Travel insurance over 65 in Ireland: age limits and medical conditions

Age limits, as insurers publish them

Each insurer sets a maximum age and a maximum trip length for each age band. These are the limits we could verify on the insurers' own websites on 9 November 2026:

Blue Insurance says people aged 70 to 75 on an annual policy must hold private health insurance with at least €55,000 of in-patient cover abroad. It also says winter sports can only be added if you are 65 or under.

Vhi sells add-ons that let people aged 65 to 79 extend a trip to 60, 90, 120 or 180 days. For people aged 80 and over, Vhi says cover is limited to the overseas limits on their health insurance plan, and pre-existing conditions are not covered.

Insurers take your age at a fixed point. Multitrip.com asks for your age at the time you buy, and says a birthday after you buy does not matter. If you are close to an age band, check how the insurer applies it at renewal.

Annual policies stop at 75 with Blue Insurance and Multitrip.com. Above that, single trip cover is the option those two insurers publish. Our multi-trip guide compares the two types.

Pre-existing medical conditions

The CCPC says many travel policies do not cover a pre-existing condition that flares up abroad unless you tell the insurer in advance and it accepts the risk. The insurer may charge an extra premium. If you do not disclose the condition, any claim may be invalid. Your provider may also refuse cover for certain illnesses.

The CCPC also says:

• Insurers must ask you all relevant questions, in plain language. You must answer them truthfully.
• If you travel against a doctor's advice, you may not be covered.
• An insurer cannot refuse to pay a claim because you made a genuine mistake on your application.
• If you give fraudulent information, the insurer can cancel the policy and refuse to pay.

How insurers handle declarations

Each insurer runs its own medical screening. What they publish (checked 9 November 2026):

• AA Ireland says all pre-existing conditions must be declared through the medical screening section of its website before you buy. It then decides whether to cover the condition, add exclusions or charge an extra premium. Any change in your health or medication must be declared before you book or leave on any trip.
• Blue Insurance says that if you do not hold qualifying health insurance, you are not covered for any condition you have taken prescribed medication for, or had treatment for, in the last 2 years, unless its medical screening line agrees in writing to cover it. If you have only one condition and it is on its list of conditions that do not need screening, it is covered without a call. You must contact medical screening again each year at renewal.
• Multitrip.com says its over-70s cover includes certain conditions as standard, as long as you have only one of them. Other or multiple conditions go through medical screening.
• Vhi MultiTrip says it covers pre-existing conditions up to the full limit of your medical cover, if your health insurance plan has overseas cover and covers that condition. This does not apply from age 80.

Blue Insurance says that if cover is refused for a condition, only claims linked to that condition are excluded. The rest of the policy still works. That can still be worth having, but weigh the price against what is left.

What is not covered at any age

Some exclusions apply whatever you declare. Blue Insurance excludes claims linked to a condition with a terminal prognosis, a condition you know about but have not had diagnosed, and a condition for which you are on a waiting list for surgery, treatment or tests. Vhi will not cover you if you are travelling against medical advice or to get treatment.

Health insurance and price after 65

Private health insurance plays a bigger part as you get older. Blue Insurance requires it for annual cover from 70 to 75. Vhi MultiTrip requires a health plan with at least €65,000 of overseas emergency cover.

One published price shows what older travellers can expect to pay. Multitrip.com quotes €103.65 for 1 year of European Premier cover for one adult aged 70 to 75 holding private health insurance with medical cover abroad (checked 9 November 2026). Its starting price for an adult under 66 on Essential cover is €19.95. The cover levels differ, so the gap is not only age.

Multitrip.com says the price for travellers aged 70 and over depends mainly on the policy type, level of cover, trip length, certain medical conditions and optional extras. See how much travel insurance costs for more examples.

What to check before you buy

• Your age at the start date. AA Ireland's booklet, for example, sets its age rules by your age at the start of the period of insurance.
• The longest trip allowed for your age. Plan your longest trip around it, or buy single trip cover for that one.
• Every condition, declared. Include changes in medication. Ask the insurer in writing whether each condition is covered and at what extra cost.
• Medical and repatriation limits. Multitrip.com's over-70s cover pays up to €20 million for medical and repatriation costs. Compare limits, not just prices.
• The excess. The CCPC says it is usually a fixed sum you pay on each claim.
• Your EHIC. It gives access to public healthcare in Europe and is free from the HSE. See our EHIC guide.
• Travel advice. The CCPC says you will generally not be covered if you travel against the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

An honest note on cover over 65

Not every insurer will sell to you. The CCPC says some companies do not offer travel insurance to people over 65 and that specialist companies do. If one insurer turns you down, it does not mean no one will cover you.

A policy may not be worth buying if the condition you are most likely to claim for is excluded. In that case, ask the insurer whether it can cover the condition for an extra premium, or ask another provider. If your health changes after you buy an annual policy, tell the insurer before your next trip.

Our travel insurance guide has an overview.

Sources

• CCPC: Travel insurance, what do you need to know before you go? (accessed 9 November 2026)
• Citizens Information: The European Health Insurance Card (accessed 9 November 2026)
• Blue Insurance: Travel insurance FAQ, including medical conditions (accessed 9 November 2026)
• Multitrip.com Ireland: FAQ, over-70s travel insurance page and multitrip travel insurance page (accessed 9 November 2026)
• Vhi: MultiTrip travel insurance page and FAQ (accessed 9 November 2026)
• AA Ireland: Travel insurance page and Essential and Extra policy booklet, October 2026 (accessed 9 November 2026)