- High blood pressure is a pre-existing medical condition that must be declared. The FCDO warns that failing to declare something may invalidate a travel insurance policy.
- Staysure and Avanti are both trading names of TICORP Limited (Gibraltar, FCA FRN 663617), and each states it can cover more than 1,300 pre-existing medical conditions subject to screening, with no upper age limit.
- AllClear Insurance Services Limited (FCA FRN 311244) screens hypertension with specific questions on treatment, medication, and whether a dose has changed in the last 6 months.
- A GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance: it does not cover repatriation or private treatment, per NHS guidance.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most commonly declared conditions on a medical travel insurance application. Because it is so widespread and often well controlled, some travellers assume it does not need mentioning. That assumption carries financial risk. Hypertension is a pre-existing medical condition, and the way it is declared determines whether a claim involving the heart, circulation, or a related complication is paid.
How high blood pressure cover differs
A standard travel insurance policy is priced on the assumption that the traveller has no significant ongoing medical condition. Hypertension changes that calculation because it is a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack, which are among the most expensive emergencies to treat and repatriate abroad. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises travellers to declare existing conditions or pending treatment or tests so that they are covered if there are related complications during the trip.
The practical consequence is that hypertension is handled through medical screening rather than a blanket exclusion. Insurers that specialise in declarable conditions ask a set of structured questions and then either include the condition at an adjusted premium, apply an additional excess, or in some cases decline that specific condition while still covering the rest of the trip. The condition is rarely uninsurable on its own; the outcome depends on how it is controlled and what other conditions sit alongside it.
What to look for
The central question is whether the policy covers the declared condition itself, not merely unrelated risks such as lost luggage. A policy that excludes the heart and circulatory system while charging a low premium offers little protection to someone with hypertension. Screening detail matters here. AllClear, for example, asks during its medical screening whether the traveller is currently undergoing treatment or has any planned, whether they take medication for the condition, and whether the dose has been increased or a new tablet prescribed in the last 6 months. These questions probe stability: a blood pressure that has been steady on the same medication for months presents a different risk profile from one that is still being adjusted.
Staysure describes its screening as a process asking about health history over the previous 2 years, including appointments, symptoms, tests, treatments, hospitalisations, and medications. The honest answer to each question is what makes the resulting cover valid. A traveller who reports a recent medication change is not penalised for honesty; a traveller who omits it risks a refused claim if a related complication occurs.
Emergency medical cover limits and repatriation are the figures that carry the most weight for a hypertensive traveller, because a cardiovascular event overseas can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. According to the Association of British Insurers, members paid 262 million pounds in travel medical claims in 2024, with an average medical claim of 1,528 pounds, and one member paid over 1 million pounds for a single hospitalisation and repatriation in the USA.
Cover limits and exclusions
Specialist medical insurers publish tiered limits, and the gap between tiers is significant for serious medical events. AllClear lists three levels for its medical cover: Gold offers emergency medical cover up to 10 million pounds and cancellation up to 2,000 pounds; Gold Plus offers emergency medical up to 15 million pounds and cancellation up to 15,000 pounds; and Platinum offers unlimited emergency medical cover with cancellation up to 25,000 pounds. Staysure states that its Comprehensive and Signature policies carry up to unlimited emergency medical expenses, with cancellation up to 15,000 pounds on Signature.
The most important exclusion to understand is the one created by non-declaration. If hypertension is not declared and a stroke or cardiac event occurs, the insurer can treat the entire claim as relating to an undisclosed condition and decline it. The FCDO states plainly that failing to declare something may invalidate the policy. A separate point of detail is the medical excess: the FCDO notes that some insurers may waive the excess on medical treatment if a traveller uses an EHIC or GHIC, so it is worth checking the policy terms.
Providers offering cover in this segment
The following named UK-facing providers state that they cover declarable conditions including high blood pressure. Each operates through medical screening, and the figures below were taken from their own published material.
Staysure is a trading name of TICORP Limited, registered in Gibraltar and operating in the UK under FCA FRN 663617 on a freedom of services basis, with policies administered by Howserv Limited (FCA FRN 599282). It states it can cover more than 1,300 medical conditions, reports that 97% of customers are able to get medical cover, and applies no upper age limit.
Avanti Travel Insurance is also a trading name of TICORP Limited (FCA FRN 663617), administered by Howserv Limited (FCA FRN 599282). It states that its cover can include support for more than 1,300 pre-existing medical conditions, subject to screening, and markets cover for older travellers including over 80s.
AllClear arranges cover through AllClear Insurance Services Limited (FCA firm reference number 311244) and specialises in medical travel insurance, listing heart and circulatory conditions among the categories it screens. It markets cover for older travellers, including over 90s, and publishes the Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum tiers described above.
Because Staysure and Avanti are both TICORP Limited trading names, a traveller comparing them is comparing two brands underwritten through the same regulated entity rather than two unrelated insurers. That is a useful fact to hold when reading their materials side by side.
Common pitfalls
The first pitfall is treating well-controlled hypertension as not worth declaring. Control reduces risk; it does not remove the condition from the definition of pre-existing. The second is declaring hypertension but forgetting linked conditions or recent changes, such as a new medication or an adjusted dose, which the screening questions specifically ask about. The third is relying on a GHIC. NHS guidance is explicit that a GHIC is free and lasts up to 5 years but does not cover repatriation, private treatment, or mountain rescue, and is not a replacement for travel insurance. The fourth is assuming a cheap non-specialist policy with a low medical limit is equivalent to a specialist one; for a condition with cardiovascular implications, the emergency medical and repatriation ceilings are the figures that matter most.
Does high blood pressure need to be declared on travel insurance?
Yes. High blood pressure is a pre-existing medical condition. The FCDO advises declaring existing conditions so that related complications are covered, and warns that failing to declare something may invalidate the policy.
Will declaring high blood pressure always increase the premium?
Not necessarily. The outcome depends on screening. Well-controlled hypertension on a stable medication may be included with little or no additional premium, while recent medication changes or additional conditions can affect the price or excess. The figures and outcomes are determined at the screening stage.
What questions are asked when screening high blood pressure?
Specialist insurers ask structured questions. AllClear asks whether treatment is current or planned, whether medication is taken, and whether the dose has been increased or a new tablet prescribed in the last 6 months. Staysure asks about health history over the previous 2 years including treatments and medications.
If you find it difficult to get cover because of a pre-existing condition, the Money and Pensions Service operates a travel insurance directory of specialist providers via its MoneyHelper service. Visit the MoneyHelper travel insurance directory or call the Money Helper Customer Contact Centre on 0800 138 7777 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).
