Nick's missing transit visa
Nick's flight was changed and he didn’t realise he subsequently needed a visa. Read the full case study below.
Nick's flight was changed and he didn’t realise he subsequently needed a visa. Read the full case study below.
Nick bought travel insurance for a trip to Indonesia from December 2022 to February 2023. His original flight was from Auckland to Bali, with a short stop in Melbourne. Because the stop was under 8 hours, Nick didn’t need a visa.
But in November 2022, the airline changed his flight. The new route went through both Sydney and Melbourne, with a stopover longer than 8 hours. This meant Nick now needed a visa to transit through Australia.
When Nick arrived at the airport in December, the airline wouldn’t let him check in because he didn’t have the right visa. They refunded his original ticket, but Nick had to buy new tickets at his own cost. He then made a claim to his insurer to cover the extra expense.
The insurer declined the claim. They referred to a policy exclusion that said they wouldn’t pay for any costs related to not having the correct passport, visa, or travel documents.
Nick made a complaint to the IFSO Scheme as he felt this was unfair. He said the situation was out of his control and not something he could have predicted. He believed the insurer was being too strict and focusing on a technicality.
After looking into the case, the IFSO Scheme agreed with the insurer. The policy clearly said that any costs related to not having the right visa weren’t covered—no matter the reason. Because Nick didn’t have the required visa, the exclusion applied, and the insurer was able to decline the claim.
Many travel insurance policies contain exclusions for expenses arising from not having an appropriate entry visa. It’s important to thoroughly check visa requirements for the countries you are travelling through, and double check your travel documents are correct.
*Name has been changed.