Travel Insurance

If you are currently travelling overseas and need emergency assistance, please call the 24 Hour Medical/Travel Assistance Helpline: +44 (0)1489 868 888.  Please also read the Emergency Medical and Travel Assistance Guide for more details.

Travellers also have access to the Travel Oracle App, an initial registration is required and details are below:
In order to register, please do so via www.zurich.co.uk/zurichtravelassistance.

Click on "click here" under the medical and security Assistance section. Once on that page you will be asked to register.

Type in the preferred user name, e-mail and password, traveller's first and last name and the dedicated policy number: ZUR1531523 (case sensitive).

This policy number will only be used for the Oracle app.

The University has an internal Travel Booking and Administration team to assist staff and students. Contact the team for help with a range of enquiries, from booking process support, identifying suitable travel options or finding quotes for group travel, to managing and escalating queries. Please continue to use the online tool for all bookings and amendments in the first instance and visit the University Travel Procurement page for up-to-date information.

A Worldwide Business Travel insurance policy has been purchased by the University to provide automatic cover for any member of staff, postgraduate, undergraduate student or any person under a contract to the University, travelling outside the UK on behalf of the University and representing the University in the course of their business. Our travel insurance policy is renewed annually on the 29th September. If you are travelling from one policy period to another you don't need to do anything, your cover will automatically renew. Please note the policy only applies to international trips and not travel within the UK. It also does not provide cover for a spouse or children accompanying the insured person.

Please read the Summary of Travel Insurance document prior to travel. It contains useful information about your travel insurance. If you're being asked to purchase additional insurance by your host institution or University, you may wish to send the summary cover document to your host institution to check if the additional insurance is needed or not.

Key Points

• Cover is usually automatic (but see bullet point below about planned travel to certain countries which you must notify the Insurance Office about prior to making any plans), i.e you do not have to provide details of individual journeys and you do not require a Certificate of Insurance to confirm cover is in place.
• Insurance for students on work placement, electives, study abroad and field courses is free
• Covid related medical expenses and unrecoverable travel expenses, such as cancellation or change of itinerary are covered.
• Trips in the United Kingdom are NOT covered
• The maximum duration of any single trip must not exceed 12 months without prior notification to the Insurance Office
• Incidental holidays are included provided the main purpose of the journey is for business or study and the holiday is in the same continent as the business/study element of the trip. The personal holiday should not exceed 14 days or the length of time taken for business/study. If you wish to take more than the 14 days please source your own private insurance.
• Sporting activities are covered including winter and water sports.
• Pre-existing medical conditions are covered provided travel is not contrary to medical advice. NOTE: foreseeable expenses eg repeat prescriptions and routine check-ups are not covered
• Please check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for travel advice. Where travel is against FCDO advice you must seek advice and approval from your Faculty Health & Safety Manager.
• Where FCDO advise against all but essential travel, at the time of booking, any decision to curtail or cancel a trip due to increased risk will not be covered.
• If you plan to travel to any of the countries listed below, you need to notify the Insurance Office at least two weeks before your trip (as we have to notify our insurers to confirm whether or not cover will be in place):
  • Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Ethiopia, Gaza, Haiti, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, Iran, and any country or area where the FCDO advises against all travel ('red' areas).

If you need to make a claim, please go to the insurer's Claims portal:

https://travelandpa.zurich.co.uk/link/customer/universityofleeds

Guide to completing form on Claims Portal

24 Hour Medical/Travel Assistance Helpline: +44 (0)1489 868 888
Office Hours Non-Medical Helpline: +44 (0)800 0260 184 (option 2 then option 2)

New claims email: a&hclaims@uk.zurich.com

Existing claims email: A&H_Correspondence@uk.zurich.com

The University's travel policy number is 7509094

For University staff and students travelling on University business who require a letter to confirm you have University of Leeds travel insurance for a visa application, please download the Word template letter below and complete the relevant sections accurately with your full name, your University ID number, your destination and dates for your trip. Once you have done so, you will need to send the letter together with a scanned copy or photo of your University staff/student ID card to the Insurance Office so that a signed copy can be issued to you (please note that it can take up to 7 working days to process your request). Please send the documents to: insurance@leeds.ac.uk with the subject line "Request for visa letter".