Does standard insurance cover pregnancy?
Standard travel medical insurance (known in Russia as VZR) is designed for sudden illness or injury. Pregnancy-related costs are usually excluded from standard programmes. This means that if you face a threatened miscarriage, bleeding or another complication abroad, the insurer may refuse to pay unless the policy includes a special option.
So an expectant mother should not just buy a policy, but select the "Pregnancy complications" option in the calculator.
How the "Pregnancy complications" option works
In the polisre.ru calculator the option comes with a choice of pregnancy term: up to 12 weeks, up to 24 weeks or up to 31 weeks. Choose the term you will have reached by the end of the trip, not on the date you buy the policy: the pregnancy progresses while you travel.
The option generally covers emergency medical care for pregnancy complications. Routine care, check-ups, scheduled scans and childbirth are usually not insured events. The list of covered conditions, limits and exclusions differs between insurers — you can read them in the policy wording before paying.
Preparing for the trip
- Talk to your doctor. They will check whether there are reasons to avoid flying, a change of climate or time zones.
- Check the airline's rules. In late pregnancy carriers may ask for a medical certificate or restrict flying — rules vary between airlines.
- Choose a destination without unnecessary risks. Heat, tropical infections and distance from large hospitals are reasons to consider a different route.
- Bring your pregnancy record or test results: this makes things easier for a doctor abroad.
Nearby and long-haul destinations
The option is needed for any trip abroad, even a short one: Russian compulsory medical insurance (OMS) does not work outside Russia. In Turkey, Armenia or Abkhazia, care for pregnancy complications is paid just as it is in long-haul countries. The further you go, the more other factors matter: a long flight with connections, time-zone changes, a hot climate and the distance to a large hospital. If you are choosing between several destinations, discuss them with your doctor and favour the one where qualified care is easier to reach.
Print the policy and keep it on your phone, and save the assistance number in your contacts before departure — it makes things easier in a stressful situation.
Other useful options
Besides the main option, an expectant mother may need "Early return" and "Flight after treatment" — if hospitalisation made you miss your flight. If the trip is prepaid, consider "Trip cancellation": how you feel may change and the trip may have to be postponed. More on the trip cancellation insurance page.
What sum to choose
Hospital treatment abroad is expensive, so it is better to have a margin — for example, USD 50,000 or more for long-haul countries. For a visa, check the consulate's minimum: for Schengen it is EUR 30,000 (see Schengen travel insurance).
What to do if something happens
If you feel unwell, call the assistance company at once using the number in your policy. The operator will tell you which clinic to go to and agree the treatment with the insurer. Do not pay for care yourself without approval, and keep all medical documents and receipts. In an emergency, call an ambulance first and inform the assistance company as soon as possible. Step-by-step instructions are in the "Insured event" section.
How to buy a policy at polisre.ru
- Open the travel insurance calculator and enter the country and travel dates.
- Under additional options, select "Pregnancy complications" and the right term.
- Compare offers from 16 insurance companies — selection and purchase run through Polis Re's partner, the Cherehapa service.
- Check the option's terms in the chosen company's policy wording, fill in your details and pay.
- The policy arrives by e-mail. It is issued by the insurance company you choose.
Travelling as a family? See also insurance for children.