Life insurance and foreign travel

What underwriters generally ask

• Which countries you travel to and how often
• How long you spend there on a typical trip
• The purpose — tourism, work, family, or aid work
• Whether you spend part of the year living abroad
• Any planned travel you already know about
• Whether you hold residence or citizenship elsewhere

Travel versus residence

The distinction that matters most is between visiting somewhere and living there. Spending several months a year abroad is assessed quite differently from a two-week holiday.

If you split your time between countries, say so plainly. It's a common arrangement and insurers have ways of handling it, but not if the application implies you're resident somewhere you aren't.

Destination matters for some countries

Insurers maintain their own views on particular countries and regions, informed by travel advisories and their own experience. Those views differ between carriers and change over time.

It's not usually a blanket refusal so much as a question that needs answering — and occasionally a reason to prefer one insurer over another.

Disclose planned travel

If you already know about upcoming travel, disclose it. An insurer may ask to assess after you return, or may proceed — but discovering an undisclosed plan later is a contestability problem.

Once a policy is in force, most policies do not require you to notify the insurer of ordinary travel. Confirm that for your specific policy rather than assuming it.