Travel insurance for UK residents: what it should cover and what to check

Travel insurance for UK residents pays for the costs of things going wrong on a trip: emergency medical treatment abroad and the journey home on medical grounds, cancelling or cutting short a trip for a covered reason, lost or stolen belongings, and personal liability. GOV.UK advises every traveller leaving the UK to have it.

The reason is the size of the bills. GOV.UK gives three examples of emergency costs a traveller without cover could face: more than £25,000 for a broken leg in Spain, more than £80,000 for a quad bike accident in Greece, and more than £150,000 for a stomach infection treated in a US hospital, possibly with a medical evacuation. The NHS does not pay for treatment abroad, apart from the state care a GHIC gives access to in some countries.

This guide is written for British residents leaving from the UK. It does not compare, rate or sell any policy: it explains what a policy should contain, what to check in the wording before you pay, what to declare, and what to do when you need to claim or complain. Every figure comes from GOV.UK, the NHS, MoneyHelper, the Civil Aviation Authority or the Financial Ombudsman Service, with the source under each table.

As soon as you have booked. GOV.UK says you should buy your policy as soon as possible after booking your trip, because cancellation cover only protects you from the day the policy starts: if you fall ill, or a close relative does, between booking and departure, a policy bought on the morning of the flight will not refund the holiday.

Buying early also leaves time to read the small print before you travel, rather than at the hospital desk. Read the policy wording and the summary document as soon as they arrive, not the night before you leave, so there is time to change the cover if something is missing.

1. Start date
   Set the cover to start on the day you book, not the day you fly, so cancellation cover runs from the start.
2. Every country
   List every country you will visit, transit stops included: GOV.UK asks you to check that all of them are covered.
3. Return date
   Make sure the cover runs to your last day abroad, and check what happens if you are delayed and come back late.
4. Documents
   Save the policy number and the 24-hour emergency assistance number on your phone, and share them with your travel companions and someone at home, as GOV.UK suggests.

No. A UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives access to necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area and a few other countries, on the same basis as a resident, but the NHS and GOV.UK are both clear that it is not an alternative to a travel policy. The NHS advises having both a GHIC and private travel and medical cover for the whole trip.

The card is free and lasts up to 5 years. Apply only through the official NHS GHIC page, where applying costs nothing, and renew it up to 9 months before your current card expires. A valid UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) works the same way until its expiry date.

Where it works: the NHS lists the countries of the European Economic Area, Montenegro, Australia, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and St Helena, Tristan and Ascension. In Switzerland, the card covers British, Swiss and EU nationals, refugees, stateless people and certain family members. State care is not always free: a co-payment that residents also pay is not refunded.

Carry the card anyway. GOV.UK notes that some insurers waive the excess on a medical claim if you used a GHIC or EHIC, so check your policy for that clause.

MoneyHelper, the free guidance service backed by the government, suggests at least £1 million of emergency medical cover for trips in Europe and £2 million or more for the USA and other destinations outside Europe. The higher figure for North America reflects the cost of private hospital care there, which GOV.UK puts at more than £150,000 for a single stomach infection.

The cover area of a policy matters as much as the amount. Policies are usually sold by region: Europe, worldwide excluding the USA, Canada and the Caribbean, and worldwide including them. A trip with one night in New York needs the widest area, even if the rest is in Mexico. Check how the policy defines Europe: some include Turkey, Egypt or Morocco, some do not.

Check too that the policy pays for treatment in both state and private hospitals, emergency ambulance transport, and the costs of a companion who stays with you or travels out to be with you: these are all items GOV.UK lists to look for. If you live in the UK and need a Schengen visa, the consulate also sets a legal minimum of €30,000 (about £25,100) of medical cover: our Schengen travel insurance guide explains who it applies to.

Yes, all of them. GOV.UK warns that failing to declare a condition may invalidate your policy, which means a refused claim for anything linked to it, and sometimes for the whole policy. Declare conditions you are being treated for, tests or treatment you are waiting for, and mental health conditions.

Insurers ask medical screening questions when you buy. Answer them for every traveller on the policy, and answer them again if your health changes between buying and travelling: a new diagnosis, a new prescription or a referral for tests usually has to be reported to the insurer before you leave, even after you have paid.

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  Long-term conditions: Diabetes, asthma, heart conditions, high blood pressure, cancer in treatment or remission, and anything you see a doctor about regularly.
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  Pending tests or treatment: A referral, a scan or an operation you are waiting for counts, even without a diagnosis.
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  Mental health: GOV.UK says these must be declared too, and some policies exclude treatment linked to them.
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  Pregnancy: Check the week of pregnancy the policy covers up to, and whether the airline needs a letter from your midwife or doctor.

Serious or several conditions can make standard cover hard to find. MoneyHelper's travel insurance directory lists firms that consider more serious medical conditions, and GOV.UK points travellers with serious conditions to specialist providers. An extra premium for a declared condition costs far less than an unpaid hospital bill.

It depends on how often you travel. MoneyHelper says that with one trip planned, a single-trip policy normally costs less, and with two or three trips a year it is worth comparing both, because an annual multi-trip policy covers an unlimited number of trips over 12 months.

Annual policies have one limit people miss: a maximum length for each trip. MoneyHelper notes that most cap a single trip at 31 days, and longer options cost more. A three-week holiday plus a few weekends away fits an annual policy; a six-week trip may not.

Age matters for both types. Many policies set an upper age limit, or a lower trip-length limit from a certain age, and annual cover can be harder to find at older ages. Read the age conditions before buying, and declare your real age and health on the screening questions.

Most exclusions fall into five groups: activities not declared, alcohol and drugs, travel against FCDO advice, undeclared medical conditions, and limits on trip length or age. GOV.UK asks travellers to check the first three in particular, so compare each with your plans before you pay.

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  Sports and activities: Winter sports, skydiving and similar activities usually need specialist cover or an add-on, according to GOV.UK. Check every activity, from scuba diving to a guided hike above a set altitude.
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  Quad bikes and mopeds: GOV.UK says the use or hire of quad bikes and mopeds is not usually covered. Riding without the licence the UK and the country require is almost never covered.
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  Alcohol and drugs: Most policies do not cover events that happen after you have drunk excessive alcohol or taken recreational drugs, GOV.UK warns.
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  Unattended belongings: Items left in a car, on a beach or in an unlocked room are often excluded, and so are valuables in hold luggage.
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  Strikes, unrest, terrorism and natural disasters: GOV.UK notes that cover is often limited: read these sections before you book a destination in the news.
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  Cruises: GOV.UK says cruises usually need extra cover, and the operator's booking conditions may set their own requirements.

The FCDO advice for each destination is on the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages. If the FCDO changes its advice after you have booked, contact your travel company and your insurer straight away: package holiday rules and many cancellation sections treat that change differently from a simple change of mind.

Driving abroad has its own rules. GOV.UK asks you to check driving cover with the hire company, or with your motor insurer if you take your own car. Our guide to driving in Europe from the UK lists the documents to carry, and the international driving permit guide explains when a permit is needed.

Cancellation cover refunds the non-refundable costs of your trip when one of the reasons listed in the policy stops you travelling, typically serious illness, injury or death of you, a travelling companion or a close relative, jury service, redundancy, or your home being damaged by fire or flood just before departure. A reason not on the list is not covered.

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  Usually covered: Illness or injury certified by a doctor, bereavement, a summons for jury service or as a witness, compulsory redundancy, serious damage to your home, and in some policies a change in FCDO advice.
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  Usually not covered: Changing your mind, not being able to afford the trip, work commitments, a pre-existing condition you did not declare, and a passport that expired or was not renewed in time.
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  Partly covered: Cutting a trip short is usually paid per unused day; a missed departure only if the cause is listed, such as a breakdown on the way to the airport.

Check that the cancellation amount covers the full cost of your trip per person: a £2,000 limit per person, the MoneyHelper minimum, will not cover a £3,000 trip for one traveller. Keep every booking confirmation and cancellation letter, and ask your travel company for a cancellation invoice: insurers ask for proof of what you paid and what was not refunded.

A passport problem is the most avoidable refused claim. Check your passport's issue and expiry dates against the rules of your destination before you book, using our guide to entry requirements for British passport holders.

Many travel problems are first the responsibility of the airline or the holiday company, not of your insurer. UK law gives fixed compensation for long flight delays, the Package Travel Regulations make the organiser of a package responsible for the whole holiday, and ATOL protects flight-inclusive packages if the travel company fails.

On a covered flight, the airline must also give care whatever the cause of the delay: food and drink, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport if the delay runs overnight. After a delay of 5 hours or more, you can choose not to travel and get a refund for the unused flights. Details are on the Civil Aviation Authority's delays page.

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  Package holidays: Under the Package Travel Regulations 2018, the organiser is responsible for every part of the package. If it cancels or makes a significant change, you can cancel and get a full refund, which the Competition and Markets Authority expects within 14 days.
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  ATOL: A package that includes a flight should come with an ATOL Certificate. If the travel company fails, the scheme helps you finish your trip or get home and refunds the protected parts. ATOL does not cover cancellations, complaints, sickness or injury, and does not cover a flight bought directly from an airline.
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  ABTA: If you booked with an ABTA member, ABTA can help with a complaint you cannot settle with the company.
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  Airline failure: A flight-only booking is not protected by ATOL. GOV.UK suggests checking whether your policy covers airline or supplier failure, or choosing an ATOL-protected holiday.

Insurance comes after these rights. Most travel disruption sections pay a fixed sum or extra costs only for what the airline or the organiser does not owe you, so claim from them first and keep their written answer.

Possibly. MoneyHelper advises checking whether you already have cover before you buy a policy, because travel cover often comes with a packaged bank account, alongside mobile phone and breakdown cover. Paying for a second policy for the same trip does not mean being paid twice.

Read the account's travel cover as carefully as a policy you would buy: it often has an age limit, a maximum trip length, a narrower list of covered activities, and medical screening that you must complete yourself, sometimes by phone. A condition you did not declare to the bank's insurer is not covered, even if the account is in your name. MoneyHelper also reminds account holders to check that the benefits are worth the monthly fee.

Credit cards give a different protection. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, a credit card provider is jointly liable when something you paid for goes wrong, for a single item costing more than £100 and no more than £30,000. It usually does not apply when you paid through a third party. Debit card payments can be disputed through chargeback, limited to what you paid on that card, as Citizens Advice explains. Neither replaces medical cover: they help you get money back from a company that failed, not pay a hospital.

Call the 24-hour emergency assistance number on your policy as soon as you need medical help, and before you agree to anything beyond emergency treatment: most policies ask you to contact them first, and some refuse costs they did not approve. For theft or loss, get a written report on the spot and keep every receipt.

1. Medical emergency
   Go to the nearest emergency service first, then call the assistance line. Give your policy number and let them speak to the hospital about payment and, if needed, repatriation.
2. Theft
   Report it to the local police and get a written report: most policies set a deadline, often 24 hours.
3. Lost or damaged luggage
   Report it to the airline before you leave the airport and ask for a Property Irregularity Report. Claim from the airline first.
4. Lost passport
   Contact the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate for an emergency travel document, and keep the receipt.
5. Costs you pay yourself
   Keep every receipt, prescription, medical report and taxi fare, and photograph them.
6. After you get home
   Send the claim form and copies of the documents within the time limit in the policy, and keep the originals.

Two numbers lower every claim. The excess is the amount deducted from each claim, sometimes per person and per section. The single-item limit is the most the policy pays for one item, often well below the price of a recent phone, camera or laptop: list expensive items separately if the policy allows it, or check whether your home insurance covers them away from home.

Complain to the insurer first, in writing, saying what you think is wrong and what you want. The insurer has up to 8 weeks to send its final response; if you disagree with it, or have no answer after 8 weeks, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free.

You have 6 months from the date of the insurer's final response to go to the ombudsman. You do not need a lawyer or a claims management company. Keep copies of the policy wording, the claim, every letter and a note of every call. The steps are on the Financial Ombudsman Service website.

Common grounds for a fair complaint include a refusal based on a condition that was declared, an exclusion that is not clear in the wording, or a payment far below the receipts. A refusal based on an undeclared condition or on excessive alcohol is harder to challenge, which is why the declaration matters more than the price.

Ten checks, in the order to do them, cover almost every reason a claim is refused. Do the first four on the day you book.

• Is cover for a trip abroad a legal requirement for UK residents?

  No, UK law does not require it, but GOV.UK advises having it for every trip abroad. Some countries and visas ask for proof of medical cover at the border or in the visa application: check the entry rules of your destination.

• When should I buy cover for a holiday?

  As soon as you have booked. GOV.UK advises it because cancellation cover only protects you from the day the policy starts.

• Does my GHIC replace a travel policy?

  No. A GHIC gives access to state healthcare in the European Economic Area and a few other countries, but it does not pay for private treatment, a medical flight home or mountain rescue. The NHS advises having both.

• How much medical cover do I need for the USA?

  MoneyHelper suggests £2 million or more for the USA and destinations outside Europe, and at least £1 million for Europe. GOV.UK cites more than £150,000 for a stomach infection treated in a US hospital.

• What happens if I do not declare a medical condition?

  GOV.UK warns that it may invalidate your cover. A claim linked to the condition can be refused, and sometimes the whole policy. Declare tests and treatment you are waiting for, and mental health conditions too.

• Is annual multi-trip cover worth it?

  With one trip a year, a single-trip policy normally costs less, according to MoneyHelper; with two or three trips, compare both. Check the maximum length of each trip, often 31 days.

• Am I covered if the FCDO advises against travel?

  Usually not. GOV.UK says travelling to a destination where the FCDO advises against all travel or all but essential travel may invalidate your insurance.

• Are winter sports covered by a standard policy?

  Usually not. GOV.UK says winter sports, skydiving and similar activities normally need specialist cover or an add-on. Ski rescue is not covered by the GHIC either.

• Who pays if my flight is delayed?

  First the airline, on flights covered by UK law: care during the delay and, for an arrival more than 3 hours late, £220, £350 or up to £520 per person depending on distance, unless the cause was extraordinary circumstances.

• Does my packaged bank account include travel cover?

  Many do. Check its age limit, trip length, activities and medical screening before your trip, and do not buy a second policy for the same cover.

• How do I complain about a refused claim?

  Complain to the insurer in writing first. After its final response, or after 8 weeks without one, take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months. It is free.