The short answer: a standard policy won't protect you
If you buy an ordinary travel policy for a trip to Ukraine, its terms will almost certainly include a clause excluding war risks. This is standard practice across the global market: damage caused by war, armed conflict, shelling, military action or the consequences of hostilities is not reimbursed under a basic policy. So on paper you have a policy — but the very risk that worries travellers most in a country under martial law stays uncovered.
To get real protection, you need a separate product: a travel policy with a war-risk extension. This isn't a marketing add-on — it's a distinct contractual term that removes the standard war exclusion within agreed limits and territory. Here's how it works in practice.
What "war-risk exclusion" really means
A typical travel insurance contract contains a section listing the events for which no payout is made. Among them you'll almost always find wording along the lines of: "war (declared or not), invasion, acts of a foreign enemy, civil war, insurrection, martial law, acts of terrorism of a military nature." If you suffer an insured event caused by any of these, the insurer has the legal right to decline the claim.
In practice it plays out like this: a traveller is injured in shelling, files a claim — and is refused, with a reference to the war-exclusion clause. Formally, everything is by the book. That's exactly why, for Ukraine, it is critical that the policy expressly covers events linked to hostilities, not just "travel medical insurance."
How to check for war-risk cover before you travel
Before buying any policy, run through this short checklist:
- Find the "Exclusions" section. Read how the war exclusion is worded and whether there's any provision for lifting it under a separate condition.
- Check for a war-risk extension. The contract should state explicitly that events connected to hostilities are covered, and within what limits (liability cap, types of expenses — medical care, evacuation, repatriation).
- Read the territorial terms carefully. No responsible policy covers the entire country without limits — exclusions apply to specific zones (see the next section).
- Confirm the insurer and agent are legitimate. More on this below too.
- Save the full text of the terms and the assistance contacts before you travel, not while a claim is unfolding.
If the contract has no war-risk extension clause, you're looking at an ordinary travel policy — and for Ukraine it won't do its main job.
The four categories of territorial exclusion
War-risk cover does not blanket the whole country — that would be economically impossible and dishonest. Instead, exclusions are tied to clearly defined zones, not to entire oblasts. As of 2026, the territorial exclusions fall into four categories:
- Combat zones — territories designated as areas of active hostilities by the relevant state acts.
- Temporarily occupied territories — areas outside the control of the Ukrainian authorities.
- A 50-kilometre buffer zone around both of the above.
- Areas under a special-access regime — zones where entry is restricted by specific rules.
The rest of Ukraine, where entry and stay are permitted, remains within cover. The key logic to grasp: it isn't a whole region that's excluded, but specific dangerous or inaccessible areas. Before you travel, always check your route against current official sources.
Where to verify official entry and regime information
Insurance terms work in tandem with entry rules and the martial-law regime. Before travelling, check:
- The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) — current border-crossing rules, checkpoint operations, restrictions.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) — official information for foreigners and consular matters.
- Official acts on the martial-law regime — published on government resources, defining the legal regime across the country.
These sources are updated regularly, so rely on them rather than on the publication date of any article. Your policy's terms are tied to the same legal framework.
How to get a quote: a step-by-step walkthrough
The process itself is straightforward and needs no special knowledge:
- Set your travel dates and route. The length of stay drives the price.
- Open the quote page. You can get a personalised policy price on the quote page.
- Enter the key details — citizenship, dates, the limits and options you need.
- Check the war-risk cover terms in the summary — make sure the extension is included.
- Buy the policy and save it together with the assistance contacts.
On cost: the market reference point is a few euros per day of stay, but the exact price depends on duration, limits and chosen options, and is generated directly on the quote page. There are no fixed prices here — every policy is calculated individually.
Who stands behind the policy: the regulatory backbone
Trust in an insurance product starts with checking who provides it. The policy is issued by an insurer regulated by the National Bank of Ukraine and holding a class 18 licence. The insurer belongs to a European group listed on a stock exchange and operates under the European solvency regime Solvency II — the requirements for financial stability and capital adequacy.
The agent through whom the policy is arranged holds a code in the Unified State Register (USREOU 44559356). In line with insurance distribution requirements (IDD), the distributor's identity and status are disclosed to the customer before the contract is concluded. This information should be available to you before you pay.
Claims document checklist
If an insured event occurs, timely and complete submission of documents directly affects how quickly your claim is processed. An indicative list:
- A completed claim form in the insurer's format.
- A copy of the policy and of your identity document (passport).
- Proof of entry and stay — border-crossing stamps, boarding documents.
- Medical documents — discharge summaries, certificates, treatment invoices, prescriptions (in case of injury).
- Documents confirming the circumstances of the event — where available, certificates from the competent authorities, statements, reports.
- Financial documents — receipts and invoices for expenses incurred.
- Bank details for the payout.
Immediately after an event, contact the assistance service on the number in your policy — this is a crucial step, without which some costs may not be covered. The exact list of documents and the submission deadlines are always set out in the terms of your specific contract — check against those.
Summary
A standard travel policy won't protect you against war risks — that's built into its terms. For a trip to Ukraine in 2026 you need a separate policy with a war-risk extension, with four clearly defined categories of territorial exclusion and a verified regulatory backbone. Check the terms, cross-reference official sources on entry, calculate the price on the quote page — and keep your documents and assistance contacts to hand from the very start of your trip.