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Does travel insurance pay in case of war or a pandemic?

In short

In case of war, unrest or a travel warning, trip cancellation insurance (Reiserücktrittsversicherung) does not pay. You can, however, often cancel a package holiday free of charge with the tour operator. In a pandemic many tariffs pay if you fall ill yourself, quarantine only in some. Fear of infection or attacks is never an insured reason. A package cancelled for such reasons costs EUR 0.

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Does travel insurance pay in case of war or a pandemic?

What it costs

Published premiums for tariffs that include falling ill in a pandemic, and the legal position, as of September 2026.

Example	Typical range
Annual cancellation policy, one person under 66, no deductible, up to EUR 3,000 per trip, pandemic illness and quarantine included	about EUR 96 a year
Same tariff, family	about EUR 106 a year
Annual cancellation policy including Covid illness	from about EUR 41 a year
Annual travel health insurance, one person	about EUR 8 to 25 a year
Cancelling a package holiday because of unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances at the destination	EUR 0 cancellation fee

Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples. How long travel health cover continues after war breaks out is set out only in the terms of each policy. The figures in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice. We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Family, two bookings for the same country, unrest breaks out there two weeks before departure

The Federal Foreign Office issues a travel warning. The family has booked a package holiday for EUR 2,800 and, separately, a holiday flat for EUR 1,200 with its own flight for EUR 700.

Package holiday, cancelled because of extraordinary circumstances at the destination	EUR 0 cost
Flight, cancelled by the airline	EUR 700 refunded
Holiday flat, contract without free cancellation	up to EUR 1,200 at risk
Payment from trip cancellation insurance	EUR 0

The package holiday costs nothing, the cancelled flight is refunded. The holiday flat remains open, and insurance does not help here. Whether the landlord has to refund depends on the contract and the situation. Worked example with guide values.

Why war is excluded

A war does not hit one traveller but thousands at the same time. This mass risk cannot be calculated, so almost all trip cancellation policies exclude war, civil war and internal unrest. A travel warning issued by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) is not an insured reason either.

That sounds harsh, but it is less bad than it seems. For package holidays there is a legal solution that works without any insurance.

Package holiday: cancel free of charge without insurance

If unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occur at the destination or in its immediate vicinity that significantly affect the trip, the tour operator may not charge a cancellation fee under § 651h (3) of the German Civil Code (BGB). This includes war, serious unrest, natural disasters and epidemics at the destination. A travel warning is strong evidence of this, but the situation on the ground is what counts.

The timing of your cancellation matters. If you cancel months in advance because something might be brewing somewhere, you usually pay the normal fee. If you cancel shortly before departure while there really is war at the destination, you pay nothing.

Trips booked separately are harder

If you booked flight and accommodation yourself, package holiday protection does not apply. If the flight is cancelled, you get the fare back under EU air passenger rights. If the flight goes ahead and you do not want to fly, the airline's cancellation rules apply.

For holiday flats and hotels, whatever you agreed applies. If the accommodation cannot be used because of the situation, the obligation to pay often falls away, but do not rely on it. If you travel to uncertain regions, book flexible fares or a package holiday.

Case	Trip cancellation insurance	What helps instead
War or unrest at the destination before departure	does not pay	package holiday: free cancellation with the operator
Travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office	does not pay	package holiday: usually free cancellation
Flight cancelled because of the situation	does not pay	refund from the airline
You fall ill with a pandemic disease before departure	pays in many tariffs	doctor's certificate or positive test as proof
Official quarantine ordered for you personally	pays only in some tariffs	tariff that includes quarantine
General entry ban or curfew	does not pay	package holiday: cancellation with the operator
Fear of infection or an attack	never pays	only flexible booking

Pandemic: illness yes, the global situation no

Since Covid many tariffs have adapted their terms. If you fall ill yourself before the trip, these tariffs treat it like any other unexpected serious illness. A doctor's certificate or a positive test is usually enough as proof. Some tariffs also include quarantine ordered for you personally and vaccination reactions.

What is not covered are the consequences of the pandemic for everyone: travel warnings, entry bans, general quarantine rules and closed hotels. Older or very cheap tariffs sometimes exclude pandemics entirely. This is in a separate clause you should read before signing up.

If war breaks out during your trip

Here your travel health cover matters. Many tariffs distinguish between active and passive war risk: if you take part yourself, you are never covered. If you are caught by surprise and not involved, you often stay covered for a limited time after the outbreak, in some terms only 7 days. Use this time to leave the country.

If you deliberately travel to a country where war is already going on or a travel warning applies, you usually have no cover at all. There are special tariffs for work in crisis areas; ordinary travel insurance is not enough for that.

Step by step

If there is unrest at the destination, do not cancel straight away but watch the situation until shortly before departure.
Declare free cancellation because of extraordinary circumstances to the package tour operator in writing.
For separate bookings, wait to see whether the airline cancels the flight, then claim the refund.
If you fall ill yourself, secure a doctor's certificate or test result immediately and cancel the same day.
Before your next booking, read the tariff's pandemic and war clauses.

Checklist

Pandemic illness expressly included
Quarantine ordered for you personally included, or knowingly not
War clause of the travel health cover read, period after outbreak noted
Trips to uncertain regions booked as a package or with flexible cancellation
Current travel and safety advice checked before booking
Tour operator contact and the insurer's emergency number to hand

Common mistakes

Cancelling out of fear weeks before departure and paying the full fee
Counting on trip cancellation insurance although war is excluded
Making separate bookings for uncertain destinations without free cancellation
Never having read the pandemic clause of an old policy
Deliberately travelling to a country with a travel warning and relying on travel health cover

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does trip cancellation insurance pay if there is a travel warning?

No. A travel warning is not an insured reason. With a package holiday, however, you can usually cancel free of charge with the tour operator.

Am I covered if I get Covid before the trip?

In many current tariffs yes, like any unexpected serious illness. Proof is a doctor's certificate or a positive test. Check your tariff's pandemic clause.

Does the insurance pay if I have to go into quarantine?

Only if the tariff expressly names quarantine ordered for you personally. A general quarantine rule for all arrivals is not covered.

What about terrorist attacks?

Fear of terror is never covered. Some tariffs pay if an attack happens at the destination shortly before departure. With a package holiday, free cancellation with the operator may be possible.

Am I covered for medical costs abroad if war breaks out there?

Often for a limited time after the outbreak, as long as you are not involved. Use that time to leave. If you deliberately travel to a war zone, you are usually not covered.

Does the security certificate help me in case of war?

No. The security certificate (Sicherungsschein) protects against the operator going bust. In case of war, the package holiday cancellation right is what helps.

Do I need a special tariff because of war and pandemics?

Normal travel tariffs offer no cover for war. For pandemics, a tariff that includes your own illness and ideally quarantine is enough.