canstar
canstar
Credit Score

Travel Insurance for Pregnancy

There are many reasons you may decide to travel while pregnant, be it a relaxing holiday before your baby arrives or a trip to visit family. Whatever the reason for your trip, it can be worth your peace of mind to consider travel insurance, should the unexpected happen while you’re overseas.

Banner-TravelIns-Sub-Family
Joshua Sale's profile picture
Joshua Sale
GM, Research
Alasdair Duncan's profile picture
Alasdair Duncan
Content Editor
Fact Checked

Why do I need Travel Insurance for my pregnancy?

Compare policies from over 25 Travel Insurance providers

Tick Travel Insurance
Insure and Go Insurance
World2Cover travel insurance
Fastcover
Qantas Insurance

We do not compare all brands in the market, or all products from our participating brands. At times certain brands or products may not be available or offered to you. Learn more.

medical kit icon

Medical, Accident & Evacuation Cover

If you’re travelling while pregnant, your health and that of your baby will likely be front of mind, so it can be important to seek out travel insurance that will cover you if you have an accident or fall ill overseas.. In the event of a medical emergency that requires you to be flown home for specialist treatment, expenses can be unexpectedly high, so it’s important to consider travel insurance that covers this.

emergency light icon

Trip Cancellation & Delay Cover

If something goes wrong and delays your trip, forcing you to cancel flights and hotel bookings, then you can be out a lot of money, and travel insurance can cover for these expenses. It can also be helpful with expenses if you’re stranded due to a natural disaster. That said, travel insurance does not typically cover trip cancellations or other travel losses resulting from a normal pregnancy, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re covered for.

suitcase icon

Luggage Loss or Damage Cover

Few things can ruin a trip faster than finding that your luggage has not joined you at your destination. If your bags are lost and you’re stranded without essentials, you may need to replace clothing, toiletries or even larger items. If you’re travelling while pregnant and require certain important items, this may be more of a concern, and you might therefore decide to opt for a policy with a higher limit for loss or damage.

Get Quotes

Discover award-winning Travel Insurance providers

Our research team has done the hard work, comparing costs and features to help travellers find outstanding value.

award logo

OUTSTANDING VALUE AWARD

InternationalSeniors
award logo

OUTSTANDING VALUE AWARD

Cruise
award logo

OUTSTANDING VALUE AWARD

International
award logo

OUTSTANDING VALUE AWARD

InternationalSeniors
View Travel Insurance Report

Explore and holiday worry-free

Find the right policy, compare and get instant quotes for your next adventure.

COMPARE TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel Insurance for pregnancy

Key topics

Does travel insurance cover pregnancy?

You can purchase travel insurance that covers pregnancy, although it’s important to be aware that pregnancy cover is not automatically included in travel insurance policies. Some policies may require you to pay extra to cover you for travelling while pregnant, and some may require you to undergo a health assessment before a provider will agree to give you coverage.

It’s also important to know that travel insurance policies will only cover you up to a certain point in your gestation period. Some providers may cover you up to the time you are 30 weeks pregnant, while others may only cover up to 18-26 weeks. Some may offer you more limited cover if you are pregnant with twins relative to a single pregnancy, and none will provide cover for childbirth or care of a newborn infant.

It is important, therefore, to read the terms and conditions of any policy you plan to take out, and if in doubt, get in contact directly with the insurance provider to make sure your policy will cover everything you need. Likewise, if you plan on flying to your destination, or taking a cruise, it is important to check with the relevant airline or cruise line to understand their policies on traveling while pregnant, to make sure you will not face any unexpected restrictions.

What should a travel insurance policy for pregnancies include?

When comparing travel insurance cover for pregnancy, then it’s worthwhile to consider each policy with regards to:

  • The gestational period that it covers you for (i.e. how many weeks pregnant you can be and still be covered)
  • Whether it covers pregnancies that come from IVF and fertility treatments
  • Whether it covers pregnancy complications or premature birth
  • Whether it covers cancellation of your trip due to pregnancy or birth issues

When seeking out travel insurance for pregnancy, you may wish to find an insurance provider who covers you for the maximum number of weeks into your pregnancy, to ensure that you will be covered in the event of a medical emergency.

Is pregnancy a pre-existing medical condition?

Pregnancy complications – which is to say, health problems that occur at the same time as or as a result of your pregnancy, and can adversely affect your pregnancy – may be treated as pre-existing conditions by an insurer. If you experience complications from your pregnancy prior to purchasing your travel insurance policy then it’s likely you will need to disclose these or complete a medical screening before signing up. Sometimes, you may also be required to disclose whether you have experienced complications with a previous pregnancy.

After you have disclosed the relevant facts about your pregnancy, your provider will asses whether they are willing to offer you cover, possibly with an additional premium. It is important to be honest with a travel insurance provider about the circumstances of your pregnancy, and whether you have experienced any complications, as failing to disclose may mean that your claim, should you need to make one, could be reduced or refused entirely.

What is excluded from travel insurance with pregnancy cover?

As with any form of travel insurance, travel insurance for pregnancy comes with certain exclusions, meaning there are certain situations in which you will not be covered. There are also certain important restrictions that come with this kind of cover. It is important to have a thorough understanding of any specific restrictions your policy may have, but generally speaking, travel insurance for pregnancy will not cover you if:

  • You need to claim routine medical check-ups for your pregnancy overseas
  • You need to claim expenses for childbirth or a newborn
  • You plan on travelling after the maximum number of weeks allowed by your insurance provider
  • Your doctor has advised you not to travel

There are some situations in which a provider may ask you to provide further details or complete an assessment before providing cover, and you may find that you face exclusions, depending on the outcome of this assessment. This may be the case if:

  • You conceived via a fertility treatment such as IVF
  • You have experienced complications with this or an earlier pregnancy
  • You are pregnant with multiple babies – for example twins

Travel Insurance for pregnancy FAQ's

About our finance experts

Alasdair Duncan, Senior Finance Journalist

Alasdair Duncan | Canstar

Alasdair Duncan is a Senior Finance Journalist at Canstar, specialising in home loans, property and lifestyle topics. He has written more than 400 articles for Canstar and his work is widely referenced by other publishers and media outlets, including Yahoo FinanceThe New DailyThe Motley Fool and Sky News. He has featured as a guest author for property website homely.com.au.

In his more than 15 years working in the media, Alasdair has written for a broad range of publications. Before joining Canstar, he was a News Editor at Pedestrian.TV, part of Australia’s leading youth media group. His work has also appeared on ABC News, Junkee, Rolling Stone, Kotaku, the Sydney Star Observer and The Brag. He has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Journalism from the University of Queensland.

When he is not writing about finance for Canstar, Alasdair can probably be found at the beach with his two dogs or listening to podcasts about pop music.

You can follow Alasdair on LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can also read more about Canstar’s editorial team and our robust fact-checking process.


Josh Sale, Travel Insurance Ratings Manager

Headshot of Josh Sale, CanstarAs Canstar’s Ratings Manager, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology and delivery of Canstar’s Travel Insurance Star Ratings. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, Josh has worked behind the scenes for the last five years to develop Star Ratings and Awards that help connect consumers with the right product for them.

Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Reviewnews.com.au and Money Magazine.

You can follow Josh on LinkedIn, and Canstar on Twitter and Facebook.

 


Thanks for visiting Canstar, Australia’s biggest financial comparison site*

Important Information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.