Travel insurance

The websites below give some useful information ahead of departing the UK. Please also ensure that your trip aligns to the University Travel Policy‌.

Important information

The University’s travel insurer is AIG

The emergency telephone number is: +44 (0)1273 552 922

Policyholder: University of Exeter

Policy number: 0010628173

Emergencies and claims

If you are abroad and are experiencing an emergency then you should initially contact the University’s travel insurer, AIG assistance helpline on  +44 (0)1273 552 922and quote policy 0010628173 (University of Exeter). 

In the event of delay, cancellation, curtailment etc, try to obtain documentation or a statement from the airline or other transport provider. In the event of a theft or loss, please obtain a crime number from the local Police.

During University working hours the Insurance, Audit & Risk office can also be contacted by email at insurance@exeter.ac.uk. Outside of office hours please contact Estate Patrol on + 44 (0)1392 723999 and advise them of your situation. We would also advise you to inform your Faculty of your situation.

Non-Emergency Travel claims

For these claims please select and complete the relevant claim form for your loss, damage or medical expenses below:‌

• Medical expenses claim form
• Travel cancellation claim form
• Personal accident claim form
• Personal property claim form‌

To make your claim:

Complete the claim form and return it to the Insurance, Audit & Risk team with the supporting documents requested on your claim form, within 30 days. Note that you will need to provide documentation to support your claim. A guidance document has been published to list the documents that you will need to present, according to claim type: Documentation required in case of travel claim.

Once we have received the claim form and supporting documents, we will send them to the Travel Insurance providers for their consideration.

If the claim payment is to be paid to the Faculty, please do not complete the bank details on the claim form, advise us of the relevant cost code and the claim payment is to be sent to the Faculty. 

If you require any assistance please do not hesitate to contact us by email.

All trips must align with the University of Exeter Principles for Essential Travel, and are approved as set out within the principles document. In case you need to make a claim, you must keep hold of your travel documents. Guidance has been published on the documentats that will be required, depending on the type of claim:Documentation required in case of travel claim

Risk assessments and more information on the University travel processes can be found here.

Need help following an incident?

Call the Insurers emergency 24 hour helpline contained within the Insurers details on our before you travel insurance webpage

• Faculties in case of incident please refer to the overseas travel - dealing with an adverse incident overseas document.
• Travellers please refer to your travel insurance documents that were emailed to you when you registered your travel.

Registering your travel and receiving your travel insurance documents. 

It is University policy that all travel must align with the University of Exeter Principles for Essential Travel and the University Travel Policy. This ensures that safety and security concerns and that the University's carbon commitments are fully considered. Relevant risk assessments can be found here. The principles for essential travel document also provides detail on the required approval pathway for different types of travel. Note that if the risk assessment and approval process has not been completed, expense claims made for travel and subsistence may not be paid. Audits will be conducted on registered travel, so please be prepared to provide evidence of risk assessment and approval.

Insurance Registration: Once your trip has been risk assessed and approved (note advance notice requirements for insurance confirmation for the scenarios set out below), you must complete the online travel form. This step must be completed for insurance to be in place, and each person travelling must be registered individually.

In order to help you understand the risks in the country you are visiting, please refer to the AIG assistance website www.mylifeline.co.uk and follow these steps:

To register as a user on the AIG mylifeline page, please scroll to the bottom of the page and input the requested details – the policy number is 0010628173

1. Once you have registered and logged in – follow the menu at the top of the screen
2. To sign up for the travel alerts – click on alerts
3. Input the country you are visiting from the drop-down menu
4. Input your dates of travel
5. Choose the type or types of alert you require
6. Click subscribe

 IMPORTANT - advance notification to the Insurance Team of at least 14 days is required in the below circumstances, and registration/booking must not go ahead until confirmation of insurance is received:

• Trips to sanctioned countries (see section below), or where FCDO advice against some or all travel - considerations: these trips need to be referred to the insurer, and cover is not guaranteed. If the University is unable to obtain insurance, and you are unable to obtain a robust personal policy, the trip should not go ahead. Where cover is available, it is unlikely to include evacuation assistance, as sanctions prevent payment to individuals and entities in the country. Please account for this scenario in your risk assessment.
• Trips greater than 365 days - considerations: note that this is not considered a "trip", but as moving overseas for a period. therefore, cover will be limited, and you should purchase your own personal health cover and contents cover for your possessions.
• Fieldtrips requiring group travel insurance registration - considerations: details of all travellers, the destination and trip dates must be provided to the Insurance team for registration in plenty of time for this to be completed.

Changes or cancellations to travel details

If you change your travel details or cancel your trip please email: insurance@exeter.ac.uk. Please include the following in your email:

• The travellers name
• Form ID - this can be found on your confirmation email.
• Changes to your travel.

Current Sanctioned Countries

Belarus, Crimea, Cuba, the Dombas, Donestsk and Luhansk region of Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, North Sudan, Russia, Syria, Venezuela  

Please provide us with fourteen days notice in respect of travel to the above countries as AIG will not provide insurance cover and we are required to arrange insurance cover separately.

No cover under the serious disruption section of the policy (including evacuation) will apply to travel to any of the following areas:

Governorates of: Baghdad, Anbar, Salah ad-Din, Kirkuk, Diyala, Ninewa, Karbala, Babil.

Please contact us with 28 days notice to enable us to arrange cover, for which an additional cost may apply.

Visa application

Once you have completed the International Travel Form:

• Wait for the international travel tracker form confirmation email
• Click 'Visa letter for [your name]'

When applying for your visa please ensure that you submit the policy schedule, along with your visa letter. The policy schedule can be downloaded from our webpage:https://www.exeter.ac.uk/departments/cgr/departments/insuranceauditandrisk/insurancepolicies/travel/

Undergraduate travel insurance

• If you are a member of staff organising a field trip for undergraduates please complete the ‌ form. All staff members and post-graduates will need to complete the international travel form.
• If you are an undergraduate going on a year abroad please view the University of Exeter Undergraduate Travel Insurance information on this webpage.

Bribery Act 2010

Please be aware: Small payments made to government officials or others to make something happen, or happen sooner, (commonly called facilitation payments) are likely to be bribes and unlawful under the Act even if these payments are made outside the UK.

Are you carrying chemicals, biological substances or lithium batteries?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has restrictions on the transportation of hazardous substances on flights. These restrictions include the carriage of chemicals, biological substances and lithium batteries (excluding mobile phone/laptop batteries). If you are traveling on University business, you are not permitted to carry these items. If you require to transport such items, please contact safety@exeter.ac.uk for further information and guidance.

There are thousands of travel insurance policies out there, so how do you choose? Some people pick the cheapest one, others stick to an insurance company they know well, and some just ask their family. Whichever method you use, what  matters is that you are confident your insurer will be there to help you if things go wrong while you are overseas.

We are sure you will find our travel insurance policy is one of the best. The policy provides comprehensive cover at an affordable price and it is hassle free to get covered.

Why choose our policy?

• Important notice - While Covid-19 continues to be an issue, there is no cover for financial losses due to the pandemic. Cancellable, refundable or transferable ticket options should be purchased to protect yourself from such losses.
  
• No health check, no medical questionnaire.
• Unlimited medical emergency cover. Note - this covers emergency inpatient and outpatient treatment as a result of illness or accident. It does not cover routine medical practitioner's visits, medicines, routine vaccinations and tests. We strongly recommend that you take out a personal health insurance policy, particularly for longer trips, or if you have an underlying health condition.
  
• Baggage cover, including laptops.
• 24 hour advice helpline.
  
• Cover if you are forced to cancel your trip or return home early.
  
• Personal liability cover if you are sued.

Plus: As we have arranged your travel insurance we are here to give you help and advice if you need to make a claim. No insurance jargon, no hassle.

How much does it cost?

The cost depends on where you are going and for how long. Use our  online calculator to find out how much it will cost to cover your trip. 

How to apply for travel insurance

Please use our  online travel insurance calculator. Once you have obtained the cost of cover please visit our online store, where you can complete all your travel details and pay. You will receive confirmation of cover and receipt of payment by email. Plesae note that we are unable to arrange travel insurance for you if you have graduated or are completing your studies this summer. 

• An overview of the cover provided is available in the  Summary of cover

Important - current restrictions apply

It's important to understand that although the FCDO guidance has changed for many countries, it remains that insurance cover cannot be obtained for financial losses or additional costs arising from cancellations or travel restrictions imposed specifically due to Covid-19. Flexible or cancellable/refundable options should be purchased to provide financial protection for you should this occur. Worryingly, some (non-University of Exeter) policies also exclude cover for medical costs due to COVID-19. Please check the wording of any personal travel insurance cover carefully. There is a risk of incurring significant financial costs, or becoming stuck in location without appropriate insurance. This means that any additional costs or losses would fall directly to you as the traveller.

It is essential that you do not book any travel or accommodation or make any financial commitment prior to confirmation that insurance is available. If you are unsure of your Study Abroad or Work Abroad placement and you would like to discuss your situation with a member of University staff, please first contact a member of the Outbound Team.

How to make a claim

In an emergency (illness, lost travel documents, political unrest) contact the insurers direct:  +44 (0)1273 552922 and quote policy number 0010628173 University of Exeter. The insurer is AIG.

For non-emergencies, please contact the University Insurance team on +44 (0) 1392 723087. 

We will send you a claim form which you need to complete and return to us with documents supporting your claim. We will help you through the process and liaise with the travel insurer.

In the event of delay, cancellation, curtailment, etc a statement giving the reason for the delay/cancellation from the airport authority, airline or other carrier will be required to support your claim.

In the event of theft or loss please obtain a crime number from the local police force or, if the loss/damage occurred in flight, contact the airport/airline as appropriate and obtain written confirmation of the incident.
 
Excess: Personal Belonging, Business Equipment and Money sections where the value of a single item exceeds £2,500 the policyholder is liable for 75% of any amount in excess of £2,500. There are no other excesses applicable.

The full policy wording is available on request, please contact Insurance, Audit & Risk. 

Frequently asked questions:

When should I take out travel insurance?

You should take out your cover as soon as you have booked your flights, accommodation etc. If you are then forced to cancel before you travel (for example due to illness), your insurance policy should cover any non-refundable costs.

How long will it take to receive my travel insurance documents?

We will send you the travel insurance documents as soon as we have received confirmation that you would like to go ahead with the travel insurance.

Are my activities restricted whilst travelling on a policy issued by the University?

There are very few restrictions on the policy. However, the policy does contain the following restrictions:-

• If you are diving, you must be accompanied by a qualified diver.
• The policy excludes piloting an aeroplane.
  
• The cover period cannot be extended once the insurance has started.
  
• The insurance has been designed to provide cover for travel abroad in connection with your degree programme. You are also covered for travel and activities undertaken in your leisure time – this is called incidental travel. The number of days undertaking incidental travel must not exceed the number of days you are abroad in connection with your degree programme. For example: You will be abroad for 190 days including 20 days incidental travel. This is acceptable. You will be abroad for 260 days. You wish to spend 125 days on your degree programme and 135 days travelling. This is not acceptable.

For further details please contact us.

I have a medical condition, can I still get cover?

Unlike many insurance policies, we do not ask any questions about your health and you are covered for emergency treatment received for pre-existing medical conditions. 

We cannot cover you if you are travelling against the advice of a medical practitioner or travelling specifically to receive medical treatment abroad.