Yes, you can buy travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions. The catch is that you must declare every one, and the insurer then decides whether to cover it, charge more or exclude it.
Most people with a long-term condition still find a policy. The price will differ, though, and so will the small print that decides what gets paid when you're in a foreign emergency department with a bill in front of you. The rules below are current as of October 2026.
Declare everything you're asked about. A cheap policy that excludes your condition can leave you with a foreign hospital bill. A dearer one that names it as covered is the one that pays out.
This is general information, not insurance, medical or legal advice. Your insurer's policy wording is what counts, so read it before you pay.
What counts as a pre-existing medical condition?
There's no single legal definition. Each insurer writes its own, so what one company calls "pre-existing" another may treat as "stable" and price differently.
Each insurer also sets its own look-back window, so ask how far back its medical questions go. A condition you've seen a doctor about or had treated recently will usually count.
Insurers typically treat these as pre-existing:
- a diagnosed condition such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease
- anything you take regular medication for, including controlled high blood pressure
- symptoms you've seen a doctor about, even without a diagnosis
- tests, scans or treatment you're still waiting for
Minor, well-controlled conditions can count too. Answer each question as it's asked and let the insurer decide whether it matters.
Taking tablets abroad is a separate question. Our guide to travelling with medication covers airline and customs rules.
What happens if you don't declare a condition
Stay quiet about a condition and the policy may be worthless. The UK government's foreign travel insurance guidance says failing to declare something may invalidate your travel insurance.
It tells you to declare existing conditions, including ones still under investigation, and any pending treatment or tests. Not sure whether something counts? Ask, and don't assume it's covered.
Once you declare a condition, the insurer can respond in 4 ways. The UK Financial Ombudsman Service lists the same 4 options when someone's health changes after they buy.
| You declare it | What the insurer may do | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted | Covers it at the normal price | Claims for it are paid |
| Accepted with a loading | Charges an extra premium | Same cover, higher price |
| Excluded | Leaves that condition out | Claims for it aren't paid |
| Declined | Withdraws or refuses cover | Try a specialist or directory |
UK travellers: the MoneyHelper and BIBA directories
The FCA's signposting rules have applied to UK travel insurers since 26 April 2021. In some circumstances, insurers must point customers with a serious pre-existing condition to a directory of specialist firms.
As of October 2026, two directories meet the FCA's criteria. One is MoneyHelper's travel insurance directory, run by the Money and Pensions Service. The other is the BIBA Travel Medical Directory.
The GOV.UK guidance points people with serious medical conditions to BIBA's list of specialist providers. Either way, read the policy wording before you pay.
One change most guides miss: from 1 January 2026, the FCA raised the medical-condition premium trigger for signposting from £100 to £200. It will review the figure every five years in line with the Consumer Prices Index.
The effect is that fewer customers are referred automatically. Don't wait to be offered a directory when you can simply use it yourself.
Searching for holiday insurance with medical conditions mostly brings up comparison sites. They can work for a minor, well-controlled condition, as long as the quote names it. For a serious one, start with a directory instead.
The GHIC helps, but it isn't insurance
The UK's Global Health Insurance Card gives you state healthcare that can't reasonably wait until you're home, and the NHS says it covers care for long-term or pre-existing conditions too. The card is free and lasts up to 5 years. You can renew it up to 9 months before it expires.
It doesn't cover private treatment, medical repatriation or ski and mountain rescue. You may pay the same co-payments a local resident would.
Treatment such as kidney dialysis or chemotherapy needs arranging in advance. The NHS is blunt: the GHIC isn't a replacement for travel insurance.
US travellers: Medicare, waivers and the flight home
If you're on Original Medicare, don't count on it abroad, because Medicare.gov says it usually doesn't cover health care outside the US apart from a few narrow exceptions. One is an emergency where a foreign hospital is closer than the nearest US hospital that can treat you.
The same page says Medigap policies may cover emergency care abroad, so check your plan's terms. Look for the evacuation line in any travel policy too. It's the benefit a mountain rescue in the Alps or a medical flight home depends on.
Many US travel plans handle pre-existing conditions with a look-back period and an optional waiver. The look-back is the window before you buy, in which a change to your condition can make it "pre-existing". A waiver removes that exclusion if you meet the plan's conditions.
Those conditions typically include buying soon after your first trip payment. They're insurers' own terms, not a federal rule, and they differ by plan.
Here's how a look-back works, with made-up numbers. Say a plan looks back 90 days and you buy on 1 March.
A medication change on 20 January falls inside the window. The same change on 20 November doesn't. Ask for the exact number of days and the waiver deadline in writing.
Canada in brief
In Canada, your provincial plan won't carry you far. A British Columbia resident is covered at home, but the plan may pay little abroad.
The Government of Canada's insurance factsheet says it may cover nothing, or only a very small portion of the cost of medical care abroad. The government won't pay your bills either.
The same factsheet tells you to understand how your policy defines pre-existing conditions. It also lists what to check: medical evacuation to Canada and repatriation of remains. Most policies don't cover pregnancy-related conditions automatically.
When to buy, and when to tell your insurer again
Buy the day you book the trip. Not later. At Heathrow or any other airport, it's too late to find out about an exclusion.
Buying early helps in 2 ways. A waiver usually has a deadline counted from your first trip payment. And you learn about an exclusion while you can still change plans.
Your health can change after you buy. The UK Financial Ombudsman Service says you should tell your insurer about significant changes if your policy asks.
That includes changes while you're waiting for a diagnosis.
Then the insurer can cover the condition for no extra cost, charge more, exclude it or withdraw cover. If it withdraws cover, the Ombudsman says it would generally expect the insurer to offer to cover your cancellation costs.
Skip reporting a change you should have reported, and the insurer may refuse to pay.
7 questions for choosing the best travel insurance for pre-existing conditions
There's no single best travel insurance for pre-existing conditions. The right policy names your condition, fits your destination and pays for the thing most likely to go wrong. Put these questions to every insurer:
- Is my condition covered, excluded, or covered only after a medical screening?
- How far back does the medical question look, and what counts as stable?
- Does cancellation cover include a flare-up of my condition, or only the medical section?
- Does medical evacuation to my home country include medical staff on the flight?
- What's the excess on a claim linked to my condition?
- Am I still covered if my government advises against travel to the destination?
- What changes in my health must I report before I leave?
If you're older, get quotes for travel insurance for seniors with pre-existing conditions at more than one age band, because age and conditions both feed the price. Skip the free cover bundled with a bank account or card unless its wording names your condition.
Heading for a Schengen country on a visa? Those requirements are separate, and our Schengen visa insurance guide sets them out. Then add the premium to your trip costs with the budget calculator.
If you're refused cover
A refusal isn't the end. One insurer's no isn't every insurer's no, because each sets its own rules, so don't give up after the first answer. Work through these 5 steps in order:
- Ask what would change the answer. The FCA says firms selling policies that exclude pre-existing conditions should tell you whether, and how, the exclusion can be removed.
- Use a directory. The FCA's signposting rules exist to point people with serious medical conditions to specialist firms through the MoneyHelper or BIBA directories.
- Check the timing. GOV.UK says to declare conditions under investigation and any pending tests, so tell insurers where you are in the process and book flexible fares until you know.
- Compare holiday insurance for pre-existing conditions across specialist firms, not only the first one that quotes.
- If a claim is rejected, complain to the insurer first, then the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Start at step 4 for a minor condition and at step 2 for a serious one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions?
Usually yes. Most insurers will quote once you declare the condition, though they may charge more, exclude it or decline. If a mainstream insurer says no, try a specialist directory, such as MoneyHelper's in the UK.
What counts as a pre-existing condition for travel insurance?
Each insurer defines it. It's usually a condition you've seen a doctor about or had treated, and the look-back window varies. Ask each insurer for its exact wording.
Do I have to declare a medical condition?
Yes, when you're asked. GOV.UK says failing to declare something may invalidate your travel insurance. If you're unsure whether something counts, ask the insurer and keep the answer in writing.
Which travel insurance companies cover pre-existing medical conditions?
It depends on your condition, age and trip, so no single list is reliable. In the UK, use the MoneyHelper or BIBA directories. Elsewhere, ask each insurer whether it covers your named condition.
Does the GHIC cover pre-existing conditions?
The NHS says it covers state care for long-term or pre-existing conditions. It doesn't cover private treatment or repatriation, and treatment like dialysis needs arranging first.
