insurer will ask you to fill a claim form offering details of your policy such as  car registration number, car insurance number, and the details of the theft.
• Contact Your RTO – It is also important to contact the RTO or the Regional Transport Office as per the Motor Vehicle Act of the country and inform them about the incident. Here again, you must fill out a few forms and get them signed by the RTO officer. You will also receive transfer papers that you must submit to your insurer.
• Submit the Required Documents to Your Insurance Company – For a successful claim, you will also have to submit some documents to your insurer such as:
  • Copy of insurance papers
  • Original FIR paper
  • Claim form
  • Copy of DL
  • Copy of RC book
  • Transfer papers from RTO
  • RTO forms

Besides the above, you will need to submit your car keys for filing a claim successfully.

• Get the No-Trace Report from Police – After you lodge an FIR, the case of your missing car gets investigated by the police. However, if your car remains untraceable for a certain duration of time, you can seek a no-trace report from the concerned police station. It is important to note here that without this compulsory document, you cannot get your claim sanctioned.

How much Time Required to get your Car Theft Claim Sanctioned

As already stated above, you need a no-trace report from the police to get your car insurance claim sanctioned. And a no-trace report requires at least 30 days to get generated (depending on your location and the date when you registered the FIR)

Further, generation of IDV by your insurer also requires another 2 to 3 months. So, in general, 3-4 months are required for the entire claim filing and claim sanction process to take place. However, it is important to ensure that you follow the process well and offer all the needed information so that no delays take place.

Reasons of Car Theft Claim Rejection

There might be several reasons which can get your car theft claim rejected such as :

• Not filing a claim on time.
• If the insurance company is of the view that you haven’t taken enough steps to protect your vehicle.
• If there is any mismatch in the papers that you have submitted.
• If your personal car was being used for commercial purposes.
• If you do not have or you can’t present two different sets of car keys to the insurance provider.

 To Conclude

So, now you know the exact process that is involved in filing a claim. But you must understand that there are many factors that contribute to a claim getting rejected. So, in case  your claim doesn’t get approved, you can approach the insurance ombudsman or the person who investigates and advocates the policyholders to settle the issue.

These days filing claims and settling them has become easy with online claim facilities. With many renowned insurers, you can enjoy a stress-free claim filing process.  This way, you can receive your compensation easily and help settle the claim fast.