State laws and insurance company guidelines vary but in general the information you need to provide to an insurance company when you apply for an insurance policy is similar. Basically, insurance carriers need basic information about you and your vehicle.

Typically this includes the following items:

• Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN)
• Driver's License Numbers for all drivers
• Social Security Numbers for all drivers (if applicable)

You will also need to have answers to questions in these categories normally:

1. Vehicle Information - Year, make model, type, annual mileage, usage, ownership, safety features, VIN is good to have on hand
2. Drivers/Household Residents - age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, years of experience driving, etc
3. Violations or Incidents - moving violations, accidents, incidents listed on your driving record such as a suspension of license, etc
4. Discounts - home ownership, prior insurance, credit history, current coverage - what current auto insurance coverages you have in place on your vehicle
5. Coverage Selection - types of coverage you want to place on your vehicle
6. Address Setup - personal information to set up actual car insurance account with insurance provider along with garaging address, contact information, etc

Poof of insurable interest may be required, typically by requesting proof of your current registration on the vehicle, by an insurance company to show that you do have interest in the vehicle in order to insure it.

You have to answer all the questions of the application (insurance contract) truthfully. It will differ for every state and insurance company, but they need to know the underwriting questions to determine eligibility and to determine a rate.

If you give any incorrect information than your insurance quote would have to be re-calculated once the correct information is given to the insurance company. For instance if you leave off a speeding ticket you received last year and the insurance company finds it when they pull your motor vehicle record (MVR) they will have to quote your rates again based on this corrected driving record information.

Giving misleading information, such as leaving off a licensed household member or really insuring the car for a friend with a bad driving record who you are not listing as the owner/driver on the policy, in order to lower rates can be construed in many states as misrepresentation - a form of insurance fraud.

When getting an insurance quote it is helpful to have all vehicle and driver's information handy as well as a copy of your current car insurance policy to determine what coverages you have and what you may want to add or change on your next auto insurance policy.