Win $10k holiday! T&Cs apply
Win $10k holiday! T&Cs apply
We want to help you understand what a pre-existing medical condition is and what you need to do if you have any. Below is a summary of what we consider a pre-existing medical condition to be. This applies for you, your travelling companion, a relative or another person:
There are certain conditions that we want to know about no matter how long ago they were diagnosed. If you have had any of the following conditions at any time in your life, you should declare them:
If you fall into any of the above categories, you will need to disclose your medical condition before you purchase your policy.
A condition that hasn’t been officially diagnosed, but is being investigated should not be declared as this cannot be covered under the policy.
If you already have a Frequent Traveller policy and have developed a medical condition, see our FAQs for more information.
If we don’t have a full picture of your health before you travel, then any claims that you make can be reduced or rejected, or your insurance policy might become void. Additionally, if something happens to you and it’s a result of a medical condition that you didn't tell us about, you won't be covered.
The process is simple and quick. You don’t need to provide a doctor’s certificates or other documents. You’ll be asked if you have pre-existing conditions when you purchase your policy online, and if you select ‘yes’, you’ll need to fill out a simple questionnaire.
Once you have completed your medical assessment online, you’ll find out whether:
If we are able to cover your condition, we can only cover events that were not expected/unforeseen at the time we agreed to insure you.
If we can't cover your condition, it means that anyone under your policy would not be able to claim for any costs arising from, related to, or associated with your pre-existing medical condition/s.
*Please note, that this definition is a summary.
Please read the Policy Wording for a full explanation of pre-existing medical conditions.
Even with well-managed health, it's essential to disclose pre-existing conditions and understand policy exclusions. For instance, cosmetic or elective surgeries aren't covered, nor are unstable conditions you're aware of, symptomatic for, or seeking medical advice for at the time of purchase. If you're unsure about what to declare or are awaiting a diagnosis, refer to our guide below.
| Conditions You Need To Tell Us About |
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| Diagnosed Condition: If you’ve had any medical, dental, physical or mental condition, defect, virus, disease or illness that has been diagnosed in the last 12 months and you’re currently not awaiting surgery, treatment, investigation or procedures for this/these condition(s). |
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Prescribed Medication: If you’re taking or have been prescribed any medication for a diagnosed condition, in the last 12 months and you’re currently not awaiting surgery, treatment, investigation or procedures for this/these condition(s). |
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Consultation: If you’ve consulted or seen a medical adviser for a diagnosed condition in the last 12 months and you’re currently not awaiting surgery, treatment, investigation or procedures for this/these condition(s). |
| Treatment: If you’ve received, medical treatment, surgery or attended a hospital or clinic (as an outpatient or inpatient) for a diagnosed condition in the last 12 months and you’re currently not awaiting surgery, treatment, investigation or procedures for this/these condition(s) |
| Pregnancy Complications: If you’re pregnant and have had complications during this pregnancy, you must complete the online medical assessment. Learn more about our cover for pregnancy. |
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Conditions Diagnosed At Any Time In Your Life: You should tell us if you've ever been diagnosed with one of the following medical conditions at any time in your life. You should only declare these if you're not awaiting surgery, treatment, investigation or procedures:
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| Conditions We Do Not Need To Know About |
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Undiagnosed Conditions: If you or anyone travelling on the policy are aware of (or a person in your circumstances reasonably should have been aware of) change, signs or symptoms for a medical condition yet to be diagnosed, please do not declare these. Our policies do not provide cover for undiagnosed conditions that you are awaiting consultation, treatment, investigation or specialist opinion. For example (but not limited to):
Conditions Awaiting Surgery, Treatment, Investigation or Procedures: We do not provide cover for unstable conditions or those awaiting specialist opinion. You should not declare conditions where you or anyone travelling on your policy are awaiting, surgery, treatment, investigation or procedures, as these are not covered under the policy. For example (but not limited to):
Pregnancy: You don't have to disclose pregnancy to us provided that you haven't had any pregnancy complications or are planning a pregnancy via assisted reproductive treatment, such as IVF. It is important to note that our policies only provide cover for travel up to a certain gestation:
Travelling to To Seek Treatment: Please do not declare conditions where you are travelling to seek medical advice, treatment, review or where you are travelling to participate in a clinical trial. Our policies do not provide cover for any complications or other claims arising from such treatments, even if your medical condition is approved for cover by us. Cosmetic Treatments or Elective Surgeries: Our policies do not provide cover for cosmetic treatments or elective surgeries, or for any complications or other claims arising from such procedures or treatments, even if your medical condition is approved for cover by us. Conditions Involving Drug or Alcohol Dependency: Our policies do not provide cover for conditions or events arising due to drug or alcohol dependency. |
If, when you purchased your policy you were not aware of your condition (you had no signs, symptoms or investigations), your policy would provide cover for unforeseen complications or issues that may arise from your newly diagnosed condition provided that your doctor has deemed you fit to travel.
In this case, your Frequent Traveller cover will apply to trips you had already booked or part-paid for prior to your diagnosis. For any trips newly arranged after your diagnosis you will not have a provision to claim for any incidents that arise from or related to your condition as this would be classed as a pre-existing condition when you arranged the trip.
If we can’t cover you at all because of your condition, you will find out during the medical assessment.
If your condition isn’t approved, we may still offer you the option to purchase travel insurance, but you won’t be covered for claims that are the result of your pre-existing condition. This is called a pre-existing condition waiver.
Even though you’re not able to take out cover for claims related to your existing condition, you’ll still be entitled to lodge claims for cancellation, lost luggage and even medical claims so long as they aren’t related to your condition.
There may be cover available for travellers who experience a serious mental health problem for the first time, before they travel.
Cover for certain pre-existing mental health conditions may be available subject to our medical assessment and the payment of an additional premium (where required). To find out if your mental health condition can be covered, simply get a quote and complete the medical assessment at step four.
Pregnancy is not considered a medical condition unless you are currently pregnant and have had any complications of pregnancy or you are currently planning a pregnancy via assisted reproductive treatment, such as, IVF.
You are covered up to and including the 24th week for single pregnancy and up to and including the 19th week for a multiple pregnancies. Find out more about pregnancy and travel insurance.
We won’t ask for any doctor’s certificates, medical reports or evaluations, but if you don’t know the answer to something, you might need to ask your doctor. The main thing we need from you is for you to complete our online medical assessment so we can let you know if your condition can be covered.
No, you cannot apply for cover for a medical condition once you have left home, unless you are buying an Already Overseas policy.
Your policy may be invalid if you do not declare your pre-existing medical condition, or the claim amount you get back may be reduced.
No, pre-existing conditions need to be declared separately, even if you have senior’s travel insurance.
Assessments are processed instantly. Completing your assessment, depending on your condition/s and time taken to answer, can take anywhere from 1 to 20 minutes to fill out.
Cruise travel insurance can cover pre-existing conditions, this would be determined with an online medical assessment. Get a Quote for the destinations your cruise is taking you to and select the Cruise Pack follow through to the next steps and you will be prompted to disclose any pre-existing medical conditions.
For single trip policies, a condition is classed as a pre-existing condition if you were aware of the condition prior to purchasing the policy (ie. you had signs, symptoms, investigations or a diagnosis).
If you developed a medical condition and you didn’t have any signs, symptoms, investigation or diagnosis prior to buying your policy, your condition won’t be considered a pre-existing condition because it happened after the policy was issued.
If you buy your policy for travel, for example, six months in advance of travel, and then you develop a brand new medical condition between purchase and travel, you’d still have provisions to claim for unforeseen issues that arise due to or related to the condition as it was not a pre-existing condition when you purchased your policy.
However, if we’ve insured you before your travel date, you need to obtain a letter from your doctor stating that you’re fit enough to travel.
You would need to disclose the condition on any future policies.
In some instances we may be able to offer cover if you have had cancer, but you would need to disclose this as a pre-existing medical condition when you Get a Quote. We will provide you with instant feedback after your assessment.
If your trip has not yet started, you can contact our Customer Service Team to carry out an assessment for your condition.
Please be aware that depending on the outcome of the assessment you may need to pay an additional premium.
All terms, conditions and limitations will apply in the same way as if you had declared the condition when you purchased the policy.
Cover for diabetes may be available subject to our medical assessment and the payment of an additional premium (where required). To find out if your condition can be covered, get a quote and follow the prompts to complete the medical assessment.
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