What travel insurance do I need when I am pregnant?

Pregnancy is not usually a declared condition, but complications are underwritten, gestation limits apply, and cover for a baby born abroad is a separate question with an enormous price tag.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 12 min
Read: 3 min
Safety: warning

Short answer

Most insurers treat a normal pregnancy as a state rather than a medical condition, so nothing to declare — but complications, a multiple pregnancy or fertility treatment usually do need declaring. Check three things: the gestation limit for cover, the separate airline gestation limit for flying, and whether a baby born abroad is covered.

Safety

Neonatal care abroad is one of the most expensive things a travel policy ever pays for, and cover for a baby born early on holiday is not automatic. Check explicitly whether the policy covers the newborn as well as you, and check the airline gestation limits separately — being refused boarding on the return leg while pregnant is a serious problem.

Step by step

Read what the policy says about pregnancy.Most wordings cover unforeseen complications of pregnancy and childbirth up to a stated number of weeks, and exclude routine antenatal care and elective childbirth entirely. Find the clause and the week limit.
Declare complications and anything unusual.A multiple pregnancy, a previous premature birth, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, a placenta problem, IVF or any consultant-led care is a medical fact to disclose. A normal single pregnancy usually is not.
Check the airline gestation limit separately.Airlines set their own rules and they are stricter than insurers. Beyond a certain week most airlines require a letter from a midwife or doctor confirming the due date and fitness to fly, and beyond a later week they will not carry you at all. The limits differ for single and multiple pregnancies and by airline.
Ask specifically whether a newborn is covered.If the baby arrives early abroad, the medical costs are the baby's, not yours, and many policies do not automatically extend to a child born during the trip. Some do, some do so only up to a limit, and some do not at all. Get the answer in writing before you travel.
Carry your maternity notes.In an emergency abroad, the notes are what let a clinician treat you safely, and the insurer assistance line will ask for the gestation and the history.
Check the destination for medical access.Where the nearest obstetric unit is, whether it is public or private, and what the health card gives you there if anything, are all worth knowing before you go rather than in a taxi.

Tips

Book the letter from your midwife or GP in good time — some practices charge and most need notice, and airlines routinely check for it at the gate.
Gestation is counted at the date of the return flight, not the outbound one. A trip that starts inside the limit can end outside it.
The health card gives access to state maternity care on local terms in countries that accept it, which may be very good or may involve a substantial patient contribution. It is not a substitute for the policy.

Common mistakes

Assuming the airline and the insurer use the same week limit — They are unrelated. The insurer sets the medical cover limit; the airline sets a carriage rule. You have to satisfy both.
Not checking newborn cover — Neonatal intensive care abroad can cost more than every other section of the policy combined, and it is the one thing a standard wording most often leaves out.

Questions people ask

Do I have to tell the insurer I am pregnant?

If the screening asks, answer honestly. Most do not treat a straightforward pregnancy as a declarable condition, but any complication or consultant involvement is a medical fact and should be declared.

Does a GHIC cover pregnancy care abroad?

It gives access to medically necessary state treatment, including maternity care that becomes necessary, in the countries that accept it. It does not cover repatriation, private care or going abroad specifically to give birth.