If you're planning to travel to a country that is unstable, it's crucial you find out if your destination is covered by your insurer. Insurers exclude certain countries from cover due to the high risk they present to travellers.
Often travel insurers will reference the alert levels from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Exclusions may apply to destinations with DFAT warnings advising either:
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) maintains Smartraveller, a website for Australians who are planning travel or are already overseas. Along with general information and advice on a range of travel topics, Smartraveller provides official travel advisories for destinations worldwide.
As part of Smartraveller's travel advisories, each destination is assigned an official advice level which reflects the risks for Australian travellers. Sometimes, cities or regions within a country will have different levels because of specific risks or safety concerns. There are four levels:
A higher advice level is applied to countries that are more dangerous to visit. This could be due to civil unrest, a severe weather warning or an act of terror. Some recent examples of travel warnings include the 'do not travel' advice for Australians looking at visiting Lebanon; this is due to the volatile security situation. There is also a 'do not travel' warning on Ukraine due to military conflict. As at September 2026, Bahrain and Kuwait are also at 'do not travel'. Advice levels change often, so check Smartraveller for your destination before you book.
Travel insurance policies detail what is and isn't included in its Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and this is where you will find a list of general exclusions. These are scenarios where you will not be covered for any reason.
One common exclusion is if your trip is affected by a natural disaster or known event. Some insurance providers will consider an event a known event if there is a travel warning against visiting that destination.
A known event, in insurance terms, is when an event that's unexpected, sudden or unforeseen actually happens. For example, if a volcano erupts at your destination, that becomes a known event. If you choose to book a trip once the event happens or are already overseas and choose to continue travelling, then your insurance will likely become void for that event.
Like any type of insurance there are certain conditions you need to be aware of before you purchase. If you travel after a travel warning is issued, you generally won't be covered for claims related to the reason for the warning. Some policies only exclude those related claims, while others exclude any claim from travel to a 'Do not travel' destination, so check your PDS. Some insurers will not cover you for destinations with a 'Do not travel' warning and others will also include destinations with a 'Reconsider your need to travel' warning in its list of exclusions.
There are, however, other scenarios when you may not be covered on your insurance policy:
Most insurers will not cover a claim if you buy travel insurance before your trip but after a travel warning is issued for your destination. This includes both cancellations fees if you need to cancel and medical expenses if you do decide to travel and become sick or injured.
You won't be covered if you purchase your trip and insurance policy and then decide not to travel to a country where no warning has been issued because you feel you would be unsafe. Most insurers will not accept change of mind as an acceptable reason for trip cancellation.
If you decide that you must travel to a country with a travel warning in place or after an event occurs that can be considered a known event, you will not be covered by your travel insurance. The Australian Government advises that it's not responsible for your safety and consular assistance won't be provided.
Regardless of when a travel warning is issued, your insurance policy might consider certain events to be excluded across the board. Events you are unlikely to be covered for include:
You're most likely to be covered if the warning is issued after you have booked your trip and purchased your travel insurance. Some policies also keep covering claims that are unrelated to the reason for a warning, but others don't, so check your PDS. In this situation, you are sometimes covered for any cancellations that occur.
If you've purchased insurance and already started your trip when a travel warning is issued, you may not be covered if you receive advice from the government to leave and choose not to.
Some countries carry serious risks without being at the 'do not travel' or 'reconsider your need to travel' levels.
For example, India has high levels of crime, civil unrest and traffic accidents, but its overall advice level is 'exercise a high degree of caution' rather than 'reconsider your need to travel' or 'do not travel'. Smartraveller sets an advice level for every destination, so the question is which level applies, not whether there is one. Higher levels do apply to parts of India: as at September 2026, the government says do not travel to Jammu and Kashmir, the India-Pakistan border and Manipur. Thailand is also 'exercise a high degree of caution' overall, with higher levels near the Thailand-Cambodia border and in the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
While you might be technically covered under your policy if there is no travel warning, your insurance may not be valid due to another common travel insurance exclusion: If you fail to act responsibly or take care.
ReadySet Travel Insurance has multiple travel insurance products for purchase with various tiers of coverage. Optional extras are available for a more comprehensive policy.
Comprehensive review of the travel insurance policies on offer from ahm Travel Insurance.
Tick Travel Insurance offers competitive single trip insurance to suit a range of travellers with three levels of cover to choose from.
Medibank is a leading travel insurance provider in Australia offering cover for international comprehensive, international medical only cover and more. Read the finder.com.au review for a breakdown of the policy and more.
Apia no longer offers travel insurance. But plenty of alternatives are available.
Some credit card travel insurance policies offer a good standard of cover now but there are a few pitfalls to watch out for.
Travel insurance with a range of optional covers but no online claims portal.
NIB Travel Insurance: No age limit and cover for 40+ pre-existing medical conditions.
If you are looking for adequate travel cover from a renown provider, then Allianz Travel Insurance may right for you.
GIO stopped offering travel insurance in 2020 but plenty of alternatives are available.
Hi Allison,
Unfortunately there are no travel insurers we are aware of that cover do not travel countries. Sorry I can’t be more help.
Gary
Hello, I am considering travelling to Istanbul in Turkey. DFAT has issued a “reconsider the need to travel” warning for some parts of Turkey, but only a “exercise high degree of caution” for the rest of the country (ie. Istanbul). Would Turkey be considered as a country with a travel warning or not by insurers, would they factor in the more specific location?
Also, do you know if any travel insurance policies currently cover for trip cancellation if the warning for the rest of Turkey gets upgraded to the “reconsider the need to travel” status? Thank you.
There are so many inaccuracies and conflicting statements on this page. For example, 1Cover and iTrek have the same underwriting and stance on terrorism cover, however you say that 1Cover doesn’t cover for ‘reconsider your needs’ warning and that iTrek does. So, which one is it???
Additionally, you failed to point out to Sarah that in addition to whether or not you are covered for travel to Turkey due to Govt warnings being in place, you should also consider whether a military take over is noted as a general exclusion in the policy. Many insurers exclude this.
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy – it appears that we missed this crucial error. 1Cover and iTrek now show the same information!
As for the previous comment you’re referring to, it was posted earlier in February, before the recent events in Turkey :)
I hope this helps,
Maurice
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your question. Most policies will typically cover you in a city where the travel status is considered “exercise high degree of caution” even if another part of the country has a “Reconsider your need to travel” or a “Do not travel” warning. You must however, take reasonable care to avoid those areas with warnings. When you apply for travel insurance, make sure you declare the country you are going to and where in the country, so that your insurer can confirm that you will be covered.
Make sure you keep an eye on the country’s overall status to see if it gets upgraded before you travel and while you’re over there.
I hope this answers your questions,
Maurice