TL;DR: Under a circular of Israel's Capital Market Authority, every travel insurance policy sold in Israel is built from a uniform basic cover plus extensions you can add. The basic cover includes medical expenses, emergency dental care, medical repatriation to Israel, third-party liability and search and rescue. Trip cancellation, extreme sports, worsening of an existing medical condition and baggage are extensions. Cancellation cover starts on the day of purchase, and the insurer must tell you in advance that a pre-existing condition is not covered without an extension.
What the Regulator Sets
Travel insurance in Israel is sold under the rules of the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority. Under insurance circular 2016-1-26, which applies to policies sold or renewed from 3 September 2017, every insurer offers a plan built from a "first insurance layer" plus extensions that can be bought on top of it. On a page updated in 2023, the Authority writes that the policy structure is uniform across all insurers.
Under the circular, the insurer sets the cover amounts by the expected cost, among other things by the destination country.
What the Basic Cover Includes
Under the circular, the first layer includes:
- Medical expenses abroad: hospitalisation, medical treatment without hospitalisation, evacuation to a hospital, medical repatriation to Israel, medicines and emergency dental care.
- Third-party liability, unless the insured asked to leave it out.
- Special expenses: flying a companion to the place of hospitalisation, an extended stay abroad following an insured event, repatriation of remains, and pregnancy up to week 12 first diagnosed abroad.
- Search and rescue, in countries where it can be operated, unless the insured asked to leave it out.
The insured chooses the companion who is flown out, not only from among close family. If the insurer makes flying a companion conditional on days in hospital, the condition cannot exceed three days.
Extensions
Under the circular, an insurer may offer these extensions: trip cancellation, trip curtailment, pregnancy, worsening of an existing medical condition, winter sports, extreme sports, baggage (including valuables), laptop or tablet, bicycle and mobile phone. With a winter sports or extreme sports extension, the list of covered activities appears in the policy details sent before the flight.
Trip Cancellation
Under the circular, entitlement under a trip cancellation or curtailment extension starts from the date the cover is sold, not from any later date. When a nuclear family bought the extension for every member and one of them is entitled to benefits, the rest of the family is entitled too.
Pre-existing Medical Condition
The circular defines a pre-existing medical condition as an illness for which the insured was under treatment or supervision when leaving Israel, or in the six months before. The basic cover does not cover expenses arising from such a condition. Before the contract is made, the insurer must say so and offer an extension. When buying online, the insurer must ask whether the insured meets the definition. If the insurer did not do these things, the insured may buy the extension retroactively, even after an insured event.
Baggage
Under the circular, baggage cover applies to loss and theft too, and does not depend on where the baggage was left, including theft from a vehicle or a locker. The insurer does not deduct VAT from the cost of an item if the insured paid it.
Extending the Policy
Under the circular, an insured who asks to extend the policy before it ends gets an extension on similar terms and price, with no new check of a pre-existing condition and no waiting period. One who asks after it ends gets an extension from the date of the request.
Insurance Through Credit Cards
Israeli credit card companies publish travel insurance benefits on different terms:
- Cal: 5 free days of basic cover, for the customer and one minor (up to age 18) travelling with them on the same policy, in a Harel policy bought through the link on Cal's website, provided the premium is paid with a Cal card. According to Cal, the basic cover includes medical expenses up to US$5,000,000. The benefit applies to purchases until 31 December 2026.
- Isracard: 5 free days on the basic cover and on baggage, for the cardholder only, and up to 14 free days of extensions for everyone on the policy (baggage, search and rescue, extreme sports), for purchases until 31 December 2026. According to Isracard, the insurance can only be bought while the insured is in Israel.
- Isracard World Elite: a policy that covers each trip up to 60 days, with no limit on the number of trips, activated once. According to the policy, hospitalisation abroad is covered up to US$5,000,000.
The full terms appear in each benefit's policy.
Abroad and After Returning
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends arranging insurance before travelling abroad. According to the Ministry, in case of hospitalisation you contact the travel insurer and report it promptly, and the insurer handles the costs according to the policy. Search and rescue is activated through the insurer's hotline and is not the Ministry's responsibility. The Ministry's situation room is available 24/7 at +972-2-5303155.
A complaint against an insurer is filed with the public inquiries unit of the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority, through its online system, an online form with no registration or by post.
Sources: Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority (insurance circulars 2016-1-26 and 2017-1-11, the tariffs page, the complaints guide), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cal, Isracard.
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