What is repatriation travel insurance?

Key takeaways

• Standalone repatriation cover is not usually sold in the UK. Instead repatriation is built into standard UK travel insurance.

• It's a medical decision, not your choice - your insurer and doctors abroad decide if repatriation is needed; undeclared pre-existing conditions, breached FCDO advice, or excluded activities can void cover.

• GHIC/EHIC won't get you home - it only covers state healthcare in Europe, not repatriation.

What does repatriation mean?

Repatriation means returning a person to their home country.

In travel insurance, it usually means bringing you back to the UK if you have an illness or injury while abroad. This could be because you need treatment that isn’t available where you are, or because it is more suitable or cost-effective for you to continue your treatment in the UK.

What is repatriation travel insurance?

Repatriation travel insurance covers the cost of bringing you back to the UK if you become seriously ill or are injured while abroad and need to return home for medical care. It can also cover the cost of transporting your body home if you die while travelling abroad.

Some travel insurance policies may also provide emergency assistance or evacuation if you need to leave an area because of political unrest, terrorism, war, or natural disaster.

It is important to check the wording, as this may be classed as evacuation rather than repatriation, and there may be strict conditions about when the insurer will arrange or pay for it.

Can I buy standalone repatriation insurance?

In the UK, repatriation is almost always sold as a built-in part of travel insurance rather than a separate policy you buy on its own.

Standalone repatriation cover is more common in the US where some travel insurance companies sell "repatriation only" or "medical evacuation and repatriation" policies separately from full trip cover.

There are also companies such as Medjet who offer "evacuation membership" which often functions like standalone repatriation/evacuation cover - you pay an annual or per-trip fee and they handle transport home if something happens.

If you live abroad long-term, some expat health insurers offer repatriation as an add-on.

Is repatriation covered by standard travel insurance?

Yes - for UK travel insurance, repatriation is standard, not an add-on. It's built into the emergency medical assistance section of most single trip, annual multi-trip, and backpacker policies, with cover levels varying by tier (e.g. Bronze/Silver/Gold policies might offer anywhere from £2 million up to £10 million+ in medical/repatriation cover).

You should also be covered for making new travel arrangements to get home if you had to receive medical treatment abroad that caused you to miss your original flight back.

Additionally, most policies will cover you for bringing your ashes or body home if you pass away while abroad.

How do I know if I need to be repatriated?

You don't decide this yourself - it's a joint decision between your insurer and the treatment provider abroad, based on medical advice rather than personal preference.

If you fall ill or are injured abroad, contact your insurer as soon as possible. They'll liaise directly with the doctors or hospital treating you to assess the situation - what treatment is covered under your policy, and whether repatriation is the right course of action.

A few things that influence the decision:

• Quality of local care - if the medical facilities or treatment standards where you are aren't good enough, your insurer is more likely to arrange repatriation so you can be treated back home.

• Your fitness to travel - if you're not well enough to be moved, repatriation may need to wait until your condition stabilises, even if the decision has already been made in principle.

So the short version: it's not something you can request outright - it depends on medical necessity, assessed jointly by your insurer and your treatment team.

What does repatriation insurance cover?

The exact level of cover you get will depend on your provider and the policy you take out, but generally speaking most travel insurance will cover the following:

• The travel costs of returning you home

• Associated costs for medical assistance or an escort for your travels

• The cost of any medical treatment you need

• Travel expenses and accommodation for your journey home

• 24/7 emergency assistance if you need it

• Repatriation of remains such as ashes or a body if you die abroad, and possibly even a contribution towards funeral or cremation costs

What isn’t covered by repatriation travel insurance?

Like most insurance policies, you’ll find that your travel insurance generally won’t cover you in the following situations:

• If you want to claim for a pre-existing condition that you didn’t declare when taking out cover

• If your injury or illness resulted from alcohol, drugs, violent conduct, or dangerous activities you were not covered for

• You travelled against Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice

• If you simply want to be flown home early, for medical or other reasons. It’s up to the insurer as to whether you are repatriated – you cannot just request it.

Will travel insurance cover death abroad?

Yes — most UK travel insurance policies cover death abroad, typically under the same medical and repatriation section that covers illness or injury; here is what is usually included:

• Repatriation of remains — the cost of returning the deceased's body (or ashes, if cremated locally) back to the UK is generally covered as standard.

• Funeral costs abroad — some policies contribute toward local funeral or cremation costs if the family chooses not to repatriate the body, though this is often capped and lower than the repatriation benefit.

• Family travel and accommodation — many policies also help cover the cost of a close relative travelling out to identify the deceased, handle arrangements, or accompany the return home.

Will I be covered for repatriation if I have pre-existing conditions?

It depends on the policy, but yes — cover is available; you just need the right type of policy and honest disclosure.

If you don't declare a relevant medical condition, and something related to it happens abroad (including needing repatriation), your insurer can refuse the claim entirely — not just the repatriation part.

How much does medical repatriation cost?

The cost of medical repatriation can vary depending on location and severity, but it can often reach thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds.

The Association of British Insurers references one case where an insurer paid out £500,000 to a customer who required emergency surgery in the USA and medical repatriation back to the UK.

This is why travel insurance can be so crucial when you go abroad. It can cover these high medical treatment costs, as well as cancelled bookings or lost and stolen possessions. The below table shows the average cost of travel insurance to destinations alongside the average cost of an air ambulance from them to the UK.

Do I need repatriation insurance?

Yes, you need repatriation cover if you travel abroad; fortunately, it is standard for travel insurance policies to include repatriation cover.

Why you need it:

• GHIC/EHIC only provides emergency state healthcare in the EU — it does not cover repatriation to your home country.

• Costs without cover can be enormous: air ambulances alone can run to £35,000, and full cases have hit six or seven figures.

• Without it, you (or your family) would be personally liable for these costs, on top of an already stressful situation.

How much medical treatment insurance cover do I need?

For UK travel insurance, the general advice is to go as high as possible on medical cover — ideally in the millions — since actual costs can be far higher than people expect, especially outside Europe.

Recommended minimums by destination

• Europe: at least £1.5–2 million in medical cover. Even within the EU, GHIC only covers state facilities, not private treatment, air ambulance, or repatriation.

• Worldwide excluding USA/Canada: at least £2–5 million.

• USA/Canada: ideally £5–10 million or more. US private healthcare costs are notoriously high, and a serious hospital stay plus repatriation can easily run into hundreds of thousands or more.

Is repatriation covered by an EHIC/GHIC?

No, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (EHIC) won’t provide cover for the cost of bringing you home in an emergency, medical or otherwise, nor will it pay for any assistance you might need.

These cards entitle you to medical treatment within many European countries at the same cost as a resident would pay, but not repatriation costs.

What is emergency evacuation insurance?

Emergency evacuation insurance is a separate type of travel insurance that covers arranging travel in non-medical emergencies, such as political uprisings, civil unrest, or natural disasters; it is usually included in specialist travel insurance for high-risk locations.

What happens if you choose – or local law dictates – a local funeral?

Repatriation isn't compulsory — if you (or your family) decide against bringing the body home, or local law forces a quick funeral or cremation, your travel insurance can usually help cover local costs instead.

• Local funeral/cremation costs - most policies include a benefit for funeral expenses in the country of death as an alternative to repatriation, though this is typically a separate, lower limit than the repatriation benefit itself.

• Legal requirements override personal choice - some countries have laws requiring burial or cremation within a set number of days (often for religious or public health reasons), which can make repatriation impractical even if the family would have preferred it. In these cases, insurers generally switch to covering the local funeral cost instead.

• Family travel support - cover for a relative to travel out and be present, or to handle arrangements, is often still included even when repatriation itself doesn't happen.

• Check the policy wording - not all policies offer a like-for-like alternative benefit, so it's worth confirming whether the "funeral abroad" limit is genuinely a realistic alternative or just a token amount compared to the repatriation figure.

Compare travel insurance quotes

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