Travel insurance for Australians already overseas

Forgot travel insurance before you left home? While you can get travel insurance when you're already overseas, there are some limitations.

A family on holiday at the airport

Add kids under the age of 1 by typing a “0” 0 traveller(s)


By submitting this form, you agree to our Privacy & Cookies Policy and Terms of Service. By entering an email address you agree to create a Finder account. We will send you an email to setup your password.

Key takeaways

  • A handful of Australian travel insurers let you buy a policy if you are already overseas.
  • It won't cover you for events that have already happened.
  • You'll also have a waiting period of a few days before you will be covered.

Can you get travel insurance when you're already overseas?

Yup, you can still get travel insurance if you've already left Australia, or your home city if you're travelling domestically. However, there are some limitations to what and when you'll be able to claim, which will vary by insurer. These could include:

  • Not all travel insurers offer cover if you're already overseas/have started a domestic trip.
  • Those that do won't cover anything that's already happened.
  • There'll be a waiting period where you won't be able to make a claim - typically 2 or 3 days.
  • Your trip will need to end in Australia for you to be able to get cover.
  • You'll probably need to be an Aussie resident.

When should you take out travel insurance?

You should get travel insurance as soon as you can - as soon as you've committed to the trip basically. This is because travel insurance can cover costs associated with your trip even before the trip starts, but only if you've already taken out cover.

For example, lets say you book flights and accomodation in February for a trip in April. Then let's say an insurable event forces you to cancel your trip in March. If you took out travel insurance when you booked your trip, you should be covered for any losses. However, if you'd waited until April to buy a policy, then you wouldn't be covered, and would need to cover the costs yourself.

It won't cost you any more to buy travel insurance in advance, but it can save you tonnes of cash if something goes wrong.

Already overseas travel insurance: Conditions for each insurer

BrandWaiting PeriodJourney Must End in Australia?Enquire
Medibank Travel Insurance3 days for all claims
Bonus
Get quote
Freely Travel Insurance3 days for all claims
Bonus
Get quote
Fast Cover Logo72 hours for Covid related claims
48 hours for other claims
Finder AwardBonus
Get quote
Insure4Less Travel Insurance Logo48 hours for all claims
Get quote
Travel Insuranz Travel Insurance Logo48 hours for all claims
Get quote
Covermore logo3 days for all claims
Bonus
Get quote
Travel Insurance Saver72 hours for all claims
Get quote
Easy Travel Insurance3 days for all claims
Get quote
Kogan travel insurance logo3 days for all claims
Get quote
1Cover Logo
72 hours for all claims
More info

Note: This information was last updated August 2023

What does already overseas travel insurance cover?

Already overseas travel insurance policies will generally offer the same level of cover as any other plan. This includes:

  • Overseas medical assistance and hospital expenses.
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation
  • COVID-related losses
  • Hire car excess
  • Cancellation or amendment to your trip (e.g if you suffer a serious illness and are unable to travel home as planned)
  • Theft, damage or loss of your belongings.
  • Theft of cash, valuables and belongings
  • Family emergencies

Tips for comparing travel insurance policies if you are already overseas

There are a number of tips you should be aware of to help ensure you end up with the best already overseas travel insurance policy to suit your needs.

  • What is the waiting period? Most insurers will apply a waiting period of about 3 days before cover will commence.
  • What excess will you pay? Some insurers will apply an increased excess for already overseas policies.
  • What activities will you be covered for? Then you can consider the activities and experiences you plan on enjoying while travelling. Will you be just relaxing beside the pool most of the time or are you planning on engaging in higher-risk activities like skydiving? Some policies will exclude certain activities, so make sure you know what is and isn’t covered.
  • Will you be covered for medical repatriation to Australia? If taking out travel insurance while overseas, it's important to find a policy that will cover the cost of medical repatriation to Australia where necessary.
  • Need cover for the family? Most insurance companies offer Family cover so that you can cover your spouse and children under the one policy. Cover for dependents under the age of 21 is generally provided free of charge.

Frequently asked questions

Tim Bennett's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 646 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

More guides on Finder

  • Expat travel insurance

    Are you an Australian currently residing overseas and looking for travel insurance cover? Find cover options from international travel insurance providers and make a secure enquiry for cover.

  • How to extend travel insurance

    Find out which providers will let you extend your policy while travelling and the general conditions for extending cover. Find out when you can extend your policy free of charge.

Ask a question

You are about to post a question on finder.com.au:

  • Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank details) as your question will be made public
  • finder.com.au is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or product provider
  • We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations
  • Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions below to see if yours has already been asked

Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our Terms Of Service and Finder Group Privacy & Cookies Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

34 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    LynneMarch 27, 2018

    We are currently covered with credit card insurance with CBA for one year which has just run out. CBA credit card cover states that we have to return to Australia to reinstate the yearly insurance however, we aren’t returning to Australia until December 2018. Currently, have been living in Bali for 6 months which visa expires in May. We leave Bali to go to KL to extend our Indonesian Visas for another 6 months and will travel around Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia for 5-6 weeks then return to Bali for 6 months then probably back to Australia beginning December. We are looking at getting travel insurance from 3rd May when we leave Bali for say 6 weeks until we return to Bali. We are aged 51 and 60 in good health. Are we able to get travel insurance for this 6 week period?

    Thanks for any information

    Lynne

      Default Gravatar
      LiezlMarch 27, 2018

      Hi Lynne,

      Thanks for visiting Finder.

      Yes, you may get a cover from the Australian insurers listed above whilst overseas as long as you’re coming back and have a return ticket booked to Australia. To get a quote, simply click the “Get Quote” button above.

      When getting a quote, make sure to include all the regions you’ll be visiting on your policy to ensure that you are appropriately covered when you cross borders. Moreover, make sure to ask your insurer regarding natural disaster cover like a cover for Mt. Agung ash cloud.

      Best regards,
      Liezl

    Default Gravatar
    TraceyJanuary 19, 2018

    Chat conversation start

    Hi just shopping but hope you can help. My Australian daughter is currently living in Chile, but is planning a move to Germany early March and then back to Australia late January/February 2019. She had travel insurance but we didn’t renew it. Just wanting quotes now for me to cover her – she has been living out of the country for approx 3 years now

      AvatarFinder
      RenchJanuary 21, 2018Finder

      Hi Tracey,

      Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer you general advice.

      If you’re daughter is living overseas for an extended period, chances are you’ll want to take out travel insurance at some stage to further explore the region you are living in. But when it comes to taking out cover with an Australian provider, one of the requirements is usually that you must end your trip in Australia.

      There are respected brands who do offer protection to Australians who are already abroad. You will need to be an Australian resident in order to take out cover overseas.

      The page you are currently on has some useful information to your question. You may click the name of your insurance to know more details and you may click the green “Get quote” button to direct you to their official site.

      Best regards,
      Rench

    Default Gravatar
    BertAugust 19, 2016

    Hi

    I am Australian citizen I am married to thai National. We plan to visit Australia in October. What would be our best travel insurance to cover wife?

      AvatarFinder
      RichardAugust 22, 2016Finder

      Hi Bert,

      Thanks for your question. Finder is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised product recommendations. You may find our guide to travel insurance for non-residents helpful.

      All the best,
      Richard

    Default Gravatar
    ANDREASJuly 28, 2016

    I bought a policy for Travel Insurance for three months but now I decided to prolong my journey for another month and my insurers cannot extend my insurance. Can I extend it through another Insurer?

      AvatarFinder
      RichardJuly 29, 2016Finder

      Hi Andreas,

      Thanks for your question. Yes, you can get travel insurance while you’re overseas. Please consult the table at the top of the page for a list of travel insurance brands in the panel that offers this service.

      I hope this was helpful,
      Richard

    Default Gravatar
    RoxanneJune 20, 2016

    Hi my daughter had complimentary travel insurance for 6 months that is about to expire. She is staying in London working for another 6 months how can she get travel insurance for 6 months when she has Arcady left Australia and how expensive is it?

      AvatarFinder
      RichardJune 21, 2016Finder

      Hi Roxanne,

      Thanks for your question. There are several travel insurance brands in our panel that offer cover for people that are already overseas. You can review the insurance brands in our panel that offer this cover above. Additionally, if your daughter ends up needing cover for an extended period of time, you may learn more about long-term travel insurance.

      I hope this was helpful,
      Richard

Go to site