Yes, you can get international health insurance with a pre-existing condition. How it is covered depends on the underwriting: how Allianz Care, Cigna Global, Bupa Global and the main travel plans treat existing conditions, checked October 2026.
The Short Answer
You can usually get international health insurance with a pre-existing condition, but the condition may be excluded, covered for an extra premium, or covered only after a clear period. Which of these you get depends on the underwriting. Allianz Care lets you choose moratorium underwriting, where a condition can become covered after 24 months with no symptoms, treatment or advice. Cigna Global and Bupa Global use full medical underwriting, where you declare your history and the insurer decides on each condition before you buy. Travel insurance is different again: most plans exclude existing conditions and pay only for a sudden flare-up, if at all.
What Counts as Pre-Existing?
A pre-existing condition is any illness or injury you had before your cover starts. That includes conditions you were diagnosed with, treated for, took medication for or asked a doctor about, and usually symptoms you had even without a diagnosis. Asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, back problems and anxiety are common examples. A condition being mild or well controlled does not stop it counting.
Full Medical Underwriting or Moratorium
Full medical underwriting: you fill in a medical questionnaire before you buy. The insurer then tells you, condition by condition, whether it is covered, excluded, or covered for a higher premium. The advantage is certainty: you know from day one what you can claim for, and some conditions a moratorium would exclude may be accepted.
Moratorium underwriting: you answer no medical questions. Instead, anything you had symptoms of, treatment or advice for in a set period before joining is excluded at first. Many moratoriums look back over the five years before you join; some use a shorter period, such as Allianz Care's 24 months. An excluded condition then becomes eligible once you have gone two years in a row without symptoms, treatment or advice for it. It is quicker to buy, but you only find out what is covered when you claim. Terms differ between insurers, so read the definition in the policy wording.
How the Main Insurers Compare
Allianz Care: full medical underwriting, moratorium, or continued terms carried over from a previous insurer. You can join up to age 75 with full medical underwriting, or 64 with moratorium.
Cigna Global: full medical underwriting, or continued terms when you switch from another insurer. There is no upper age limit to join.
Bupa Global: full medical underwriting only. Chronic conditions that start after you join are covered on every plan.
For the full plan-by-plan detail, with links to each insurer's documents, see Allianz Care vs Cigna Global (on IPMIcompare), Cigna Global vs Bupa Global (on IPMIcompare) and Allianz Care vs Bupa Global (on IPMIcompare).
Travel Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions
Travel medical plans are built for new emergencies, so existing conditions are treated much more strictly:
IMG Patriot: pre-existing conditions are excluded, but a sudden flare-up is covered up to US$1 million for non-US citizens under 70.
SafetyWing: excluded, but a sudden flare-up is covered up to US$25,000 over your lifetime.
Genki Traveler: conditions treated or diagnosed in the year before you join are excluded.
VUMI Travel VIP: stable pre-existing conditions are covered up to US$500,000.
If you tell Jet, our travel plan matcher, about your medical history, it only shows the plans that can still cover you. For a longer stay abroad, an international health plan with full medical underwriting is usually the better route, because it can accept a condition outright.
Switching Insurer With a Condition
If you already have international cover, moving to a new insurer can mean starting again: a new moratorium, or new exclusions after underwriting. Allianz Care and Cigna Global both offer continued terms, carrying over what your previous insurer accepted. Do not cancel your current policy until the new insurer has confirmed your terms in writing.
How to Get the Best Terms
Declare everything. If you leave out a condition, the insurer can refuse claims or cancel the policy, not just exclude that one condition.
Buy before you need it. Terms are best while you are healthy. A condition that appears after you join is normally covered as long as you keep the policy.
Compare the underwriting, not just the price. Two plans at the same premium can treat your condition very differently. You can get a quote from HealthiNomad and compare plans from 14 insurers side by side.
Checked 3 October 2026 against each insurer's own published documents. This is general information, not personal advice: the insurer confirms your terms after underwriting.
Common questions
Can I get international health insurance with a pre-existing condition?
Usually yes. Depending on the insurer and the underwriting, the condition may be covered, covered for a higher premium, excluded, or covered after a clear period under a moratorium. Serious or recent conditions are the most likely to be excluded.
What is moratorium underwriting?
You answer no medical questions when you buy. Conditions you had symptoms of, treatment or advice for before joining are excluded at first, often looking back five years (Allianz Care looks back 24 months). A condition becomes eligible after two years in a row with no symptoms, treatment or advice.
Is moratorium or full medical underwriting better?
Full medical underwriting gives you certainty and may accept a condition a moratorium would exclude. A moratorium is quicker and can suit someone whose past conditions are minor and settled, but you only learn what is covered when you claim.
Does travel insurance cover pre-existing conditions?
Most travel plans exclude them. Some pay for a sudden flare-up, such as IMG Patriot up to US$1 million for non-US citizens under 70 and SafetyWing up to US$25,000 over your lifetime. VUMI Travel VIP covers stable pre-existing conditions up to US$500,000.
What happens if I do not declare a condition?
The insurer can refuse related claims, and it can cancel the policy altogether. Always declare your full history, even conditions you think are minor.
Can I keep my terms if I switch insurer?
Some insurers, including Allianz Care and Cigna Global, offer continued terms, carrying over what your previous insurer accepted. Keep your current policy until the new terms are confirmed in writing.