Operators New to Massachusetts
Acquiring Auto Insurance
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If you are new to Massachusetts, you may be able to obtain auto insurance on your own—either through an insurance agent or directly from a company. If you obtain auto insurance on your own, then your insurance company may use the Safe Driver Insurance Plan (SDIP) or its own merit rating plan to adjust your auto insurance premium based on your driving record.
However, some drivers new to Massachusetts may be assigned to an insurance company through the Massachusetts Automobile Insurance Plan (MAIP). All MAIP policies use the SDIP for a merit rating plan. Refer to MAIP Consumer Guide.
You will be initially assigned zero operator SDIP points if:
- your company uses the SDIP as its merit rating plan, and
- you were licensed to operate a private passenger vehicle in your prior state or country within the last six years
Once the Merit Rating Board has your prior driving record, your final SDIP rating will be revised. Essentially, your prior driving record will be used in accordance with the SDIP or a company’s own merit rating plan to adjust your auto insurance premium.
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Out-of-State Driving Records
If your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) is available electronically from the state or country where you were previously licensed, your Massachusetts insurer will obtain it.
If your MVR is not available electronically, you are responsible for obtaining your prior driving history and submitting it to your Massachusetts insurer. An acceptable MVR must have 3 years or more of driving history, unless you have been licensed fewer than 3 years.
If your prior driving record is not in English, a certified translation is required. In this case,
it is your responsibility to:
- obtain a translation of your driving record,
- have a certified translator certify that the translated driving record is true and correct,
- attach the certified translation to the original driving record, and
- submit these documents to your Massachusetts insurer.
Your Massachusetts insurance company will forward your prior driving record to the Merit Rating Board. The information in your prior record is used along with the Massachusetts driving record to determine surcharges and credits under the SDIP or to determine surcharges and credits under your insurer’s merit rating plan.
If you are adding an out-of-state driver to your Massachusetts private passenger auto insurance policy, the same rules apply.
If you have specific questions about out-of-state driving experience, contact your Massachusetts insurer for clarification.…………………………………………………………………………………...............................
The Merit Rating Board
Our agency collects and maintains driving records. Driving records consist of motor vehicle violation citations and insurance information, including at-fault accident claims, comprehensive claims, and out-of-state incidents. This information facilitates the operation of the Safe Driver Insurance Plan or an insurer’s own merit rating plan. The data that we collect may be used to adjust auto insurance premiums based on the driving record of the insured operator.
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Browse our website to learn more about the responsibilities of the Merit Rating Board.