Who is this information for ?
The information on this page is valid for any policy purchased, or trip booked on or after the 28th February 2026
For policies purchased, or trips booked prior to 28th February 2026, please refer to one of the following pages instead
Middle East Conflict information (Policy purchased and trip booked prior to 28th February 2026)
Information for customers who became stuck abroad in February/March 2026
Our policies do not provide cover to any country, or area of a country where the FCDO advises against all, or all but essential travel. For all other countries, or areas of a country without any advice against travel, cover will apply so long as it’s within the area of cover you’ve purchased.
While we update this page on a regular basis, you should always check the latest advice using the FCDO advice links within this page, as advice can change at short notice.
At the time of last update to this page, our policies do not cover the majority of the middle east due to current FCDO advice, as follows:
No cover to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, Palestine, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
No cover to parts of Saudi Arabia
Cover as normal to Oman
At the time of last update to this page, travel to the normal tourist areas of countries near the middle east such as Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt are covered under our policies, however some areas (for example the border between Egypt and Israel) are not, so it’s important you check the relevant FCDO advice page carefully.
While FCDO advice against travel remains in place for Qatar (Doha) and United Arab Emirates (Dubai) the following rules apply.
So long as your destination isn’t one to which the FCDO advises against all, or all but essential travel you are still covered to travel under your policy, you’ll however have reduced cover under your policy during your connecting flight as follows:
No cover under the ‘Cancelling or Cutting Short a Trip’ and ‘Disruption Or Delay To Travel Plans’ sections of your policy for any claim that is caused directly or indirectly by your connecting flight(s) via Dubai/Doha.
While you are in Dubai/Doha, so long as you don’t leave the airport, you’ll be covered under the ‘Medical Emergency and Repatriation Expenses’ and ‘Personal Belongings and Money’ sections of the policy, so long as the incident isn’t related directly or indirectly to the reason the FCDO are advising against travel.
If you leave the airport during your connection in Dubai/Doha you will not be covered under any section of the policy.
For any trip you had both booked and insured prior to the 28th February 2026, you’ll be able to claim for cancelling your trip so long as the advice against travel remains in place for Qatar (Doha) or United Arab Emirates (Dubai) 21 days prior to your trip.
If you booked a trip on or after the 28th February 2026, even if you’d booked your insurance before this date, you won’t be able to claim as the FCDO advice was already in place when you booked your policy.
If there was no FCDO advice against travel to your destination on the date you purchased your policy, or on the date you booked your trip (whichever is later) and the FCDO later advises against travel to your destination, you may be able to claim for cancellation of your trip. To be able to make a claim, the advice must still be in place in the final 21 days prior to your trip.
Before you make a claim you should first check with your providers if you’re entitled to a refund.
Airspace closure and fuel shortages are considered an operational airline issue, it is normally the responsibility of the airline or carrier to rearrange your journey or provide a refund where applicable.
If, on the day you are due to travel, your flight is delayed or cancelled and no suitable alternative is provided within 12 hours of your scheduled departure time, the following cover may apply (subject to your policy terms and conditions):
You may be covered for the cost of cancelling your trip (on your initial departure from the UK only).
Reasonable additional accommodation and public transport costs to continue your trip.
If you are stuck abroad, then so long as you have a valid claim, your policy will automatically extend at no cost to you, so long as you take the first available flight offered to you, either by your airline or by the UK government, to get you home.
Please note if you become stuck abroad where you’ve travelled against FCDO advice including during transit, then your policy will not automatically extend. We may be able to offer you a paid extension depending on the circumstances.
