Already overseas and need travel insurance?

Are you already overseas on holiday and forgot to buy travel insurance? Don’t worry, you may still be able to get cover. Hurrah!

We know there are many circumstances that may have led you to leave the country without cover and fortunately, so do insurers. For example:

• You simply forgot to purchase travel insurance before departing
• You’re on a business trip and just need cover for the personal leisure portion
• You have credit card travel insurance but need cover for additional adventure activities
• You had a travel insurance policy that expired because you forgot to extend it.

Eligibility requirements and conditions for already overseas travel insurance policies vary from one insurer to the next. Depending on the insurer you choose, there is often a waiting period before your cover takes effect, and like standard travel insurance, age limits may apply.

Of course, you can’t get cover for mishaps or injuries that have already happened prior to purchasing your policy, but an already overseas travel insurance policy can make sure you’re covered for the remaining portion of your adventure. Policies will usually offer very similar comprehensive cover as regular travel insurance. So what are you waiting for? Get protected!

Where can I buy already overseas cover?

If you’ve found yourself abroad without cover, you’re not the first and trsut us, you won’t be the last. Thankfully, the following insurers offer protection to Australians who have already left their home country.

Show comparison table

Insurer	Underwriter	Age restriction	Waiting period	Condition	Buy Now
	HDI Global Specialty SE – Australia	64 and under	72 hours
	Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd	64 and under	48 hours
	Certain underwriters at
Lloyd's,75 and under,48 hours,unknown - Permanent residents	who are overseas and are returning to Australia are eligible to purchase. Cover cannot extend 18 months in total from the date you originally departed Australia. You must have unrestricted right of entry into Australia and access to Medicare	(excluding Reciprocal Health Agreements),
	Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company	70 and under	48 hours
	Certain underwriters at LLoyd's	80 and under	72 hours
	Certain Underwriters at Lloyds	Up to 90	48 hours
	Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company	70 and under	48 hours
	XL Insurance Company SE	69 and under	72 hours
	Zurich Australian Insurance Limited	Up to 99	72 hours
	Zurich Australian Insurance Limited	Up to 99	72 hours
	Zurich Australian Insurance Limited	Up to 99	72 hours

General Advice Warning: The contents of this article were accurate at the time of writing. Insurers change their policies from time to time, so some information may have changed. You should always read the Product Disclosure Statement of your chosen insurer to understand what is covered and what isn’t. The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account any personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your personal circumstances.

What does already overseas travel insurance cover?

Overseas medical cover

This is one of the most important features of any travel insurance cover. Overseas medical cover generally includes 24/7 emergency medical assistance and may also cover the costs for: ambulance rides, medical evacuations, funeral arrangements, messages to family, medical and hospital bills, surgical, nursing and emergency dental treatment.

Cancellation cover

No matter how organised you are, when travelling overseas there are many events beyond your control. This covers you for costs if you suddenly find you can’t go on your trip or need to cut short your trip short for some unforeseen circumstance such as illness, an accident or a death of a close relative.

Lost or damaged Luggage

These days, most of us travel with suitcases jam-packed with our beloved belongings. Luggage and personal effects benefits can cover reimbursement for replacement of your luggage and personal effects which are lost or stolen.

Travel delays

Bummer, your flights delayed, now what!? If your transport is postponed due to unforeseen reasons, your out-of-pocket accommodation, meals, and transport costs could be covered until you get back-on-track. Note, this benefit probably won’t kick in if you have a short delay which is less than 6 hours.

Family emergency

It’s always a worry going on holiday and leaving loved ones behind. Never fear, should a close relative, or the person you’re travelling with become seriously ill, injured or heaven-forbid die, your travel expenses would be claimable. Restrictions for family emergency cover can apply on the relatives age, medical conditions and where they live.

Personal liability

A lawsuit would certainly put a dampener on your dream holiday. Accidents happen! If you’re found responsible for another person’s injury while travelling you should be protected. Good news as personal liability bills can run into the millions.

• Who can buy? - With most insurers you must be an Australian citizen or resident in order to buy an already overseas travel insurance policy. You can also normally buy it if you are on a spousal visa or skilled working visa. However, cover is typically not available to those in Australia on working holiday visas.

• Homeward bound – Most of the time you must have a booked return trip and be travelling back to Australia in order to buy this type of cover.

• Waiting periods - You may not be able to claim for any medical incidents in the first few days of your cover - this is known as a waiting period. A waiting period exists to protect insurers from those who have not bought insurance and then decide to purchase when they need it later, usually due to accident or illness and not wanting to pay the expensive overseas medical fees that they incur.

• Age limits – Just like a standard policy, already overseas policies have age restrictions saying who can and cannot buy. Check out the age limits of different insurers in the table above.

• Pre-existing medical conditions - Conditions that exist before you departed for your holiday are unlikely to be covered. Always read your insurer’s policy documentation to see what conditions they cover. You should always tell your insurer of any pre-existing conditions when you first purchase your policy – however trivial they may seem. Some insurers may require you to complete medical assessments during the purchase journey.

• Extending cover - If you’ve already bought a policy and then want to extend your trip - it’s much easier to extend your existing policy than it is to get new cover when you’re already abroad. If you’re already overseas and you forgot to take out cover, or your previous policy has expired, know that there are options out there for you. It’s not too late to take out already overseas travel insurance cover!