Terms of Business
The terms under which we arrange and administer your insurance in Portugal. Authorised and regulated by ASF. Please read carefully — by instructing us to act, you accept these terms.
Definitions
We / us — Abbeygate Insurance Brokers LTD, Sucursal em Portugal (NIPC 980831970). Registered address: Estrada Regional 125, Loja 149A, Boliqueime, 8100-069, Loulé. Office: Fonte De Boliqueime, Estr Nacional 125, Loja 104, Boliqueime 8100-070. Tel: +351 289 369 254. Email: info@abbeygate.pt. Website: www.abbeygate.com/portugal.
ASF — Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões. Av. da República 76, 1600-205 Lisboa, Portugal. www.asf.com.pt.
Regulation
Abbeygate Insurance Brokers LTD, Sucursal em Portugal is authorised and regulated by ASF (Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões). Our permitted business is arranging and advising on non-investment insurance contracts. Our registration can be verified on the ASF register.
Our service
We are independent insurance brokers and act on your behalf in arranging your insurance. We use a number of companies and offer a wide range of insurance products. Upon request we will provide a list of companies and products. Our service includes providing you with advice on your insurance needs, arranging insurance cover with insurers to meet your demands and needs, and helping with ongoing alterations or claims you may have to make. For your protection our calls may be monitored.
Our remuneration
In providing services to you as detailed above, we receive a commission from the insurer.
Charges
In addition to the premium charged by the insurers, we make the following charges to cover the administration of your insurance:
| New business arrangement | up to €35.00 |
| Renewal arrangement | up to €35.00 |
| Legal Protection service | up to €25.00 |
| Mid-term adjustments | up to €25.00 |
| Mid-term cancellations | €35.00 plus retention of insurer's reclaimed commission** |
| Cancellation during the cancellation-rights period | €35.00* |
| Duplicate documents | €10.00 |
* Any cancellation processed in the cancellation-rights period will be subject to a €35.00 charge plus any additional costs from the insurance company.
** Any mid-term cancellation outside the cooling-off period will be subject to your insurer's short-period cancellation scale per their policy terms. Please read the documentation provided by the insurance company for details of charges that may occur during these periods.
Cancellations
Any mid-term cancellation refund will be issued within 6–8 weeks of the active cancellation date of your policy.
Cancellation rights
You have the right to cancel your policy during a period of 14 days, either from the day of purchase of the contract or the day you receive your policy documents — whichever is the later. If you wish to do so and the insurance has not yet commenced, you will be entitled to a full refund less any admin charges. If cover has commenced, you will be entitled to a refund subject to a deduction for the time covered on a pro-rata basis, plus a €35.00 admin cost incurred in issuing the policy.
A refund of premium may not be given if you have made a claim under the policy or an incident has occurred which may give rise to a claim. To exercise your right to cancel please contact us. If you do not exercise your right to cancel, your policy will continue in force for the term of the policy and you will be required to pay the full premium.
Payment & documentation
The provision of insurance services is subject to the satisfactory payment of the appropriate premium. Premiums are due for payment by the inception/renewal date of the policy. Premiums resulting from a request for an amendment are due immediately upon request. We will provide full information about your payment options at the appropriate time. We may keep certain documentation such as your insurance certificate until we receive full payment.
Failure to make arrangements to pay premiums by the due date will lead to cancellation of cover in respect of new policies and renewals, or the required change not being actioned in respect of amendments. If you are unable to pay the premium by the due date, please let us know immediately.
Your duty to provide information
It is your responsibility to provide accurate information to insurers when you take out, alter or renew your insurance policy. Where statements of fact documents form the basis of your insurance contract, the information should be accurate and any errors advised to us immediately. You are responsible for checking that the policy terms and conditions meet your requirements and for notifying claims or circumstances that might give rise to a claim.
Failure to disclose facts pertaining to your insurance, or any inaccuracies in information given, could result in your insurance being invalid or cover not operating fully. If a form is completed on your behalf, check the answers shown before signing. Keep copies of any correspondence you send to us or directly to your insurer.
In certain circumstances we may agree to correspond with you via e-mail. By providing your email address you are consenting to us communicating with you via e-mail. If you email a request to arrange insurance cover or to amend any details under an existing policy, cover will not be in force until your request has been accepted by insurers and we have confirmed this. You must take reasonable steps to ensure your messages are complete and accurate, are secure against being altered in transmission, and are free from harmful viruses.
Termination of terms
These terms of business may be varied or suspended at any time by notice in writing. Any such variation will not affect rights or obligations already accrued by either party.
Agent of insurer
We act as agent for the insurer for some of the insurance companies that we deal with, for the purpose of receiving and holding premiums. Where we do not act as agent for the insurer, we will treat monies held as client money and will hold these in a non-statutory trust account.
Non-statutory trust & client money
The aim of the trust is to protect the client in the event of the failure of the firm, the bank or a third party at which the money may be held. In such a circumstance, the firm's general creditors should not be able to make claims on client money. We hold client money subject to a non-statutory trust — meaning we may use client money held on behalf of one client to pay another client's premiums before that premium is received from the other client, and to pay claims and premium refunds before we receive payment from the insurer. However, we are not entitled to use client money to pay commissions before we receive the relevant premium from the client.
Interest on client money
Any interest earned on client money held by us will be retained by us for our own use, rather than paid to you. Your reading of this document and continuance of the application process is taken to indicate that you understand, and have given your consent for us to hold your monies in the trust and to receive interest.
Payment to third parties
We may transfer client money to another person (such as another broker or settlement agent) for the purpose of effecting a transaction on your behalf through that person. This may include brokers and settlement agents outside of Portugal. The legal and regulatory regime applying to a broker or settlement agent outside Portugal may be different from that of Portugal and, in the event of a failure of the broker or settlement agent, this money may be treated in a different manner. You may notify us if you do not wish your money to be passed to a particular jurisdiction.
Confidentiality & data protection
We take protecting our customers very seriously and abide by the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please refer to our Privacy Policy for information on how we hold and process your data. Copies of the Privacy Notice are supplied on all emails and on request.
If you have queries please contact us in writing to the Compliance Officer at Fonte De Boliqueime, Estr Nacional 125, Loja 104, Boliqueime 8100-070.
Complaints
It is always our intention to provide a first-class service. Should you have any cause for complaint about our service, please contact us orally or in writing. Your complaint will be acknowledged within five business days advising you who is dealing with it and indicating when you may expect an answer. We will provide a formal written response within 8 weeks from the receipt of the original complaint.
If we are unable to settle your complaint, you may refer it to ASF — Av. da República 76, 1600-205 Lisboa, Portugal (www.asf.com.pt). Your insurer also operates a complaint procedure, details of which are in your policy. See our full Complaints Process.
Law & jurisdiction
These terms of business shall be governed by and constructed in accordance with Portuguese law. In relation to any legal action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with these terms of business, we both irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Portuguese courts.
Your acceptance of these Terms of Business does not affect your normal legal rights.
Real people, real help
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Our team in Boliqueime, Loulé has been insuring expats in Portugal since 2006. No call centres, no scripts — just experienced people who can answer your questions and help you find the right cover.
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