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 Trading (DFAT). Exclusions may apply to destinations with DFAT warnings advising either:
Do not travel
Reconsider your need to travel
How do travel warnings work?
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.
What are the advice levels?
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:
Level 1 - Exercise normal safety precautions
Level 2 - Exercise a high degree of caution
Level 3 - Reconsider your need to travel
Level 4 - Do not travel
Why do countries get tagged with 'do not travel' warnings?
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 Zika virus outbreak in 2016, the Lombok earthquake in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finder survey: What is the biggest concern for Australian travellers of different ages ?
Response
75+ yrs
65-74 yrs
55-64 yrs
45-54 yrs
35-44 yrs
25-34 yrs
18-24 yrs
Flight disruptions/cancellations
48.84%
62.11%
51.46%
51.21%
60.24%
66.02%
55.71%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1112 Australians, December 2023
How do travel warnings affect travel insurance?
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.
What is a known event?
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.
When am I not covered?
Like any type of insurance there are certain conditions you need to be aware of before you purchase. When it comes to travelling after a travel warning is issued, it's clear that you will not be covered. 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:
Travel insurance purhased after the fact
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.
Changing your mind
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.
Travelling anyway
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.
General exclusions
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:
Strikes
Riots
Severe weather
Any act of war (whether war has been declared or not) as a result of rebellion, revolution, insurrection or taking of power by the military
Contagious diseases and epidemics
Terrorist attacks
Nuclear reaction or contamination as a result of nuclear weapons or radioactivity
Biological and/or chemical materials, substances or compounds
What happens if there is a travel warning issued after I've booked my trip?
The only circumstance in which you will be covered for countries or regions with travel warnings is if the warning is issued after you have booked your trip and purchased your travel insurance. 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.
How can I make sure I'm covered?
Review your destination's travel advisory and check the travel warning before booking any travel
Purchase insurance as soon as possible after booking your trip and make sure to review the PDS for inclusions and exclusions
Sign up for Smartraveller alerts for your chosen destination so you're aware when a travel warning is issued
Avoid unsafe areas and high-risk situations
Follow advice from local media or any government or official body while travelling
Don't intentionally expose yourself to unnecessary risk
Can I get travel insurance if I'm going to a risky country that does not have an official warning?
Some countries are considered dangerous but not enough to attract any official warning from travel advisories.
For example, India is known for high levels of crime, civil unrest and traffic accidents, but no more so than many other developing nations, so they do not attract an overall travel warning. However, the Australian Government advises against travel to some parts of India due to local political and religious tensions and the threat of terrorism. The same is true for parts of southern Thailand.
Claiming for the avoidable
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.
Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification.
Long term travel insurance is designed to meet the specific needs of travellers planning extended trips away, including backpackers and business travellers.
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.
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.
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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