Travel insurance for India: what UK travellers should check

Why insurance matters for India

Healthcare in India can be excellent in the big private hospitals, but it must be paid for, and the bills can be large. If you fall ill, have an accident or need to come home early, the cost falls on you unless you are insured.

The Foreign Office is clear that emergency treatment and hospital bills abroad can be enormously expensive, and its India advice says to make sure you have cover for local treatment and for unexpected medical evacuation, especially if you have a health condition or are pregnant.

A UK Global Health Insurance Card, or GHIC, gives access to state healthcare in the EU and a few other places. It is not an alternative to travel insurance, and it will not help you in India.

What a good policy covers

Policies vary a lot, so read what you are buying. For a trip to India, these are the parts that matter most.

• Medical treatment, in both state and private hospitals, with a high limit.
• Emergency transport and repatriation, so you can be brought home if needed.
• Cancellation and cutting a trip short, for example if a relative in the UK falls ill.
• Cover for every country you pass through, including a Gulf connection.
• Personal belongings, money and documents, if these matter to you.
• A 24-hour emergency helpline you can call from India.

Pre-existing medical conditions

If you or anyone travelling has a medical condition, declare it when you buy the policy, including tests or treatment you are waiting for. The Foreign Office warns that failing to declare something may invalidate your insurance.

Declaring a condition may raise the price or mean a specialist insurer, but an undeclared condition can leave you with no cover at all for the problem most likely to happen. For serious conditions, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association runs a directory of specialist providers.

Our tip: Buy insurance the day you book. Cancellation cover only helps with things that happen after you buy it.

Insuring older parents

Many of the families we help are sending parents to India for a long winter stay. Two things catch people out. First, some policies have age limits, especially annual multi-trip policies. Second, single-trip policies have a maximum length, and a three or four-month stay can be longer than a standard policy allows.

Check both before you buy, and check that the dates on the policy match the flight dates, including any change to the return date. If parents are flying alone, see our page on assisted travel for elderly passengers for the help we arrange at the airports.

What insurance does not do, and what ATOL does

Travel insurance is not the same as ATOL protection. Patel Travel is ATOL protected under licence 74904. ATOL protects you if the travel company you booked a package with fails, so you are not left stranded or out of pocket. It does not cover illness, accidents or lost luggage. You need insurance for those.

Standard policies also exclude some activities, such as quad bikes, mopeds and some adventure sports, unless you add them. If the Foreign Office advises against travel to the area you are visiting, your insurance may not be valid there, so check its advice before you go.

Your health before you travel

Check the vaccine advice for India on TravelHealthPro at least eight weeks before you go, and take your medicines in their original packaging. Air pollution in northern Indian cities can be severe between October and February, so people with heart or breathing conditions may want to see their doctor first.

In an emergency in India, dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance. Then call your insurer’s emergency line as soon as you can, before agreeing to expensive treatment if possible, so they can guide you to the right hospital.

Annual or single-trip cover

If you travel to India more than once a year, an annual multi-trip policy can work out cheaper than buying a policy each time. Check the maximum length of each trip it covers, because many annual policies limit each trip to a few weeks, which may not be long enough for a family visit.

A single-trip policy suits one long stay, such as a winter with relatives or a wedding season. Make sure it starts on the day you book, so it includes cancellation cover, and ends after your return flight, with some margin in case the flight is delayed.

Whichever you choose, read the policy wording on medical cover and repatriation first. Those are the parts you would least want to be short of, a long way from home.

If something goes wrong

Save a copy of your policy on your phone and in your email, and give a copy to a relative in India as well as one at home. If you are taken ill, the people around you will need to know who to call and what you are covered for.

Carry your policy number and the insurer’s emergency number, and share them with someone travelling with you and someone at home. Keep receipts and medical reports, because you will need them to claim.

If you need to change your flights because of illness, call us. We will look at the options with the airline and give you the paperwork your insurer will ask for. Our e-Arrival card guide covers the rest of the paperwork for the journey.

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