When you buy impounded car insurance, one of the first questions that comes up is whether the policy appears instantly on AskMID — the public Motor Insurance Database used by police and pounds to confirm live cover. The short answer is: not always immediately, but often within a few hours depending on how the insurer updates the system.

Why MID updates can take time

The AskMID system doesn’t show data in real time. Insurance companies submit updates to the central database at scheduled intervals, typically several times a day. That means a newly issued policy may take up to 24 hours to appear, even though it’s legally valid from the start date shown on your certificate.

For impounded vehicles, this delay can be frustrating because the pound relies on the same database to confirm insurance. Fortunately, police staff are used to this and will normally accept a printed or digital certificate as proof of cover while they wait for the MID to refresh.

Immediate proof of cover

When your insurer or broker emails your documents, the attached certificate serves as legal proof of insurance straight away. You don’t have to wait for the policy to appear on AskMID to collect your vehicle. The certificate must, however, clearly show:

• the correct registration number,
• the policyholder’s name (matching your driving licence), and
• specific wording confirming impounded-vehicle cover.

If those details are correct, staff at the pound can contact the insurer directly if they want to verify it before the database update completes.

How insurers prioritise impound cases

Some insurers flag impound policies for priority upload to the MID. These are often updated within a few hours because of the urgency involved in vehicle releases. Others rely on batch uploads that run overnight, meaning your policy might not show on AskMID until the following morning. Both are valid — the delay is administrative, not legal.

How to check if the policy is visible

You can check for yourself by entering your registration number on the official AskMID website. If the record hasn’t updated yet, it will say that no insurance is currently showing. Don’t panic — this doesn’t mean the policy is invalid. Bring your printed certificate when visiting the pound, and let staff know it’s a new policy still awaiting upload.

When to contact the insurer

If more than 24 hours have passed and the car still isn’t appearing on AskMID, contact the insurer or broker to confirm that the upload has been sent. They can verify the live policy directly with the pound if necessary, ensuring you don’t miss your release deadline.

Final note

Impound insurance doesn’t always appear on AskMID straight away, but the certificate itself is valid proof of cover from the moment it’s issued. Pounds understand that uploads can take time and usually accept printed confirmation. Acting promptly, keeping copies of all documents, and verifying details before visiting the pound helps make the release process much smoother.

Check here for more useful information about impounded cars!

Please note: impound rules, collection windows and fee structures are set locally and can change at any time. Details on this site offer a broad outline only and are not guaranteed to match the requirements of any individual pound or authority.