How to Make a Travel Insurance Claim: Step-by-Step
By the Travel Insurance Comparison NZ editorial team
A travel insurance claim goes more smoothly when you contact the insurer early, keep evidence as you go, and send everything the policy asks for. This guide sets out the usual steps. Your own policy wording sets the actual rules, time limits and documents required.
1. At the time: get help and keep evidence
For a medical emergency overseas, get treatment first and then contact your insurer's emergency assistance line (the number is in your policy documents). Many policies expect you to contact the insurer before non-emergency treatment, hospital admission or an early return home, so check what yours requires.
- Theft or loss: report it to local police and ask for a written report or reference number.
- Bags lost or damaged by an airline: get a written report from the airline before you leave the airport.
- Delays and cancellations: ask the airline or operator for written confirmation of the delay or cancellation and its cause.
- Keep receipts for every extra cost, such as accommodation, meals, transport and replacement essentials.
- Take photos of damaged items and keep the damaged items until the insurer says you can dispose of them.
2. Gather the documents
Insurers usually ask for evidence of the loss, its cost, and that you were travelling. Common examples:
- Your policy number and travel itinerary or booking confirmations.
- Medical claims: doctor or hospital reports, itemised invoices and receipts, and prescriptions.
- Property claims: police or carrier reports, proof of purchase or ownership, and photos.
- Cancellation claims: evidence of the reason (for example a medical certificate), the cancellation invoices, and any refunds or credits you received from airlines or hotels.
Claim what the airline, hotel or tour operator will refund from them first. Insurers generally deduct amounts you can recover elsewhere.
3. Lodge the claim
Most insurers take claims online, by email or by phone. Answer every question accurately and completely. An inaccurate or incomplete claim can delay the assessment or lead to it being declined. Keep a copy of everything you send, and note the claim number.
4. Assessment and the excess
The insurer checks the claim against the policy wording and may ask for more information. If the claim is accepted, the payment is normally the covered amount, up to the policy limit for that benefit, less any excess that applies. Our excess guide explains how an excess works.
5. If you disagree with the decision
Ask for the reasons in writing, then use the insurer's complaints process. If you are still not satisfied, the insurer's policy documents or website name the independent dispute resolution scheme it belongs to.
Common reasons claims run into trouble
- A pre-existing medical condition that was not declared or not accepted by the insurer.
- An activity or destination the policy does not cover — SafeTravel notes that many policies will not cover travel to places it advises against visiting.
- Belongings left unattended, or valuables carried in checked baggage.
- Claiming after the time limit in the policy.
- Missing reports or receipts.
Source for the destination point: SafeTravel (MFAT): Travel insurance.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to make a travel insurance claim?
Each policy sets its own time limit for notifying the insurer and lodging a claim, and the limits differ between insurers. Check the claims section of your policy wording, and contact the insurer as soon as you can after something happens.
What if I don't have all the receipts?
Tell the insurer what is missing and ask what other evidence it will accept, such as bank or card statements, photos, or a replacement quote. Keeping copies of receipts and booking confirmations before you travel makes this easier.
What can I do if my claim is declined?
Ask the insurer to explain the decision in writing with reference to the policy wording, then use its internal complaints process. If that does not resolve it, the insurer's documents name the independent dispute resolution scheme it belongs to, which you can contact free of charge.
This page is general information, not financial advice, and does not take your personal circumstances into account. Cover, limits, excesses and exclusions differ between insurers and policies. The policy wording (and any policy schedule or endorsement) is what decides a claim, so read it — or ask the insurer — before you buy.
Sources
Official sources cited on this page, checked 30 September 2026.
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