Not upheld: claim decline - FCDO travel advice exclusion complaint against Aviva Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs B claimed on their travel insurance policy after Mr B became seriously ill whilst returning from country A, where FCDO advised against travel. Although Mr B's hospitalisation occurred in country D, Aviva declined the claim based on a policy exclusion for travelling against FCDO advice. The ombudsman upheld Aviva's decision, finding that the claim arose as a result of the prohibited travel to country A, and that it was reasonable for Aviva to apply the exclusion and require specialist insurance for such coverage.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman concluded that although the specific insured event (hospitalisation) occurred in country D, the claim arose as a direct result of Mr B's travel to and from country A against FCDO advice. The purpose of the trip was to visit country A, and had Mr B not travelled there against FCDO advice, the circumstances leading to the claim would not have arisen. The exclusion was therefore reasonably applied. The ombudsman also considered it fair for Aviva to specify which risks it covers, and noted that standard travel insurance policies typically contain similar exclusions. Specialist insurance would have been required for cover against FCDO advice.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website