This has been my first experience of insuring a caravan having recently bought my Puck but It does seem, to a complete newbie like me, that a lot of the brokers (reputable included) are giving very mixed answers to questions that could have serious consequences.
This is only my take on it, but I get the feeling that the underwriters are generally insisting on CRIS registration but this information is not being passed on by the brokers agents when we ring the call centre.
The brokers often seem happy to accept a VIN/chassis number, but hidden in the small print is the requirement for CRIS registration. It was by pure luck that this thread was started and I read it otherwise my insurance would have been invalid in the event of a claim!!
There do seem to be a few companies as mentioned previously that are fine without registration but it does seem to be a bit of a minefield.

think cris the same company as hpi, saga doesn't need a cris number.

Thankfully got it all sorted. Phoned the insurer, Caravansure, on the way down to collect the Eriba and they were quite happy to take just the vin number. No need for CRIS registration at all. Phew!

just to slightly venture off topic but in the peace of mind approach,

my very limited knowledge of cris is that is only a paperwork way of locating the caravan if found by the relevant authorities,

the other option is to fit a tracker, which would give live info to the relevant authorities.. there is a cost aspect to a tracker, and how it works,

just wanted to mention incase our newbie eriba owners were not aware of an alternative..

right back to insurance and cris and the magnifier glass on small print

CHRIS is only a voluntary organisation, I was informed that it's not really worth paper it's written on plus you have to have your windows etched with various number of registration. Only thing i had to give was as you mention the VIN number. Glad it's all sorted for you and enjoy your new baby.

CRiS

CRiS is the Caravan Registration and insurance Scheme.
Not sure why 'i' is lower case but it is.
It is run by the National Caravan Council in association with HPI.

After all my worries re CRiS registration I have a feeling that my van may well have been registered. I have no paperwork showing this but the windows are etched with what I originally assumed was the VIN number. However, closer inspection reveals that this is slightly different to the vin number on the plate.

I'm sure I read somewhere that CRiS issued different numbers for older Eribas as the Eriba vin numbers didn't conform to the standard they were working to, I think it's also been alluded to in this thread.

I'm not about to pay £15 to check the CRiS record but is there any other way just to confirm that this altered vin is CRiS?

If it IS CRiS registered - you will not be the registered 'owner' - which could prove embarrassing if questioned by the 'Law' ! Can you not contact CRiS with the number to find out if it is registered in a previous owners name and if so get it transferred to yourself. Even if a small cost is involved it may be worth it for peace of mind :).

Yes - very sensible Pepe (sorry can't remember how to do the accent !) - I too consider CRiS to be a complete waste of money, just a commercial 'rip-off' and of course has no legal standing - BUT- it is a record to trace supposed ownership ! Kev is of course completely right and lawful in his actions !, My suggestion was just a voluntary precaution to stave off possible questions in the future, if for example a future purchaser of the 'van ,was to himself, make an enquiry via CRiS. Yes Police may be interested in tracing ownership ONLY if it is reported as stolen.

Anyway the most important thing is that kevandnia are happy and enjoy the joys of 'Eribaing" !

No problem Pepé - and I've found the way to do "é" now - thanks :)

Interestingly I had another caravan insurance quote from Caravan guard and they were over £200 cheaper than the caravan club, however they insisted that it was CRiS registered..

http://www.cris.co.uk/register-an-imported-caravan/

Curiosity got the better of me in the end and I emailed CRiS with the etched vin. They confirmed that the van was indeed registered with them.

I then decided to update the registration and so parted with my £15.

Apparently they'll write to the registered owner and whenever they reply or after 30 days if no reply, register it in my name.

The call operator I dealt with told me that the previous registered owner had beed supplied with an RFID tag for the van. But they've either hidden it very well or never bothered attaching it as I haven't yet found it.

Still, the search is something else to keep me amused as the dark nights draw in.