Travel Insurance for pregnancy in New Zealand - Providers, coverage and more

Planning a trip while pregnant? Whether you’re taking one last holiday before the baby arrives for a babymoon or travelling for other reasons, it’s important to make sure you’re protected.

In this guide, we’ll walk through what pregnancy travel insurance is, what’s covered (and what’s not), what some of the top providers in New Zealand offer. We’ll also touch on Wise, a handy companion for when you’re travelling to save on spending abroad.

Table of contents
Travel insurance and pregnancy Best travel insurance providers that cover pregnancy Allianz 1Cover Cover-More Southern Cross Zoom Choosing the best travel insurance for pregnancy Travelling soon? Bring Wise to save on foreign transaction fees FAQs

Travel insurance and pregnancy

Travel insurance is designed to protect you from the fallout of unexpected events while away. A core part of this is medical coverage, which often includes provisions for people who are pregnant. Complications, early labour, or sudden changes in medical advice can affect your trip, and without cover, emergency medical care abroad can be very expensive. So, it’s important to consider pregnancy when choosing a policy.

What’s generally covered by travel insurance for pregnancy?

Every insurer has different terms and conditions which governs what they will and won’t cover for pregnancy. What is covered could include:

• Emergency treatment for unexpected complications
• Trip cancellation if a doctor advises against travel
• Expenses related to an unexpected early birth
• Medical repatriation to New Zealand
• Early, unexpected birth

What is not covered by travel insurance for pregnancy?

Now let’s take a look at what may be excluded by travel insurers, meaning there’s no coverage.

• Any claim related to pregnancy after a certain week (e.g. 26 or 28 weeks)
• Routine birth
• Travelling against medical advice
• Fertility treatment or IVF-related complications
• An undeclared pregnancy if the policy required it to be disclosed
• Undeclared pregnancy complications

Keep in mind that if you’re travelling domestically or somewhere overseas where there’s a public healthcare reciprocal agreement, your pregnancy health care may be taken care of through Medicare, rather than travel insurance.

Best travel insurance providers that cover pregnancy

Here’s a comparison of five major providers in New Zealand that offer pregnancy related cover as part of their policies. To keep the comparison level, the table focuses on each insurer’s comprehensive international policy for singles.

Insurance Providers	Pregnancy week limit	Overseas medical expenses	Emergency repatriation or evacuation	Cancellation costs
Allianz¹	Before 24 weeks	$20 million	$20 million	As chosen
1Cover²	End of 24 weeks for single pregnancies End of 19 weeks for multiples	Unlimited	Unlimited	As chosen
Cover-More³	Before 24 weeks	Unlimited	Unlimited	As chosen
Southern Cross⁴	Before 24 weeks	Unlimited	Unlimited	$2500 to Unlimited before departure $50,000 after departure
Zoom⁵	End of 24 weeks for single pregnancies End of 19 weeks for multiples	Unlimited	Unlimited	As chosen

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Allianz

Allianz offers pregnancy coverage through their International Comprehensive and International Basic travel insurance, with options for single, duo or family cover.¹

• Pregnancies with more than one child or for women who’ve had complications with this or past pregnancies need to disclose it
• Other pregnancies are automatically covered up to 24 weeks, including if the pregnancy is discovered or starts after the Certificate of Insurance has been issued
• Childbirth or care of the newborn is covered if there was an Accident prior to 24 weeks that caused a premature birth, or you’re admitted to hospital with a recovery period that goes beyond the 24th week and the child is born

1Cover

With 1Cover there are policies for Comprehensive or Medical Only international insurance that can cover pregnancy.² Of all the policies on this list, 1Cover is one of two to offer travel insurance for pregnancy after the start of 24 weeks.

• Complications during this or previous pregnancies, and fertility treatments, must be declared during the medical screening and will be assessed for coverage
• Other pregnancies are automatically covered up to the end of the 24th week for single pregnancies and 19th week for multiple pregnancies

Cover-More

For pregnant women travelling internationally, Cover-More has three travel insurance policies that can offer coverage; the Basic Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive+ Plan. ³

Pregnancy coverage:

• If you’ve had a complication with this or previous pregnancies, have a multiple pregnancy, or a medically assisted conception, it needs to be disclosed and assessed for coverage
• Other pregnancies are covered up to the end of the 23rd week of gestation
• Expectant mothers on the Comprehensive or Comprehensive+ plan get extended cancellation coverage up to the end of the 31st week, or 27th week for multiples

Southern Cross

At Southern Cross Travel Insurance, the premium international option is International Comprehensive.⁴ Through this policy, they are one of the few companies that offer coverage for childbirth and neonatal care, provided the baby was born before 24 weeks.

Pregnancy coverage:

• Offers automatic coverage up to 24 weeks, provided there’s no complications before the policy is purchased
• Any pregnancy complications in the last 3 years need to be disclose and coverage applied for

Zoom

Pregnant women can buy Medical Only, Standard or Comprehensive international travel insurance from Zoom to get pregnancy coverage.⁵ Like Cover-More, Zoom offers pregnancy coverage to the end of the 24th week, rather than the 23rd.

Pregnancy coverage:

• Pregnancies can be automatically covered up to the end of the 24th week for single pregnancies, and 19th week for multiple pregnancies
• Any complications for this or previous pregnancies, and fertility treatments, must be disclosed and assessed for coverage to be offered

Choosing the best NZ travel insurance for pregnancy

When deciding which travel insurance policy to choose for pregnancy, these are some things to take note of.

• Pregnancy coverage usually has a week limit, which can vary by provider
• Emergency care may be covered, but a planned delivery generally isn’t
• There can be exclusions for specific circumstances such as IVF, multiple pregnancies, previous complications and going against medical advice
• There may be a need to disclose your medical history and pay an additional premium to get pregnancy coverage

Things to consider before buying pregnancy travel insurance

Before actually buying the policy, it’s a good idea to consider these factors.

• What is the local medical care like at your destination?
• Have you had complications with a pregnancy before?
• How far into the pregnancy will you be during your journey?
• What refund or cancellation options are available if your plans change?

Travelling soon? Safeguard yourself from foreign transaction fees with Wise

Travelling with peace of mind starts with the right insurance. Once you’ve got your travel insurance lined up, it’s time to work out the best way to spend when you’re overseas. Meet the Wise account and card.

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Wherever you’re headed, Wise makes managing travel money easier. Take Wise with you, and save up to 8x when you spend internationally.

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Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected New Zealand banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more, please visit https://payout-surge.live/nz/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E%3Csmall%3E

Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

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FAQs

Do I have to declare I’m pregnant on travel insurance?

Some insurers treat pregnancy as a pre-existing condition that needs to be declared, while others offer automatic coverage to pregnant women who meet certain criteria. If you’ve had pregnancy related complications in the past or are undergoing treatment like IVF, that may need to be disclosed.

Do I have to pay extra for pregnancy cover?

This also depends on the insurer. Some policies include basic pregnancy cover as standard, while others offer more comprehensive protection or coverage waivers for an additional cost.

Does travel insurance cover giving birth?

Generally birth isn’t covered unless it’s an emergency early birth while overseas. Planned childbirth or care for a full-term delivery is almost always excluded.

Travel insurance for twin pregnancy

Twin or multiple pregnancies are usually considered higher risk. Most standard policies don’t cover them without special approval. The best thing to do is speak to the insurers directly and see what they can offer.

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Sources used:

1. Allianz - Policy wording
2. 1Cover - Policy wording
3. Cover-More - Policy wording
4. Southern Cross Travel Insurance - International comprehensive
5. Zoom - Policy wording

Sources last checked on date: 1 May 2025