If an insurance company has refused a payout, underpaid or delayed it, you do not need to go straight to court. Russia has a Commissioner for the Rights of Consumers of Financial Services — the financial ombudsman — a pre-trial body that considers disputes between individuals and financial organisations free of charge. Its work is governed by Federal Law No. 123-FZ of 4 June 2018.

Which disputes the ombudsman considers

Property claims of a consumer against an insurer that works with the financial ombudsman. Insurance companies have been working with the ombudsman since 2019: for OSAGO (compulsory motor third-party liability insurance), KASKO (motor hull insurance) and DSAGO (voluntary motor liability insurance) since 1 June 2019, for other types since 28 November 2019.

  • The limit is RUB 500,000. Claims for a larger amount are considered only if the dispute relates to OSAGO: there is no cap for it.
  • The time limit is three years from the day you learned or should have learned of the violation. A missed deadline can be restored for a good reason.
  • Only monetary claims: a payout, a premium refund, a penalty. The ombudsman does not award compensation for moral damage — that is a matter for the court.
  • The dispute must not already be before a court.

Typical situations: a refused or reduced payout under OSAGO and KASKO (comprehensive motor insurance), a premium not refunded after cancelling loan-related insurance, a refused payout under life insurance, DMS (voluntary medical insurance) or property insurance, a penalty for delay.

For disputes within this competence, applying to the ombudsman is mandatory: without its decision the court will return a lawsuit against the insurer.

Step 1. A claim to the insurer

The ombudsman will not accept an application unless you have first written to the insurance company. A claim is a written statement of disagreement with its decision and a demand to remedy the violation.

  • State your full name, the contract details, the substance of the dispute and the specific amount claimed.
  • Attach copies of documents: the policy, the claim for payment, the insurer's reply, a calculation or an expert assessment.
  • Send the claim via the insurer's personal account, to its e-mail address for complaints, or by registered letter with a list of enclosures.
  • Use the standard form approved by the Council of the Financial Ombudsman Service: it speeds up consideration.

Important: the ombudsman will consider only those property claims that were stated in your claim to the insurer. List everything in it — the payout, the penalty, the cost of the expert assessment.

The insurer must respond within 15 working days if the claim was sent electronically using the standard form no later than 180 days after you learned of the violation. In other cases the response period is 30 calendar days.

Step 2. Applying to the ombudsman

If the response does not satisfy you or there is none within the deadline, file an application. Ways to do it:

  • the personal account on the financial ombudsman's website — the main method;
  • the Gosuslugi (state services) portal;
  • a paper letter with a handwritten signature;
  • a multifunctional public services centre (MFC) — in some regions.

Attach a copy of your claim, the insurer's reply (if any) and proof that the claim was sent. For a consumer the procedure is free, including an independent expert assessment if the ombudsman orders one.

Step 3. Consideration

  • Within three working days you receive a notice that the application has been accepted or rejected.
  • The decision is made within 15 working days from the day after the application is passed to the financial ombudsman. Consideration may be suspended for the duration of an expert assessment.
  • The ombudsman may request documents from the insurer and order an expert assessment — for example, of the cost of repair under OSAGO.

Step 4. The decision and its enforcement

The decision enters into force 10 working days after it is signed, and the insurer must comply with it within the stated period. If the company does not pay, the ombudsman, at your request, issues a certificate — an enforcement document you can take to the bailiffs.

If you disagree with the decision

  • The consumer may go to court within 30 calendar days after the decision enters into force.
  • The insurer may challenge the decision in court within 10 working days after it enters into force; enforcement may be suspended for that time.

How to improve your chances

  1. Keep everything: the policy, the insurance rules, receipts, correspondence, photos of the damage.
  2. Ask the insurer for a written reply justifying the refusal or the amount.
  3. If you are disputing the amount of damage, attach an independent assessment.
  4. Calculate the penalty: under OSAGO it is 1% of the compensation per day of delay.
  5. Observe the deadlines — both yours and the insurer's.

Who can file an application

The application is filed by the consumer or their legal representative. A third party to whom the consumer has assigned the right of claim may also apply — but for them the procedure is paid and takes up to 30 working days. For the individual the procedure is free, so before selling your right of claim to intermediaries, consider whether you can go through it yourself: standard forms and sample applications are published on the financial ombudsman's website.

The financial ombudsman and the Bank of Russia

The Bank of Russia does not recover money for a specific individual, but it supervises insurers and responds to violations. A complaint to its online reception is useful when a company breaches the rules on dealing with customers — for example, by imposing services or not responding. Since 1 July 2024, the Bank of Russia can forward a claim it receives to the financial organisation.

Related reading: what to do after a road accident, how to get a refund of loan insurance, how to check an insurance company. The directory of insurance companies will help you choose an insurer with clear claims rules.