How has the situation in Ukraine affected travel insurance?
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) currently advises against all travel to Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, which means many travel insurance policies will no longer be valid in those countries.
A small number of travel insurance policies, such as battleface, cover destinations under FCDO and government “do not travel to” advisories, and battleface is currently able to review individual applications for travel insurance to these destinations.
There are currently no UK government warnings against visiting Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary or any other neighbouring countries.
battleface continues to provide travel insurance products for these destinations.
In terms of the cost of travel insurance, at battleface, we’re always tracking the global travel ecosystem to ensure we’re covering the right risks at the right rates. Every destination country is part of our rating algorithm and is priced according to the level of risk at the time of quote.
What happens in the event of a closure of airspace?
In the event that travel is cancelled due to a no-fly zone or restricted airspace, we recommend you contact the airline or tour operator you’ve booked with as soon as possible. Ordinarily an airline would have plenty of warning of a no-fly zone and/or restricted airspace, and they would re-route or reschedule commercial flights accordingly.
In light of changing FCDO advice in eastern European countries, what are the key considerations for purchasing travel insurance?
Travellers must always ensure they have adequate travel insurance for the type of trip and destination before they travel. A one-size-fits-all approach to travel insurance doesn’t work – there are a number of factors that travellers need to take into account when purchasing travel insurance for an upcoming trip, including: the destination; the activity you expect to be doing; the length of the trip; Any pre-existing medical conditions.
Many insurance policies do not cover travellers on trips where the FCDO advises against non-essential travel, but battleface continues to provide travel benefits, up to the policy limits, for destinations worldwide including those under Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and government “do not travel to” advisories.
Government advisories could change at short notice, so those that need to travel regardless of country status (such as journalists, NGOs and charity workers) need to ensure they have a policy that will continue to protect them should government travel advice change before or during their trip.
battleface does not actively encourage people to travel to places the FCDO is advising against, we simply offer insurance cover for those who need to travel regardless of the FCDO advisory.
It’s also important to have a flexible policy with the option of a full refund if your trip no longer goes ahead – battleface will offer a full refund of the policy as long as the customer makes contact before travelling or on the same day.
Another thing to note is that many countries are now requiring proof of travel medical insurance that covers COVID-19 medical expenses on arrival, so travellers need to check the entry requirements for their destination before they travel to ensure they have adequate cover. battleface provides cover for emergency medical expenses caused by or resulting from COVID-19 on all policies for travellers up to the age of 59.
How can I keep up to date with border restrictions and government advice?
The FCDO is the best place to get the most up to date travel advice for every country. The FCDO advice remains under constant review and can change at any time. You should check travel advice for your destination prior to your trip. Travel disruption is possible worldwide. Countries may bring in new measures at very short notice such as border closures or movement restrictions.
You can also use the battleface travel tool to make informed and timely decisions based on factors including trip origin, destination, travel dates, nationality and current restrictions. Our travel hub provides up-to-the-minute information for travellers about global travel restrictions and requirements. Available via battleface’s website under the Travel Tool tab, travellers can easily navigate the continuously evolving global landscape to know where they can go, what they’ll need, what they can and cannot do, plus much more. With this new enhancement, battleface makes it easier for travellers to be completely prepared for overseas travel. This can be found at: https://www.battleface.com/en-gb/travel-tool.
Can you get insurance to travel against FCDO advice?
Travelling against FCDO advice could invalidate emergency medical cover on some travel insurance policies, so it’s important that travellers ensure they have the right insurance for their destination at the time of travel.
battleface provides full benefits, up to the policy limits, for all destinations including countries under FCDO and government essential and non-essential travel advisories.
battleface has compiled a list of organisations and NGOs that are actively supporting the people of Ukraine and has donated $25,000 between each of these organisations. For more information on how to assist those most affected by the continuing conflict: www.battleface.com/blog/ukraine-what-we-can-do-to-help/
To enquire about insurance please email [email protected].