Can you get travel insurance when pregnant?

So, you’re creating life – good on you! While becoming a parent is certainly an exciting time in your life, pregnancy shouldn’t stop you from doing the things you love, including travelling.

However, growing a human within your person does come with some obvious medical implications. So, let’s explore what this could mean for your next holiday and how travel insurance might be of assistance.

You’ll be pleased to know many travel insurance companies provide some level of coverage for pregnant people while travelling overseas. Some domestic travel insurance policies won’t include this, as medical expenses related to your pregnancy during travel could potentially be covered by Medicare. 

But no matter where you’re travelling to while pregnant, your insurance provider will likely have strict conditions about what they will and won’t cover in relation to your pregnancy. This is often dependent on your gestational period, if you’ve had any complications with the pregnancy, and if you’re carrying more than one baby.

Travel insurance companies put a limit on the timeframe of a pregnancy they’ll cover you for, as risk of complications (including giving birth) increase as you move towards the pregnancy finish line.

You’ll often see limits of around 26 weeks gestation, but some travel insurance policies may cover you up until 30 weeks. To ensure you’re properly insured while you travel, you’ll need to sync up your baby count-down calendar with your travel dates and triple check that you’re covered right up until you return home.

Pregnancy will be listed as a travel insurance pre-existing condition under most policies. While the implications will differ between insurance companies, this could mean your pregnancy needs to fit within certain conditions, you might be required to undergo a medical assessment, or may not be able to take out cover at all if the provider doesn’t include travel insurance for pregnancy.

Travel insurance policies may include different types of cover related to your pregnancy, which will likely come with varied sub-limits and eligibility criteria to ensure coverage.

So long as you purchased travel insurance before complications arose, most travel insurance companies will cover you for pregnancy-related illnesses or conditions should they occur while you’re on holiday (and if you’re within the specified gestation period). This can also include cancellation cover if these conditions mean you are unable to set out on your trip before it begins.

Beyond medical and cancellation cover related to your pregnancy, other things that may also be part of your travel insurance include cover for:

• Lost, stolen, or damaged luggage.
• Medical, dental and hospital expenses related to other events.
• Rental car excess cover.
• Personal liability for damages or accidents you may be responsible for while travelling.

Not every travel insurance company will cover the same sort of conditions for pregnancy.  A common list of circumstance which mean you likely will not be covered while pregnant and travelling often includes:

• Falling pregnant after purchasing travel insurance.
• If you travel after a doctor has medically advised you not to.
• If you’ve experienced complications during previous pregnancy or birth.
• If you’ve experienced complications in your current pregnancy prior to purchasing travel insurance.
• You’re travelling after the specified gestational period covered by your travel insurance policy.
• Childbirth.
• Antenatal care.
• Postnatal care.
• Care of a newborn.
• Trips to cover medical treatment related to gestation or post-gestation.
• Complications that arise after the specified time period.
• Morning sickness or your inability to travel because of it.
• Medical consultation fees including hospital cover while overseas.

These are in addition to standard travel insurance exclusions such as illegal activities.

Travelling while pregnant with twins or IVF  

If you’re pregnant with twins or even more foetuses, you probably won't find a travel insurance policy to cover your pregnancy, as this is often considered a ‘complication’ (even if we consider it a joy). The same goes for if you conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or other medically assisted methods of conception.

To be on the safe side, check with your travel insurance company about these details before setting out on your trip, so there are no hidden surprises (or babies).

What a lovely surprise! But in most cases, if you fall pregnant after you purchase travel insurance, your policy may no longer be valid in its current state. This is because your risk profile has changed, so the policy will need to be assessed for pricing and anything else that the insurance provider may not cover, such as pregnancy complications.

Assuming you are able to travel and your trip is booked within the covered gestational period, you’ll want to consider updating or cancelling your existing travel insurance and purchasing a new policy with relevant pregnancy cover. It’s worth comparing pregnancy travel insurance options from a range of providers at this time.

Many insurance providers now offer travel insurance cover for claims related to COVID-19, but the details and extent of that coverage can differ significantly. Some may cover trip cancellations, medical treatment, and quarantine costs related to COVID, while others may only include a selection of these circumstances, or none at all.

Remember: if the country you’re travelling to has a travel advice level of ‘Do not travel’ or ‘Reconsider your need to travel’ on the government’s Smartraveller site, some insurance policies will not be valid. Be sure to check advice warnings before you depart, as these can change quickly in response to any perceived safety threats.

It’s also worth investigating how your pregnancy, as a pre-existing condition, might factor into the criteria which insurance companies set for their COVID-19 travel insurance cover.

Travel insurance premiums – whether you’re pregnant or not – are influenced by a huge range of factors. This can include the nature of your pregnancy as well as the value of items you’re taking on holiday and the activities you’ll be participating in.

A few other major factors include:

• Your destination. Some destinations are thought of as higher risk than others, and may attract a higher premium or not be covered at all. 
• Holiday duration. The longer you stay, the more you pay.
• Health and age. Pregnant or not, your travel insurance will need to know all your other pre-existing medical conditions to assess your health risk and price your policy accordingly. Your age will need to be factored into it as well, and there are often age caps on certain types of coverage.
• Policy type and extras. There’s a mountain of travel insurance policies to choose from. It’s up to you to take the time and select the best cover for you and your trip, including any option extras or add-ons which usually come with a higher price tag. 

If you’re uncertain about the type of cover you should purchase or if it’s safe for you to travel at all while pregnant, check with your medical practitioner.

Not every insurance company offers travel insurance to pregnant people. To help you narrow down the list of potential pregnancy travel insurance policies, we’ve listed out all the main coverage points (including pregnancy cover) in our travel insurance reviews for international trips.

Like most travel insurance claims processes, applying for a travel insurance claim while pregnant involves collecting relevant evidence (like medical bills, cancelled flight details, or police reports) and submitting this and other information through your provider's online claims portal or alternative claims system.

It could take a number of days before you hear back after lodging your travel insurance claim. If you’re wondering if you filled in everything correctly or want to chase the progress, just give your insurance company a call. 

It’s usually recommended you lodge travel insurance claims as soon as possible. No matter where you are in the world, it can be helpful to contact your insurance provider as soon as you encounter problems while travelling. They may be able to advise you about the specific paperwork or information you need in your circumstances, and can make processing a successful claim more efficient.