It will depend upon your state's laws regarding the cancellation of insurance and if it is requirement for having a driver's license whether your license would be affected by you taking insurance off of your vehicle for a few months. There are a few states that require proof of auto insurance to be shown when obtaining your drivers' license however in most states the need to obtain and maintain at least the state minimum Liability limits is connected to your vehicle's registration.

If you plan on putting your car in storage or otherwise take it off the roadway while you are abroad for 2 months and want to take your car insurance off of it for this time period you should check with your state's Department of Motor Vehicles to see what you will need to do with them to comply with state laws. In many states you will need to turn in your registration and plates since the car is without the state mandated minimum insurance limits.

If you take insurance off the vehicle without complying with any laws in your state that require you to turn in your plates and registration during the lapse of insurance coverage than the state can levy penalties against you. The penalties vary from state to state with some just giving out fines but many will suspend your registration and possibly driver's license for a certain period of time if you have a lapse in car insurance on a registered vehicle.

For example the New Jersey insurance regulator notes that if you take a vehicle off the road because it is not operational or because you are not using it, you must surrender your license plates to the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) in order not to be required to have insurance coverage in place for that vehicle.

In NJ unless the registered owner of a vehicle turns in the license plates to the MVC, that vehicle needs to remain insured even if it is not being used. The NJ DOBI also states that if you do have a lapse in insurance that you will likely end up paying more for insurance when you place it back on the vehicle.

So there are some insurance issues that you may see when you return from abroad after a lapse in coverage on your vehicle. You will likely lose some discounts, such as renewal discounts and without having an insurance provider for a few months or so some insurance companies may not choose to insure you. Some automobile insurance companies will not write you a policy without at least six months prior insurance.

Due to what the insurance companies will see as a gap in carrying auto insurance, your rates will likely be higher than what they are now when you first put an insurance policy back on the car and started driving it. If you do decide to take insurance off your vehicle while you are abroad than when you come back and need insurance, come to us for an affordable auto insurance quote with companies that will insure you even after a gap in insurance coverage.

Remember before canceling your insurance before your trip abroad to check with your state's DMV about what steps to take so that you will not end up getting your car's registration or even your driver's license suspended. If you follow their instructions for properly taking insurance off of your vehicle than you should not end up with your license being canceled (suspended) when you return.