Ask a Trooper

Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol

Question: I have a question pertaining to insurance cards being shown during a traffic stop, in regards to commercial/business or fleet vehicles. Most of these companies provide general insurance cards that do not include the vehicle identification number (VIN). I would like to know if there is a requirement for the VIN to be displayed on the insurance card.

Answer: Every obligor transacting business in this state shall provide an insurance identification card for each vehicle covered at the time of initiating each policy of automobile insurance. The insurance identification card may be provided in an electronic format. When an insured has five or more vehicles registered in this state, the obligor may use the designation “all owned vehicles” on each identification card in lieu of a specified description. Otherwise the card must state:

(1) the insured’s name;
(2) the policy number;
(3) the policy dates of coverage;
(4) the make, model, and year of the vehicle being covered;
(5) the vehicle identification number or at least the last three digits of that number; and
(6) the name of the obligor providing coverage.

A portion of state statutes were used with permission from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow – Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501-2205. (You can follow him on Twitter @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at, jesse.grabow@state.mn.us).