Will our insurance policy be valid for a trip to Portugal?
Q We know that Portugal is not on the government’s “approved” list of countries but we are going there anyway. We have an annual travel insurance policy. Will it still be valid?
Georgina G
A Hundreds of thousands of travellers like you have summer bookings to Portugal. But the Foreign Office advises against travel anywhere on the mainland (though the Azores or Madeira are OK). The government warning is only advice and there is nothing to stop you going. Plenty of flights operate every day from the UK, predominantly to Faro, serving the Algarve. On Sunday morning alone, there were departures from Belfast, East Midlands, Heathrow, Manchester and Newcastle to Faro.
It’s a safe bet that no one stepping off those flights had valid insurance. Only a few specialist companies cover travel to places to which the Foreign Office says you should not travel, at high prices.
On any standard travel insurance policy, including your annual cover, you will read a term rejecting any
claim arising as a result of travelling to a country or area against government advice. But you can rely on the European Health Insurance Card for emergency medical treatment, including for Covid-19. The card remains valid regardless of a Foreign Office warning against travel – at least until the end of 2020, when Brexit means it will cease to be any use.
I expect the no-go warning to be withdrawn long before then. The UK government assessment could change at any time; the Foreign Office says it constantly monitors its advice for British travellers going abroad. Indeed, I predict Portugal will be “approved” by the end of July. If the advice is eased while you are on holiday in Portugal, your insurance will immediately regain its validity. But I may be wrong and the country could remain on the no-go list for the duration of your trip and beyond.
Finally, the Department for Transport rates coronavirus infection rates in Portugal as too high – meaning British holidaymakers are supposed to self-isolate for two weeks at home on their return. This is also likely to change but possibly not at the same time as the Foreign Office advice. These are strange times.
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