Not upheld: Travel / life insurance claim disputes complaint against Aviva Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M and Ms J held a travel insurance policy with Aviva and cancelled a pre-booked family holiday to attend a British citizenship ceremony, as they could not obtain British passports in time to re-enter the country. The holiday provider provided only a partial refund, so they claimed on their travel insurance. Aviva declined the claim, initially citing an exclusion for not having correct travel documents, and alternatively stating the circumstances were not an insured event. The ombudsman upheld Aviva's decision on both grounds, finding the exclusion applicable and the situation not covered by the policy, and rejecting the argument that the outcome was unexpected given government guidance on citizenship timelines.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that Aviva acted fairly in declining the claim on two independent grounds. First, the exclusion regarding lack of correct travel documents was applicable because the family could not obtain British passports in time to re-enter the country, even though they had other travel documents. Second, even if the exclusion did not apply, the circumstances did not constitute an insured event under the 'Cancelling or coming home early' section of the policy. The ombudsman also rejected the argument that the situation was 'unexpected and unforeseen' because government guidance indicated citizenship outcomes could be provided within six months, making an earlier outcome reasonably foreseeable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website