For travellers who have already left home
Already abroad? You can usually still get insured.
Plenty of people leave without insurance, or watch a policy run out mid-trip. Some insurers will still sell you cover. Here's what you can buy, when it starts, and what it can't do.
The SafetyWing link is an affiliate link. Already Abroad is independent and is not an insurer.
The short answer
Can you buy travel insurance after you've already left?
Usually, yes. Several insurers sell travel medical insurance to people who are already outside their home country. Some even let cover begin on the day you buy.
It isn't universal, though. Some mainstream insurers only sell before departure. Others will sell to you, but make you wait a few days before cover begins. And insurers set eligibility rules, often based on where you live, where you are, your age, and sometimes where you're going next.
The already-abroad guide covers the whole picture, including a table showing how several insurers handle purchases after departure.
Why it's different once you've left
Insurers prefer you to buy before you go. Someone buying mid-trip is more likely to already know something is wrong, so insurers protect themselves in three ways:
- Waiting periods: a delay between buying and being covered.
- "Before departure" rules: some insurers simply won't sell once you've left.
- Strict pre-existing condition terms: anything that started before your cover is usually excluded.
None of that stops you getting insured. It means the details matter more than they would at home.
Find your situation
What's happened?
Your options
The main ways to get covered from abroad
| Option | Good fit if… | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Travel medical insurance sold to people already abroad | You need emergency medical cover soon and are travelling for weeks, months or open-ended | Eligibility by residence and location, exclusions, home-country limits |
| A travel policy that allows purchase after departure | You want broader travel benefits and can wait a few days | Waiting periods (for example 72 hours) and which benefits they apply to |
| Extending your current policy | Your insurer allows it and your policy hasn't expired yet | Deadlines before the end date, and maximum trip lengths |
| International health insurance | You're settling abroad for a year or more and want routine care | Applications, medical questions, slower start, higher cost |
Not sure whether you need travel insurance or proper health insurance? Read travel medical vs international health insurance.
One option we cover in depth
SafetyWing, for people already travelling
SafetyWing's Nomad Insurance can be bought on the road, which is why it comes up so often here. If you're outside your home country when you buy, the start date defaults to the day of purchase, and cover begins once the proof-of-insurance email arrives.
Its Essential plan is travel medical insurance with a US$250,000 overall maximum limit, billed in periods that can renew automatically, so it suits trips without a fixed end. It still has exclusions, eligibility rules and limits on cover in your home country. Read buying SafetyWing while abroad or our independent SafetyWing review before deciding.
Before you buy anything
Things to check before you buy
- When cover starts: the start date, and any waiting period after it.
- Eligibility: your country of residence, where you are now, and your age.
- Where you're covered: your current country, the countries you're heading to, the US, and your home country if you go back.
- Exclusions: activities, alcohol-related incidents, high-risk countries.
- Pre-existing conditions: how they're defined, and whether sudden flare-ups get any cover.
- Trip length and renewal: whether you can extend without going home.
The full guide turns these into questions you can put to any insurer.
Popular guides
Start with these
Common questions
How quickly will I be covered?
It depends on the insurer. Some start cover on the purchase date or the next day. Others apply a waiting period, such as 72 hours, to people who buy after departure. See waiting periods and start dates.
I'm already sick or injured. Can I get insured for it?
Almost certainly not for that problem. New insurance is designed to cover things that start after cover begins. You can still buy cover for future, unrelated problems, but deal with the current one first. Here's what to do.
Is Already Abroad an insurance company?
No. We're an independent guide. We don't sell, underwrite or administer insurance, and we can't confirm whether a claim will be paid. We may earn a commission from some links, which we explain here.
Why do you mention SafetyWing so often?
SafetyWing is built for people who are already travelling, so it answers this site's core question directly. We earn a commission if you buy through our links. We also cover other options and what SafetyWing doesn't cover.
Sources
Insurer details on this page are summarised from each insurer’s own published material; general guidance comes from the official sources listed. Terms change, so check these pages and the policy wording before you buy.