What you need to declare on your travel insurance

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, getting the right travel insurance is essential. Declaring your conditions ensures you’re covered for cancellations or medical treatment related to your health. This guide explains what to declare, how far back to go in your medical history, and when to report changes so you can choose the right cover. 

This guide explains: 

 

• Which medical conditions you need to declare 
• When you need to declare a pre-existing medical condition 
• What isn’t covered by your medical travel insurance 

What medical conditions do I need to declare? 

All pre-existing medical conditions must be declared – even if they’re well managed or don’t cause symptoms. 

 

What counts as a pre-existing medical condition?

Any condition that has required treatment, medication, tests or medical advice – even if it’s mild or controlled. 

 

What else do I need to tell insurers about? 

You should declare if you’re awaiting tests, results, surgery, have undiagnosed symptoms, or recent medical investigations. 

 

What happens if I don’t declare a condition?

Your policy may be invalid, and any related claim can be rejected. 

You’ll need to declare all pre-existing medical conditions when taking out travel insurance. Not telling us about your medical conditions means you’re at risk of travelling without valid cover and any potential claim being declined. 

 

While your medical condition may be managed and doesn’t cause you any trouble, it’s still important to tell us about it. 

As a general rule, pre-existing medical conditions will need to be declared if they’ve happened within the last two years, but make sure you check the terms of your policy.  

 

In addition to pre-existing medical conditions, we also need to know if you’re: 

 

• Waiting for tests, results or surgery 

• Have undiagnosed symptoms 

• Have had recent medical appointments about a condition 

• Have had any surgery or investigation for a condition 

A pre-existing condition is something that's required treatment, tests, medication or consultations. Even if your condition is well controlled or mild, you’ll still need to let us know. 

 

If you’re unsure whether a condition needs to be declared, it's always best to tell us. If you don’t and something happens, your claim could be rejected.

We’ve helped millions of travellers get cover that reflects both their health and their holiday. Whether you’ve had a recent diagnosis or you’ve been managing a medical condition for a while, we can often include it in your policy. 

 

Scenarios we regularly cover: 

 

• High blood pressure or raised cholesterol 

• Type 1 and 2 diabetes 

• Asthma 

• COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 

• Arthritis 

• Heart conditions – including angina or a past heart attack 

• Mental health 

• Cancer 

• Digestive issues such as gastric reflux or diverticulitis 

• Thyroid problems 

• Glaucoma or cataracts 

 

This is just an example of medical conditions that are more regularly reported. If your condition isn’t listed here, we might still be able to help – just check our website or speak to our friendly team for support.

Even if you haven’t had symptoms recently, it’s important to declare a stable or well-managed condition as it’s still considered to be pre-existing. 

 

Examples of a controlled condition include (but aren’t limited to): 

 

• Asthma that’s controlled with an inhaler 

• High blood pressure managed with tablets 

• Diabetes controlled with diet or medication 

• Thyroid disorders managed with medication 

• Arthritis or joint conditions 

• Past cancer that’s being monitored 

 

If you don’t declare a pre-existing medical condition and something happens while you’re on holiday that’s linked to it, you could find that your insurance won’t cover you. 

A terminal prognosis is when you’ve been given a life expectancy by your doctor or medical professional. We aren’t able to insure you if you’ve already been given a terminal prognosis.

If you’re waiting for a diagnosis or tests, your travel insurance won’t cover the undiagnosed condition. But you’ll still be covered for emergency medical treatment unrelated to that condition, and if your trip is cancelled for unrelated reasons. 

 

As long as you’re not travelling against the advice of a doctor or for a medical consultation or treatment, you may be able to get travel insurance.  

You don’t need to declare specific names of medication, but you do need to declare the condition that the medication is for. 

 

It’s all part of the policy screening process, where you’ll be asked about medical conditions. So, if you take blood pressure tablets, you don’t need to explain the medication, but you will need to say that you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

If you forget to tell us about any changes to your health, you may not be covered if you have a medical emergency and need to claim.

It’s important to let us know of any changes to your health or medical conditions, including a new diagnosis, so your policy covers you for everything you need it to before you set off. 

  

Adding a new medical condition to your policy might cost a bit extra, but it means you’re covered if you have a medical emergency while you’re away, or before you go. 

  

You can update your policy details on MyStaysure, to avoid paying the admin fee you would be charged by calling us.

If you’ve had any type of surgery in the last two years, including cosmetic surgery, it’s important that you tell us about it. If you’re awaiting cosmetic surgery, take a look at our awaiting surgery page to see what we can cover. 

  

If you’re travelling to receive medical treatment or surgery abroad, we wouldn’t be able to cover you with travel insurance. 

It’s important to let us know if you have a mental health condition, so we can ensure you’re covered if your condition affects your holiday plans.  

 

Mental health conditions we may cover include:   

  

• anxiety disorders  

• depressive disorders  

• mood disorders  

• eating disorders 

Pregnancy isn’t a medical condition, so you don’t need to declare it when taking out holiday insurance. But if you have any pre-existing conditions or a condition related to your pregnancy, such as high blood pressure then you do need to let us know. This ensures you’re covered in the event you need to give birth unexpectedly during your trip. 

 

Airlines request a medical certificate if travelling after 28 weeks of pregnancy. Most airlines won’t allow air travel after 36 weeks for a single pregnancy and 32 weeks for multiple pregnancies. 

Medical screening is where we ask you some simple questions relating to the medical condition(s) that you’re declaring. We use this information to make sure you have the right cover in place. 

  

The questions will vary depending on your condition. We may ask about your treatment, if you’ve been prescribed any medication, and any recent medical appointments. We won’t need to know the name of the medications you take. 

  

We may also ask you about what treatment you’re expecting in the future, if any. 

  

We won’t access your medical records or speak to your GP. If you’re unsure of any answers during the medical screening, we may refer you back to your GP surgery for further clarification. 

You don’t need to take lots of paperwork on holiday, but do make sure you have the following: 

 

• Your travel insurance policy document – it shows exactly what your insurance includes and doctors / hospitals may ask to see it as proof of coverage. You don’t need to print the whole document – having a PDF on your phone is usually enough. 

• Your insurance certificate – it includes your name, policy number, dates of coverage, destination(s), emergency contact number. 

• Emergency assistance contact details – make sure you have the phone number of your travel insurer’s 24-hour emergency helpline and your policy number. 

• EHIC or GHIC card if you’re travelling in Europe. 

 

It’s a good idea to email all travel documents to yourself (insurance, a copy of your passport, booking details). That way you can access them even if your phone or bag is lost. 

We specialise in travel insurance with:  

 

• cover for pre-existing medical conditions  

• cover for all ages 

• unlimited medical expenses on our Comprehensive and Signature policies   

 

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