Yes, you may still be covered if your flight connects through a country outside your selected geographical area, depending on whether you remain inside the airport, pass through immigration or customs, and how long your stopover lasts.
CoverForYou provides different levels of cover for air-side connections, short stopovers, longer planned stopovers and unexpected flight diversions.
Yes. You are automatically covered when remaining air-side during a flight connection, even if the airport is in a country outside your policy's geographical area.
To remain air-side, you must:
Stay on the aircraft or within the airport's secure transit area.
Not pass through immigration or customs into the public area.
Not leave the secure airport transit lounge.
Not collect your luggage from the public baggage reclaim area.
There is no five-hour limit for air-side connections, provided you remain within the secure transit area throughout your connection.
For example, if you have a connecting flight through Dubai but your policy's geographical area does not include the United Arab Emirates, you can remain covered while waiting air-side for your onward flight.
Yes. Planned stopovers of less than five hours are automatically covered, even if you need to leave the secure air-side area in a country outside your geographical area.
This may include:
Passing through immigration or customs to change airport terminals.
Travelling between different airports for a connecting flight.
Briefly leaving the airport during a short connection.
Collecting and rechecking your luggage where this requires entering the public area.
Important: You must return to the secure air-side area before your stopover reaches five hours.
The time is measured from:
When you leave the secure air-side area by passing through immigration or customs into the public area.
Until you re-enter the secure air-side departure area after passing through airport security.
For example:
Leaving air-side at 10:00 and returning at 14:30: Four hours and 30 minutes – covered under the short stopover allowance.
Leaving air-side at 10:00 and returning at 15:00: Five hours – a geographical area upgrade is required.
The five-hour limit applies to time spent outside the secure air-side area, not the total time between your connecting flights.
If your planned stopover is five hours or longer and you intend to leave the secure air-side area, you must upgrade your geographical area to include the country you're visiting.
Without the appropriate geographical cover, you will not be insured for that stopover.
This includes situations such as:
Leaving the airport to go sightseeing.
Staying overnight in an airport hotel outside the secure transit area.
Visiting friends or family during a long connection.
Travelling into the city before returning for your next flight.
You can usually upgrade your geographical area online:
Sign in to your Customer Zone.
Find the policy you wish to amend.
Select More → Change Your Policy.
Follow the instructions to request a change to your geographical area.
If you're unable to make the change online, please contact CoverForYou.
We recommend arranging any required upgrade before you travel.
Unexpected stopovers caused by flight diversions, cancellations or significant delays are treated differently from planned stopovers.
If your airline unexpectedly requires you to stop in a country outside your geographical area, your policy will automatically continue to provide cover, provided you:
Accept reasonable alternative flights offered by your airline.
Follow the airline's arrangements to continue your journey.
Do not deliberately extend your stopover unnecessarily.
If your airline cannot arrange a replacement flight within 48 hours, or fails to offer an alternative flight, contact CoverForYou immediately.
Depending on the circumstances, you may need to upgrade your geographical area to maintain the appropriate cover.
Important: An unexpected diversion does not remove the other terms, conditions or exclusions of your policy, including restrictions relating to FCDO travel advice.
If you have an Annual Multi-Trip (AMT) policy and only one of your planned holidays falls outside your current geographical area, you have two options:
You may be able to upgrade your existing policy to a wider geographical area.
This could be suitable if you expect to visit additional destinations within the wider area during your policy year.
If only one holiday requires a wider geographical area, purchasing a separate Single Trip policy may be more cost-effective than upgrading your entire Annual Multi-Trip policy.
You can compare the available options before deciding.
Get a Single Trip travel insurance quote
Connection Type | Geographical Cover |
|---|---|
Staying air-side throughout your connection | Automatically covered |
Planned stopover outside air-side for less than 5 hours | Automatically covered |
Planned stopover outside air-side for 5 hours or longer | Geographical area upgrade required |
Unexpected flight diversion or delay | Automatically covered, subject to the stated conditions |
Unexpected stopover exceeding 48 hours without a replacement flight | Contact CoverForYou immediately |
Before booking flights with a connection outside your geographical area:
Check your itinerary to see whether you need to pass through immigration or customs.
Confirm whether your baggage is checked through to your final destination.
Check whether you need to change airports or terminals, as this may require leaving the secure transit area.
Calculate any planned time outside air-side, remembering the five-hour limit.
Arrange a geographical area upgrade if necessary before departure.
If you're unsure whether your connection is covered, please contact our customer service team.
Please note: All cover is subject to your policy's terms, conditions, exclusions, geographical area restrictions, limits and any applicable excess. Additional exclusions may apply when travelling through countries subject to FCDO travel warnings.
