The insurer has confirmed that following advice by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) against travelling to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus, many travel policies for these countries will no longer be valid.
However, other countries in eastern Europe which are not covered by such government warnings, such as Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and other countries, remain unaffected.
A small number of policies do exist which cover destinations under FCDO and other government ‘do not travel’ advisories, up to the policy limits, battleface added. The insurer also confirmed that it is currently able to review individual applications for travel insurance to these destinations.
In the event of an airspace closure of no-flight zone, battleface also recommends that travellers contact their airline or tour operator as soon as possible. However, most airlines will have plenty of warning in advance of a change in airspace status and should be able to reroute or reschedule commercial flights accordingly.
battleface also recommended that travellers always ensure that they have adequate travel insurance for the type of trip and destination they are planning of travel, taking into account factors such as the risks of your destination and planned activities, the length of the trip, and pre-existing medical conditions. Policies should be flexible, with the option of a full refund if a trip is no longer possible.
It adds that those who need to travel to a country, regardless of its government advisory, such as journalists, members of non-governmental organisations (NGO) and charity workers need to ensure that they have a policy that continues to protect them in the event of further changes to government travel advice.
Additionally, many countries now require proof of travel medical insurance that covers Covid-19 medical expenses on arrival. Travellers should now check for such requirements before departing for their destination.
battleface also announced that it was partnering with insurtech firm Pattern Insurance on 9 February to add custom embedded product offerings.
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