Travel Insurance for Under 18s

Yes, infants from 14 days old up to age 2 are included on a parent or guardian’s policy at no additional premium. The infant must be declared at the time of purchase and will appear on the Certificate of Insurance. Children aged 2 to 4 can also be added to a parent’s policy, but a premium applies for that age group.

Yes, expat children aged 5 and over can travel with their own individual policy and do not need to travel with a parent to be covered. This is particularly relevant for expat families where children travel between their country of residence and their passport country or travel independently to visit family based elsewhere. The policy must be purchased by the child’s parent or legal guardian before travel begins. For children travelling as unaccompanied minors on a commercial flight, the minimum age is set by the airline, not the insurance policy.

The policy includes Accompaniment cover, which pays for a parent or guardian’s travel and accommodation expenses to join a child who requires medical treatment abroad. For expat families this is especially important – if your child is travelling in a different country to where you are based, the Accompaniment benefit covers your travel to reach them, not just transport within the country they are in. Cover is up to £/$/€300 per day up to £/$/€3,000 per trip, and applies when attendance is recommended on medical advice. All accompaniment must be pre-approved by Expat Assist on +44 203 285 7248 (24 hours).

Yes, expat children need specialist travel insurance because standard UK-based policies are designed for UK residents and will not cover children whose country of residence is abroad. Our under-18s policies cover all nationalities and are built for expat families living outside their home country. Whether your child is visiting family in their passport country, travelling with school, or accompanying you on an international trip from your country of residence, a dedicated expat travel insurance policy ensures they have full medical and emergency cover that a domestic insurer’s product would not provide.

Yes, baggage loss and theft cover is included on the Standard and Comprehensive plans, up to £/$/€2,500 per trip with a £/$/€500 per item limit. A police report must be filed within 24 hours of discovery. Mobile phones, tablets, and personal computers are excluded from baggage cover.

Yes, you can purchase a standalone under-18s policy for a child travelling with another family, covering the same trip dates and destination. This is a common situation for expat families – children in the same expat community frequently travel together during school holidays. The policy must be purchased by the child’s own parent or legal guardian, not by the accompanying family. The child is covered as the sole insured person on the policy for the duration of the trip, regardless of who they are travelling with.

The minimum age is 14 days old, infants from this age can be included on a parent’s policy at no extra cost. Standalone individual policies are available from age 5. This product covers travellers up to age 17. Once a traveller turns 18 they need a standard expat travel  insurance policy.

Yes, our under-18s travel insurance covers expat children travelling on international school trips, including trips that cross multiple countries. Individual policies must be purchased by the child’s own parent or guardian. The policy covers the same trip dates and destination as the school trip. International schools frequently organise trips across multiple destinations – if the trip includes multiple countries, ensure the policy covers worldwide rather than European-only destinations. Note: this is individual cover for the child. The school or organising body will have their own group insurance; always check with the school what their policy covers before purchasing.

Standard policies exclude pre-existing medical conditions, but a Stable Pre-existing Conditions extension is available at additional premium for eligible children. ‘Stable’ means the condition has been present for at least 6 months and has not required hospitalisation, medication changes, or deterioration in the 6 months immediately before travel. All standard exclusions continue to apply to the underlying condition, only acute exacerbations abroad are covered under the extension.