Travel Insurance FAQ

• One of the main reasons to buy Travel Insurance is because most Indians have little or no health care coverage when they travel outside the country. For whatever reasons, if you require to be hospitalized, the medical costs in most developed countries are significantly higher than India.
• The policies of most insurers cover other eventualities like Loss of Passport, Baggage Delay/Loss, Missed Connection etc which could result in financial loss whilst abroad.
• In the event of your trip being cancelled, all airlines, hotels, cruise lines charge penalties if you must cancel your trip within their penalty periods. Travel Insurance will refund these penalties if you cancel for a covered reason.

Some of the criteria include:
• Policy is available for all entry ages under different plans
• Travel insurance is available for the maximum of 180 days under a Single Trip plan
• Traveller should hold either an Indian passport, PIO Card (Persons of Indian Origin Card) or OCI Card (Overseas Citizen of India Card)
• Traveller should be traveling out from India to purchase the Policy

No, there is no medical examination required upto the age of 70 years for most insurers. Some insurers ask for a few tests to be conducted post 70 years. If the insured declares having some medical history, the insurer could ask for medical reports to approve purchase of the insurance policy.

Some of the medical reports requested for by the insurer are below; the insurer could insist on more medical records/reports on a case to case basis…
• Blood Sugar PP & Fasting
• ECG report
• Doctors certificate with all details of past ailments & present medication

Most Insurance Travel Plans provide coverage to travel trips as short as 1- 4 days.

The key factors influencing the premium are the Age of the traveller, Destination of trip, Duration of travel and the Accident & Sickness Sum Insured opted for.

A ‘Pre-Existing Illness/Condition’ is one with which the person is already suffering from and is availing ongoing medical treatment when he/she buys the policy. It could also be related to a major surgery that the insured has had in the recent past. Some insurance plans do not cover pre-existing diseases, whereas a few others cover the condition in “Life Threatening situations”.

Foreign nationals in India who have a Work or Residence Permit and are based in India are eligible to buy an insurance policy from an Indian insurance provider.

The insured will need to submit an email request for extension and the extension policy can be purchased post approval from the underwriter/insurer.

Extensions under the chosen plan will be provided, subject to the following:
• The original policy period has not expired
• There is no claim under the original policy
• The insured submits a Declaration of good health
• The total extension including the original period should not exceed 180 days
• There will be no change in the plan opted for in the extension
• Extension premium has to be paid before actual extension policy is issued

Travel Insurance is not mandatory for Domestic Travel within India. While travelling abroad, only Schengen Countries have a mandatory requirement for insurance prior to granting a visa. However given the cost of medical treatment abroad, it is advisable to insure yourself every time you travel in India and abroad.

The Schengen countries with mandatory travel insurance requirements include Austria, France, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Greece, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Estonia, Iceland, Malta, Slovenia, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain.

The policy can be cancelled via a written request sighting the reason for the cancellation. The policy can be cancelled anytime prior to the inception of the policy. If the policy has already incepted and the insured has not travelled for some reason, a copy of the complete passport needs to be submitted as a proof that the journey has not been undertaken. Cancellation charges of Rs. 300/- shall be applicable and the balance premium shall be refunded.

No refund is allowed for an early return to India under any circumstances.

Each insurance partner works with their respective Assistance Partners across India and abroad. While abroad for any assistance/claim, the insured should reach out to the Assistance Partner on the Toll/Toll Free number which is provided on the policy certificate. If however, you have returned to India, you can get in touch with the insurance company directly and register a claim.

On registration of a claim with the Assistance Partner or the Insurance company directly, the claim form will be forwarded to the insured. The forms are also available on the website of the respective insurance companies. The insured will need to submit the claim form with the supporting documents for processing the claim.

The Assistance/Insurance company will pay up to 100% of the claim (subject to the policy terms and conditions and upto the maximum Sum Insured availed) above the deductible amount (mentioned on the policy certificate) to the medical facility. This will be done either by placing a Guarantee of Payment (GOP) or making a payment to the hospital. This is subject to eligibility of the insured for coverage.

The deductible under the Accident & Sickness is normally USD $100 .The policy deductible is applicable for each instance of sickness/ailment. For continuous treatments relating to the same sickness, the deductible will only be applicable once. The insured is required to quote the Claim reference number when contacting the assistance company while undergoing follow up / re-revisit treatments. The deductible will need to be paid in each instance of a new/ different ailment / sickness.

During discharge of the patient and on preparation of the final bill, the deductible mentioned in the policy schedule is payable by the insured. Apart from this, all expenses that are not payable under the terms and conditions of the policy will also have to be paid by the insured to the hospital / medical facilities. The Assistance/Insurance company will directly pay the allowed expenses to the hospital.

It is advisable that the insured contacts the Assistance Company who will direct them to a Network Hospital in the same locality and assist with a Cashless facility. There is no restriction on the hospital where treatment should be taken. The treatment can be taken in any hospital However, the hospital should be a registered hospital under the local jurisdiction.

Yes, passport loss is covered in the policy. Compensation for expenses incurred directly in obtaining a duplicate or new passport abroad.

This benefit will reimburse the insured for the loss of checked in baggage in the custody of the common carrier as per the coverage available under the availed plan.

Compensation for reasonable expenses incurred for purchase of emergency personal effects like toiletries, clothing, medication etc. due to delay in arrival of checked in baggage, whilst overseas.

No, if later the baggage and/or personal belongings are lost, then any amount claimed and paid to an Insured Person under the baggage delay will be deducted from any payment under the Baggage Loss.

Accident & Sickness Medical Expenses includes ambulance service (to or from the Hospital).

In the event of medical emergency, the Assistance Partner will arrange for evacuation and transportation based on the evaluation of your medical condition. The Assistance Partner also provides for repatriation of remains in case of unfortunate death of the insured while overseas.

If the Common Carrier in which the insured Person is aboard is hijacked, the company agrees to pay to a Distress Allowance in excess of the Deductible.

The country where you propose to spend the maximum duration of time (during the entire trip) should be selected.

Care should be taken to ensure that the departure and return dates are in line with the air tickets purchased to ensure coverage during the entire trip. It is advisable to add 1 day before and after the air ticket dates to ensure the time differences between India and the country being visited are also taken into consideration.

The insured’s completed age in number of years should be captured while getting a quote. However please note that some insurers calculate the age of the traveller on the date of travel, and this could result in a revised premium while purchasing the policy, if the insured has his birthday between the date or purchase of the policy and the date of travel and this results in a change of the age band.

Please send us an email regarding the same and we will arrange for a duplicate copy to reach you prior to your travel. You will also receive a sms with the policy number, this is sufficient for any interactions with either the Assistance Partner or Insurance Company.

If you're going on a cruise and need cover, conditions will vary from insurer to insurer and some may not cover cruises at all, therefore it is essential that you read the policy documentation prior to taking out a policy. You will also need to check that all countries you are going to visit during the cruise are covered. When using our site to book this type of insurance, we recommend that you select the furthest geographical destination for your holiday and then check with the insurer they will cover all the other countries/destinations that are scheduled for your trip.

At present you will need to purchase your cover online by searching for the most appropriate policy for you. In order to help, we have provided some guides to help you choose the best policy, your choice will be single trip and annual multi-trip. A single trip policy will provide coverage for a specific holiday or a single trip. Simply select your holiday destination and then your holiday start date and end date. An annual multi-trip policy is a travel insurance policy valid for 12 months. The main advantage of an annual multi-trip policy is that you do not have to arrange cover for each journey that you take, especially if you and/or your family travel frequently throughout the year. It also generally works out better value than buying two or three single trip policies a year.
If you still need some more assistance, we will be glad to help you over a call.

A pre-existing condition usually means any medical condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received. It is always a good idea to speak to the insurer you are thinking of using to check whether they will include your condition on the policy.
For example, If you're pregnant, certain exclusions may apply if you travel after a certain point during the period of your pregnancy. We would advise you to read the policy wording thoroughly, prior to purchasing the plan to see at what exclusions and other conditions may be in place.

We are happy to make changes/updates such as your address, title and surname (in event of marriage) on policies purchased on our site. We may also be able to change your travel dates as long as your trip duration remains the same and your trip has not yet commenced.
We will however not be able to make policy changes that will affect the premium of the policy. This includes increasing or decreasing the Sum Insureds (change in plans) or adding or deleting persons to any policy. If you wish for your policy to be changed, and your trip has not commenced, we will be able to cancel and reissue a policy with the revised details.

Your policy will expire at midnight on the final day it's valid for. For single trip polices your cover will end on the day you have advised you will return to India as per the policy certificate or on the date of your actual return, whichever is earlier. For an annual policy your cover will expire a full year later so, for example, if you purchase on the 2nd of February 2016, your policy will expire at midnight on the 1st of February 2017, by which time you must be back in India.

If you are having problems completing payment this may be for several reasons. The majority of issues are usually related to your card provider. We suggest that in the first instance you check to see if your card has had any issues; any issues around this can be answered by your bank. However, should you have a payment fail during your purchase process, please close your browser and wait before competing your search and purchase with an alternative card. We appreciate this may cause some inconvenience, but we do this to prevent any type of card fraud from taking place.

Details of cover can be found in your policy documentation regarding disasters and terrorism. Most insurance plans offer coverage for these eventualities, but there may be exclusions within your policy so it's important that you check this if you're concerned.

Medical costs abroad can be very expensive and without adequate insurance cover you could be left severely out of pocket.

Yes, once you have chosen the insurance provider on completing a few more personal details you will be directed that insurance provider where online payment can be made.

Yes, if you prefer to speak to someone about your insurance purchase, please call us at our Assistance number mentioned on this site and we will come back to you at the earliest.

Travel Insurance can take much of the worry out of a bad situation by paying for covered medical evacuation required to transport you to the nearest hospital with required medical facilites. In addition, assistance services are included to verify coverage so that you can be treated immediately. The assistance services can also help you communicate with the doctors if you don't speak the same language. Without the medical coverage included in a Travel Insurance plan, you may be forced to pay out of pocket up front for medical treatment and medical transportation, and you'll be on your own dealing with the doctors and the hospitals in a foreign country.

Firstly take a look at what insurance coverage you may require based on where you are traveling to, duration of travel. Then review all insurance companies and their plans…Take factors like Reputation of the Insurer, Assistance Partner abroad and their hospital networks across the world, Claims settlement capabilities. Thirdly, review the cancellation and refund policies applicable to your trip so that you know what the penalties are and when they will go into effect. This includes fees/penalties charged by all vendors including cruise lines, airlines, hotels, transfer companies, tour operators, etc. Contact the insurance provider directly if you have specific coverage questions.

• In addition to purchasing Travel Insurance, consider flying to the city of embarkation a day early to get accustomed to the weather and adjusting to your hotel etc. This is especially important if you are traveling internationally or across several time zones.
• Keep your insurance policy certificate handy, or atleast keep a copy of the same on your mobile phone, in case you need to reach out to the Assistance Company for any reason. Identify your policy certificate number, to quote to the Assistance Company/Hospital.
• Make sure all of your baggage is clearly labeled. Consider keeping a separate, written inventory of all the items you are taking with you including cameras, jewelry, clothing, etc., as well as their approximate values and descriptions. If you do have something that is lost or stolen, it could be easier to locate if you have this information. Additionally, it ensures that you do not forget to file a claim for something.