Making a Travel Insurance Claim After a Death

Travel insurance is the mechanism that funds repatriation for most families. The claim process starts in the immediate aftermath of a death and runs in parallel with the repatriation itself. Understanding how the process works — and what the insurer needs from you — prevents avoidable delays.

Call the insurer’s emergency line first

Every travel insurance policy with repatriation cover includes a 24-hour emergency assistance line. This is not the same as the general claims department. The emergency line is staffed by specialists who can authorise services — including the repatriation itself — before the claim is formally processed.

Call this number as soon as you know the person has died and you have a basic understanding of the circumstances. Have the policy number ready.

The emergency assistance team will:

Confirm whether the death is within the scope of the policy.
Ask for basic details: where, when, the person’s name and age, and whether a doctor or police have been involved.
Authorise engagement of a local funeral director or repatriation company (often one of their preferred suppliers).
Assign a case reference number.

Do not instruct a funeral director or repatriation company before speaking to the insurer. Costs incurred without prior authorisation are frequently disputed and sometimes not reimbursed.

What the insurer will ask for

Insurers process the claim based on a documentary file. The documents they require vary by insurer and by policy, but the standard list for a repatriation claim includes:

Immediate stage (first 24 to 72 hours):

Policy number and certificate of insurance.
Proof of travel (booking confirmation, boarding pass, or passport entry stamp).
Notification of death from the local authority, hospital, or police — even an informal written confirmation at this stage.

During the process:

The official foreign death certificate, certified and translated.
The doctor’s report confirming cause of death.
Post-mortem report (if one was conducted).
Embalming certificate (required before the body can fly).
Invoices from the local funeral director and the UK funeral director.
All receipts for repatriation-related costs: transport, documentation, translation.

Closing the claim:

UK funeral director’s invoice for receipt and preparation of the body.
Any additional costs incurred by family members who travelled to the country of death (where the policy includes travel for next of kin).

Pre-existing conditions: the most common claim dispute

The most frequent reason a repatriation claim is disputed or denied is a pre-existing medical condition. Most travel insurance policies exclude deaths that are a direct result of a condition that was known at the time of purchase.

This does not automatically apply to every cardiac death in a person with heart disease, or every stroke in a person with hypertension. The insurer must show a causative link between the known condition and the death. But where such a link exists and was not declared at the time of purchase, the insurer may deny the repatriation claim.

Check the policy wording carefully. Some policies cover pre-existing conditions if they were declared and accepted (sometimes for an additional premium). Others exclude them entirely.

If you believe a claim is being denied unfairly, see the section on disputed claims below.

Most policies include an exclusion for deaths where the insured was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident. In resort environments, where alcohol is a common context for drowning, falls, and road accidents, this exclusion is applied regularly.

The exclusion does not automatically apply because alcohol was involved. The insurer must show that the alcohol was a contributing cause of the circumstances leading to death, not merely that it was present in the blood. Post-mortem toxicology reports are central to these determinations.

Timelines

The emergency assistance authorisation should happen within hours of the first call. Full claim settlement — including reimbursement of all costs — typically takes 4 to 12 weeks after all documents are submitted. Complex claims involving disputed medical facts can take longer.

If the claim is rejected or underpaid

If an insurer rejects or underpays a repatriation claim and you believe the decision is wrong:

Request the full written reasons for the decision.
Escalate to the insurer’s formal complaints department.
If not resolved, refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) — free to use, binding on the insurer.
Consider instructing a public loss adjuster or specialist insurance solicitor for high-value disputed claims.

The FOS handles insurance disputes and has the power to direct insurers to pay claims they have wrongly denied.

Key points

Call the emergency assistance line first — before instructing anyone.
Collect all documentation from the outset. Every certificate, every receipt.
Pre-existing conditions are the most common dispute trigger.
The insurer has 8 weeks to resolve a formal complaint before you can refer to the FOS.
The Financial Ombudsman Service is free and binding on the insurer.

Source: Association of British Insurers (ABI) policy guidance; Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) case data; FCDO consular guidance on insurance disputes; industry guidance from UK repatriation companies.