How to Claim Travel Insurance: Cashless, Reimbursement and the Documents You Need

Cashless or reimbursement: what's the difference?

For anything beyond a minor clinic visit, aim for cashless. A US or Singapore hospital may ask for a deposit of thousands of dollars at admission; a guarantee of payment from your insurer's assistance company replaces it.

What should you do in a medical emergency abroad?

1. Get care first. In a real emergency, go to the nearest emergency department or call the local number: 112 across Europe, 911 in the US and Canada, 998 for an ambulance in the UAE, and 1669 in Thailand.
2. Call the assistance number on your policy as soon as you can, ideally before admission. Give your policy number, the hospital's name and what's happened.
3. Let the assistance company deal with the hospital. It checks your cover, sends a guarantee of payment and may move you to a network hospital once you're stable.
4. Collect documents as you go: admission notes, test reports, prescriptions, the discharge summary and itemised bills.
5. Pay only what isn't covered: the deductible, any co-pay, and non-medical items such as phone calls or a companion's meals.
6. Send the final bill to the assistance company or insurer so the claim can be closed.

If you couldn't call before treatment, for example because you were taken to hospital unconscious, call as soon as you can. Insurers accept late notice for genuine emergencies, but an unexplained delay can reduce or void a claim.

What documents do you need?

Medical claims

• Completed claim form, signed by the insured person
• Policy copy, and passport pages with your photo, visa and entry and exit stamps
• Boarding passes or e-tickets showing your travel dates
• Original itemised bills and payment receipts
• Prescriptions, test reports and the discharge summary
• A doctor's report with the diagnosis and, for any pre-existing condition, its history
• A cancelled cheque or bank details for the payout

Baggage loss or delay

• A Property Irregularity Report from the airline's baggage desk, filed before you leave the arrivals hall
• Baggage tags and boarding pass
• The airline's letter confirming the loss or the length of the delay, and any compensation it paid
• Receipts for essentials bought during a delay, such as toiletries and a change of clothes

Theft or loss of a passport

• A police report, filed within 24 hours where possible
• Receipts for the emergency certificate or new passport from the Indian embassy or consulate
• Extra hotel and transport receipts caused by the loss

Flight delay or missed connection

• The airline's written confirmation of the delay and its reason
• Original and rebooked boarding passes

Trip cancellation or cutting a trip short

• Proof of the reason, such as hospital records or a death certificate
• The tour operator's or airline's cancellation invoice showing the non-refundable amount
• Original booking invoices, with GST invoices for Indian bookings

How long do you have?

Every policy sets two deadlines:

• Notice: tell the insurer about the event, often within 7–30 days, and immediately for a hospital admission
• Documents: submit the complete claim, commonly within 30–90 days of the event or your return

Check your policy wording, because a missed deadline is an avoidable reason for rejection. Once the insurer has all the documents, IRDAI's rules require it to settle or reject the claim within set timelines and to give written reasons for any rejection.

Worked example: a reimbursement claim

A Pune family's 10-year-old develops a high fever and an ear infection in Lucerne. They visit a walk-in clinic and pay CHF 320, about ₹35,200, then buy antibiotics for CHF 45, about ₹4,950. The total is ₹40,150.

Back in India, they file online within two weeks with the claim form, passport stamps, boarding passes, the clinic's itemised invoice, the doctor's note and the pharmacy receipt. The policy has a USD 100 deductible, about ₹8,800. The insurer pays about ₹31,350, converting at the exchange rate on the date of treatment.

Why are claims rejected?

• An undeclared pre-existing disease
• Treatment that wasn't an emergency, such as a planned check-up
• An injury while under the influence of alcohol, or during an adventure activity the policy excludes
• No Property Irregularity Report or police report
• Missing original bills, or bills that aren't itemised
• Late notice without a good reason

Photograph every bill, report and boarding pass on the day you get it and save the photos to a cloud folder. Insurers want originals, but a lost envelope then doesn't cost you the whole claim.

What if your claim is rejected?

1. Ask for the reason in writing, quoting the policy clause.
2. Write to the insurer's grievance redressal officer, with your response and supporting documents.
3. If the reply doesn't resolve it, or there's no reply within about two weeks, register a complaint on IRDAI's Bima Bharosa portal.
4. If the insurer rejects your complaint or doesn't reply within 30 days, approach the Insurance Ombudsman, a free service, within one year of the insurer's final reply.

How can you make claims easier before you travel?

• Save the assistance number in your phone and on paper in your wallet.
• Email yourself the policy schedule and wording.
• Know your deductible, co-pay and sub-limits, so the bill doesn't surprise you.
• For trip cancellation cover, keep every booking invoice and cancellation policy in one folder from the day you pay.
• For risky activities, confirm the add-on covers them; medical evacuation after a trekking or diving accident is where the biggest bills arise.

Compare plans with strong assistance networks through our travel insurance service, and see Schengen travel insurance if you're heading to Europe.