When protection is lost in war

Foreign health insurance

War in the holiday destination: When the insurance no longer pays

Want to protect yourself against high treatment costs while on vacation? Usually this is a good idea. Because of the war in the Gulf, many tourists could suddenly find themselves without protection.

Anyone who gets sick on vacation relies on their international health insurance. But in armed conflicts – such as those currently taking place in the Gulf region – there are potential gaps in protection. The magic word in the insurance conditions is called “war clause”. Anyone who ignores this contract detail will, in the worst case scenario, end up paying the medical bill themselves.

What is a War Clause? Most insurers exclude services in areas for which the Foreign Office has issued a travel warning. Since modern wars are rarely formally declared, this warning serves as a benchmark for insurers as to what constitutes unreasonable risk. The Federal Foreign Office issues a travel warning if it can be assumed that every traveler is at risk of danger to life and limb. Warnings currently apply in the Middle East for Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel/Palestinian Territories, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

Hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists were vacationing in the Gulf region when war broke out between Iran and Israel and the United States. According to the German Travel Association, 30,000 of them come from Germany, many of whom were in Dubai.

There is no welfare state agreement between Germany and the United Arab Emirates, which also includes Dubai. For vacationers, this means: Statutory health insurance companies generally do not cover the costs on site. Without private international health insurance, holidaymakers pay for medication, clinics or medical repatriation entirely on their own.

However, anyone who is surprised by the war on site is not immediately unprotected. Insurers usually give travelers a waiting period to leave the country. This is often seven days. Some insurers are more generous when it comes to the time limit for leaving the country, while others do not impose a time limit at all. The deadline is often extended if the insured person is unable to leave the country, for example because air traffic has been suspended.