How the claims process works
Learn how to claim with MIB and what to expect from the process.
We’re here to help you
It can be scary and frustrating when a collision or accident happens. And it becomes even more stressful when the person at fault is uninsured, doesn’t stop at the scene or is driving a foreign-registered vehicle.
MIB exists to protect people from the devastation of uninsured and hit-and-run driving. We’re here to help every step of the way to compensate victims fairly and compassionately.
We can also help people who've been involved in accidents caused by foreign vehicles get their claim sorted.
The MIB claims process
There are three simple steps to submitting a claim to MIB.
Set up an account
If you wish to submit your own claim to MIB, you’ll need to register an account using your email address and a secure password.
Complete the form
This will take about an hour to fill out, but you can save your progress at any time if you don’t have all the information to hand. Each question you’ll be asked will depend on your previous answer and you’ll need to share your personal contact details with us.
Wait for an update
Your claim is now in progress and the next action is on us. The time taken to settle will depend on the complexity of your case, but you can check the progress anytime by logging back into your account.
Unsure if you are eligible?
There are certain legal requirements that determine whether we can work on your case or if another organisation needs to help you. It’s best to check you’re eligible before taking the time to complete the claims form.
Who can you claim against?
MIB is a not-for-profit organisation funded by motor insurance companies to support and compensate when an accident is caused by an uninsured or untraced driver or a foreign-registered vehicle.
Uninsured drivers
An uninsured driver is someone who doesn't have an appropriate insurance policy in place.
This may be on purpose or by accident, and this person may or may not know they are uninsured at the time of the accident. Motor insurance is a mandatory requirement by law for all vehicle types, and anyone driving a vehicle must be either the policyholder or named driver for that vehicle.
The right type of cover is essential and is based on how people use the vehicle. For example, using a vehicle for business use requires a different policy to using a vehicle only for social purposes. If someone is involved in an accident or stopped by the police with the wrong type of insurance, they'll be classed as an uninsured driver.
Untraced drivers
An untraced driver is the person at fault in an accident who cannot be identified.
They may have left the scene (hit-and-run), failed to provide contact information or given false details. MIB is the only organisation that works on untraced cases. You must report any accident involving a hit-and-run driver to the police within 14 days of the incident, even if you submit your claim later.
With an untraced claim we will try to track down the driver and the vehicle . If we can trace them and they have insurance, your claim will be handed over to the insurance company. If the driver doesn’t have insurance, the claim will continue with either MIB, the Ministry of Justice or Official Injury Claim, depending on the value and type of claim you’ve submitted. If we can’t trace the driver, your case will stay with MIB.
Building your untraced claim
Untraced claims can be harder to solve and can take a long time due to the lack of evidence available, so please include as much detail as you can in your claim form to help us build you a stronger case.
What happens once your claim is approved?
If your claim results in compensation, you’ll need to accept the offer to receive your pay out. It’ll be paid into your nominated bank account, and your case will be closed. After your case closes, we’ll work to recover the costs of your claim if the driver was identified and uninsured.
My case was handled very professionally and efficiently, and I was kept up to date with the progress of the case step by step.
Frequently asked questions about the MIB claims process
You have a legal obligation to declare any accident to the police, no matter how big or small, or what your part in the accident was. If you were using a motor vehicle at the time of the accident, you must also report it to your own motor insurer, regardless of who was at fault.
You don’t have to file a claim when you make the report. It’s OK to decide whether or not you want to make a claim at a later date. If you choose to go ahead, you can either submit it yourself or ask a legal representative to act on your behalf.
If you’re making a claim for a hit-and-run, then you must report the accident to the police before you begin your claim submission.
As you complete the claim form, we’ll need to ask you questions about the accident. It would be helpful to have your insurance details to hand. We’ll ask for details about the accident scene, plus any medical treatment and property damage information. You’ll also need to provide contact details for any witnesses.
Absolutely. Just save the form before you log out of the portal. Live claim forms without activity are kept online for up to 42 days without activity. After this point you’d need to start the process again.
Claims can take anything from a couple of months to several years to process. This really depends on how complex your case is, how long your treatment and recovery take, and how difficult it is to collect the evidence needed to reach a decision. Our average claims window is around nine months.
We’ll contact you via email to prompt you to log in to the MIB claim portal whenever your case moves forward. You can also check the status of your claim at any time by logging into your account on the portal.