Quick Summary for Busy Readers:
- Repatriation cover pays to get you home (or to hospital) if you’re seriously ill or injured overseas and covers bringing your remains home if the worst happens.
- Most comprehensive travel insurance policies include unlimited medical repatriation, but the amount covered for repatriation of remains is usually capped, often around $15,000.
- Air ambulance evacuations are genuinely expensive. A transfer from Bali can cost more than $50,000. A transfer from Europe can be as expensive as $300,000.
- Cover isn’t automatic on every policy. Check whether it sits under “Emergency Medical Assistance” or “Medical Evacuation and Repatriation” before you buy.
Nobody plans on getting sick or hurt while they’re away. But if it happens, the cost of getting proper treatment or getting home can get expensive quickly. Repatriation travel insurance helps cover these costs.
Read on for a full breakdown of what repatriation travel insurance actually is, exactly what it covers, and how much repatriation can cost without a travel insurance policy (spoiler: it’s a lot).
What is repatriation in travel insurance?
Repatriation cover comes in two forms, and it’s worth understanding the difference before you buy a policy.
Medical repatriation kicks in when you fall seriously ill or get injured overseas and the treating doctors decide you need to be brought home for further care. This isn’t something you get to choose on a whim. It has to be deemed medically necessary. Most comprehensive policies include unlimited medical repatriation, along with access to a 24/7 emergency assistance team who can coordinate specialist care wherever you are in the world.
Repatriation of remains applies if you pass away overseas. It covers bringing your body home, or alternatively, paying for a funeral or cremation in the country where you died. Unlike medical repatriation, this benefit usually comes with a cap. Check your policy’s benefits table for the exact figure, since it varies between insurers.
What is the benefit of repatriation insurance?
Think of repatriation cover as the safety net behind everything else in your policy. Here’s what it typically includes:
- Emergency evacuation: If you’re injured on ski slopes or need to be brought ashore from a cruise in a hurry, your insurer arranges transport to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment.
- Medical supervision on the way home: If you need to be flown back to New Zealand, arrangements are made for you to travel with appropriate medical support, whether that’s specialised equipment or a nurse by your side.
- Hospital costs overseas: Your insurer guarantees payment for reasonable emergency hospital expenses while you’re being treated abroad.
- Family communication: If something goes wrong, your insurer can pass on messages to your family or employer so they’re kept in the loop.
- Getting your family home too: If your dependants are left without care after you’re hospitalised or evacuated, arrangements are made to get them back to New Zealand safely.
- Funeral and repatriation costs: In the event of death overseas, your policy contributes toward funeral costs abroad or returning your remains home. This is usually capped at around $15,000.
A few things sit outside repatriation cover, and it pays to know them upfront. Treatment once you’re back in New Zealand isn’t covered, since Te Whatu Ora and/or ACC will kick in. Ignoring medical advice from a treating doctor will likely void your claim. And repatriation of remains generally only covers a return to Australia or New Zealand, not elsewhere.
How much does repatriation cost?
Flying someone home who’s seriously injured or unwell is not a cheap exercise. Depending on your condition, you might need to travel with a nurse or specialised medical equipment. You might also have to sit in a seat that isn’t in Economy because of your injuries. Add all that up and evacuation costs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars without much trouble.
To put real numbers on it: an air ambulance from Bali to New Zealand can cost upwards of $50,000, and from Europe to New Zealand, that figure can climb as high as $300,000. Without travel insurance, you would have to pay those costs.
Where can I get repatriation cover?
We've rounded up the insurers who cover repatriation as well as the cover limits:
| Provider | Is it covered | Cover limit | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1Cover | Yes | $25,000 | Quote | |
 TINZ | Yes | $15,000 | Quote | |
 Zoom | Yes | $25,000 | Quote | |
 AA Travel | Yes | $20,000 | ||
 AMI Insurance | Yes | $20,000 | ||
 Cover-More | Yes | $60,000 | ||
 Southern Cross | Yes | $50,000 | ||
 State Insurance | Yes | $20,000 | ||
 Tower Insurance | Yes | $25,000 |
Get Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Is repatriation automatically included in travel insurance?
Don’t assume it is. Cover depends entirely on the insurer and the level of policy you choose. It’s typically bundled under Emergency Medical Assistance or listed separately as Medical Evacuation and Repatriation. If you’re not sure, it’s worth calling your insurer directly and asking exactly what’s included.
Am I covered for medical evacuation from a cruise ship at sea?
Yes, comprehensive policies cover you from ship to shore, but it does depend on whether you have the right level of cover or the appropriate add-on (with some insurers, you may need a dedicated cruise pack to be properly covered for a cruise holiday). If you need to be evacuated while the ship is a few days’ journey away from land, the 24/7 assistance team will work with the cruise line to get you to a medical facility as fast as possible.
What is repatriation in simple terms?
It’s the part of your travel insurance that gets you home. Whether you need emergency evacuation to a hospital, or in a worst-case scenario, your remains returned home if you die overseas, repatriation cover is what pays for it.
What happens if I don’t have travel insurance and need repatriation?
Without travel insurance, you will have to pay the full cost yourself. That could mean paying tens of thousands of dollars upfront for an air ambulance or your family covering the cost of returning your remains home if you die while overseas.
