Warning as holidaymakers could face bills for thousands by not declaring medical conditions

• Insurers need to know about medical conditions so they can ensure travellers are covered. Not declaring pre-existing medical conditions can impact on any travel claims you need to make and could even void your policy
• Into the thousands: The cost of getting an air ambulance alone can cost £30,000  in Europe, as Admiral outlines typical medical costs abroad
• Admiral shares examples of three possible travel insurance costs for common medical conditions to reassure people who are concerned about their price going up – such as a 96p increase for a 35-year-old with epilepsy
• Admiral’s Head of Travel Insurance answers ‘failure to declare’ frequently asked questions, including what you should disclose. And what happens if you don’t disclose and need to claim

May 2025: Admiral Travel Insurance is sharing advice on how to stay protected on your travels and explaining why it’s important that travellers tell their insurer about all their medical conditions. With over a fifth of the UK (21%) heading abroad in May and June – making these the most popular months for overseas trips – Admiral is sharing key guidance for holidaymakers.

Travel insurance can enable a stress-free holiday by providing cover for personal belongings, personal accidents and medical expenses, should the worst happen while someone is abroad. For those planning a summer getaway, it’s best to arrange your travel insurance as soon as you book your holiday. This ensures you’re covered if something happens between booking your trip and travelling. 

The cost of medical treatment abroad can be very expensive, so for peace of mind it’s essential to have the right travel cover.

Admiral’s Head of Travel Insurance, Cosmin Sarbu has answered some commonly asked questions around travel insurance, including why it’s important to declare any pre-existing medical conditions and how it can affect your cover.

Is it worth declaring a medical condition when I take out travel insurance? 

For peace of mind and to ensure you are covered, it’s always best to declare all medical conditions when taking out a travel insurance policy, before you travel. This means the insurance company can accurately price your premium, based on your risk and ensure you have the right level of cover.

Although the chances of having to make a medical claim are slim, illness or injuries can be both very distressing and expensive to resolve. If you haven’t declared all medical conditions, you won’t have insurance in place to cover all of the costs, this can mean you are responsible for paying tens of thousands to be treated and returned home safely should you try to make a claim.

How much does medical repatriation cost to the UK?

Although many Brits may have a GHIC or EHIC card, these only provide limited cover and therefore shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for travel insurance. Medical repatriation (getting home) isn’t covered on this, and so should the worst happen, travel insurance could save you tens of thousands of pounds.

What medical conditions do I need to declare on my policy?

For those who are unsure, it’s always safest to declare any pre-existing medical condition on a policy, even if you believe it’s extremely unlikely to affect your trip.

Generally, we need to know about all medical conditions someone currently has. With some conditions, such as heart problems, we need to know if someone has ever been diagnosed with them, even if they’ve now recovered and are no longer being treated for these. At Admiral, we ask about these when someone gets a travel insurance quote. It’s always best to include all medical conditions you’ve had or check with your insurer before you take out cover, if you’re not sure. 

We prompt customers when they go through a quote with us to remind them what medical conditions they need to tell us about. Travellers need to tell us about what even might seem like a minor visit to a doctor or GP for advice, treatment or prescriptions, any ongoing investigation into their health or if they’re waiting for a diagnosis. They also need to declare if they’re on a waiting list for inpatient treatment. If you’re not sure what condition you were seen for, check with your doctor to ensure you include an accurate description when you buy your policy.

What about if I’m going through the menopause or taking HRT?

We don’t consider menopause, whether requiring HRT or not, to be a medical condition and don’t require customers to declare it.

Admiral’s data found that the top ten most common conditions declared on travel insurance policies between May 2024 and March 2025 were:

Will declaring a medical condition always increase the cost of my insurance premium? What else impacts the cost of my travel insurance?

Although insurance costs vary depending on the type of condition, how much a medical condition affects your premium also depends on other factors, like the number of people travelling on a policy, how long you’re going for and the travel destination.

While it’s not possible to say specifically how particular medical conditions can impact on premiums, Admiral has provided some examples to indicate how much a premium could increase by when adding some common conditions.

Prices correct as of 10 April 2025 when purchasing directly with Admiral Travel Insurance and are subject to change.

Example one:

A 35-year-old, with no medical conditions, taking out a single trip policy travelling to Spain in two weeks for 7 days on their own could pay £11.80 for cover. 

If they had epilepsy and answered certain questions about the condition, the premium would still cost less than £15 after he declared his condition coming in at £12.76.

Example two: 

A 42-year-old with no medical conditions taking out an Annual Multi-Trip policy with European cover travelling as a couple could pay £28.50 for cover.

If one of the travellers had type 2 diabetes and answered certain questions about the condition, the premium would be £37.40.

Example three: 

A 58-year-old with no medical conditions, taking out a single trip policy, travelling to the USA in four weeks for 14 days by themselves could pay £90.83.

If they had high blood pressure and answered certain questions about the condition, the premium would be £123.87 for cover.

Can I still get travel insurance if I have a pre-existing medical condition?

Currently, Admiral provides cover for over 3,100 different medical conditions. There are some conditions that can’t be covered, but Admiral reiterates that it’s always worth running these past your insurer first, as it really does vary case-by-case. Admiral will recommend specialist travel insurance alternatives through the MoneyHelper directory  if they’re not able to cover a medical condition. 

What happens if I don’t disclose a medical condition to my insurer, and I need to claim?

Cosmin Sarbu, Head of Admiral Travel Insurance, explains: “We ask our travel insurance customers to declare all medical conditions, including any ongoing treatment, when taking out a policy. This is to ensure we can provide cover at an appropriate price for the customer based on their medical needs. Not doing so could leave someone underinsured if they make a claim or could invalidate their insurance entirely. 

“If a customer requires medical treatment while abroad which is related to medical conditions that haven’t been declared to us, we may decline their claim. Or if someone has failed to declare medical conditions which would have resulted in a higher premium, we may pay the claim on a proportional basis. This means we will only cover the claim up to the percentage of the premium they have paid, and the customer will be responsible for any costs over and above the proportional settlement. 

“We never take the decision to refuse or proportionally settle a claim lightly and we will always work with the customer to ensure they receive adequate support in these cases.  However, they could end up having to pay medical treatment fees themselves and these can run into hundreds or even thousands of pounds.”

What if I get a new medical condition after I’ve bought my policy?

The most important thing for your insurance policy to be valid is ensuring it’s as accurate as possible, so this includes updating your insurer with any medical conditions, ongoing tests or treatments that arise between arranging your insurance and your trip. Most of the time, any new medical conditions will be covered as long as your doctor agrees you’re fit to travel. When you disclose your new condition, your insurer may charge an additional premium to cover it.

Not disclosing new conditions could leave someone underinsured if they make a claim or could invalidate their insurance entirely. If a claim gets declined, a customer would be responsible for medical costs and if they don't have the funds available may not get treatment that they need.

Cosmin continues: “For anyone going on holiday, having travel insurance should offer peace of mind that they will be covered if they require medical assistance. We completely understand that some travellers might be worried about declaring medical conditions because they think it will increase the cost of their insurance. Declaring a medical condition doesn’t always result in a higher premium and even if it does, the additional cost will ensure they are protected should the worst happen while they are away.

“Some travellers might not be aware of what they need to declare. So, the best advice is to check with your travel insurer and to let them know about any medical conditions you have.

“We always want to look out for our customers and encourage you to reach out if there’s anything you’re unsure of in the process of buying travel insurance.”