With the ongoing conflict across parts of the Middle East, we are advising all clients to carefully review their travel insurance policies before travelling.

It is important to understand that not all personal or business travel insurance policies respond in the same way to geopolitical events. Many policies exclude claims arising from acts of war or political unrest and most insurers refer to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice when assessing cover.

This guidance uses a Red, Amber and Green system:
Red – No travel advised
Amber – Essential travel only
Green – Travel permitted

If you travel against FCDO advice, most travel insurance policies will not provide cover for that destination.

You can check the latest guidance via gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice where all countries are listed. A map will appear where specific travel advice or restrictions are in place.

It is also worth noting that business travel insurance cover does not necessarily only apply to travel outside of the UK. We have recently seen a case where an employee travelling within the UK for business purposes had the contents of their car stolen and subsequently had to make a claim.