10 medical conditions that must be declared to insurers when going on holiday
Holidaymakers must be up front about all diagnoses when buying their travel insurance
Travel insurance is a crucial part of booking a holiday in case the worst happens and you need medical help while abroad. And experts have warned that when taking out cover, there are a list of medical conditions you must declare or risk a hefty bill.
With the cost of medical repatriation estimated at £100,000 or more, Admiral Travel Insurance said that it pays to make sure your provider is aware of all medical diagnosis. 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.
Cosmin Sarbu, Admiral's Head of Travel Insurance, said: "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.
"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," reports Lancs Live.
Medical repariation is not covered by a GHIC or EHIC card.
Cosmin said: "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."
Admiral's data found that the top ten most common conditions declared on travel insurance policies between May 2024 and March 2025 were:
Ranking
1
High Blood Pressure
2
High Cholesterol
3
Anxiety and/or Depression
4
Asthma
5
Diabetes
6
Osteoarthritis
7
Underactive Thyroid
8
Coronary Angioplasty
9
Hypertension
10
Heart Attack
Cosmin said: "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."
Currently, Admiral provides cover for over 3,100 different medical conditions. There are some conditions that can't be covered, but Admiral said it's always worth running these past your insurer first, as it 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.
Cosmin said: '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.'
Cosmin continued: '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.'
And there is one thing you don't have to declare. Cosmin said: "We don't consider menopause, whether requiring HRT or not, to be a medical condition and don't require customers to declare it."
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