Neurodivergent travel insurance warnings as disclosures soar

A sharp rise in holidaymakers declaring ADHD and autism to travel insurers is prompting renewed warnings that neurodivergent travellers risk invalidating their cover if they fail to disclose diagnoses or ongoing assessments.

Declarations of ADHD and autism nearly double among older travellers

Recent industry data suggests that more neurodivergent travellers are disclosing conditions such as ADHD and autism when buying travel insurance. According to coverage in the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal, UK specialist insurer Staysure recorded 4,676 declarations of ADHD and autism among customers aged over 50 between January and July 2026, compared with 2,613 in the whole of 2025. This represents an increase of around 79 percent in just seven months, effectively more than doubling the pace of declarations year on year.

The figures relate specifically to older travellers, a group that insurers historically associated more with physical health risks than neurodevelopmental conditions. The new pattern indicates that diagnoses among over‑50s, along with greater awareness that these conditions must be declared, are starting to change how insurers assess risk and price policies.

Industry coverage also points to a wider shift across the market, as more providers add specific screening questions for ADHD, autism and other mental health or cognitive conditions. Some policies list ADHD among pre‑existing conditions that can be covered on standard terms, while others require additional premiums or impose exclusions for treatment related to certain diagnoses.

Consumer advocates say the surge in declarations is exposing long‑standing confusion about when and how neurodivergent conditions must be disclosed, and how that affects a traveller’s ability to claim if something goes wrong while abroad.

Disclosure rules: what neurodivergent travellers are expected to tell insurers

Guidance from the UK government repeatedly stresses that travellers must declare physical and mental health conditions, including those under investigation, when purchasing travel insurance. Updated advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in August 2024 notes that people should buy cover that includes existing physical or mental health conditions and warns that failing to disclose such information can leave policies invalid.

Consumer organisation Which? reports that travellers who declare medical conditions, ranging from chronic illnesses to mental health diagnoses, typically pay significantly higher premiums than those who do not. Data published in 2024 using figures from comparison sites indicated that customers who disclosed a medical condition paid more than double on average for single‑trip policies than those without any declared conditions. Separate research found that a notable minority of travellers did not realise they needed to declare medication such as antidepressants or ADHD treatments, or thought only severe or chronic conditions had to be mentioned.

Some specialist policy wordings explicitly reference neurodevelopmental conditions. Documentation for certain international health and travel products lists attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder among conditions that may have restricted or excluded treatment, even when other aspects of the policy remain in place. In practice, that means a traveller might be insured for a broken leg or lost luggage but not for medical care, therapy or disruption directly connected to their neurodivergent condition.

Regulatory reviews by the UK Financial Conduct Authority on signposting for pre‑existing medical conditions have highlighted persistent barriers for people with complex health profiles, including those with mental or cognitive conditions. The regulator’s work is aimed at ensuring consumers are directed towards specialist providers if mainstream insurers will not offer them appropriate cover.

Undiagnosed and “awaiting assessment” cases face particular risks

One of the most sensitive issues for neurodivergent travellers is how to handle situations where a diagnosis is suspected but not yet confirmed. Long waiting lists for assessments for conditions such as ADHD and autism have become a feature of the UK health system, and consumer reports indicate that many people are unsure whether referrals, ongoing investigations or preliminary assessments must be declared to insurers.

Coverage from Which? in 2025 highlighted that some insurers can treat policies as invalid if customers fail to mention health issues that are still being investigated at the time of purchase, even if the eventual claim relates to an apparently unrelated event. Co‑op Insurance has publicly warned that millions of UK adults did not realise that failing to declare an undiagnosed but investigated condition could jeopardise their travel cover.

In response, some insurers have begun to adjust their underwriting to recognise the large numbers of adults waiting for neurodevelopmental assessments. Co‑op, for example, has promoted changes to its travel insurance to improve inclusivity for people who are on waiting lists for ADHD or autism diagnoses, aiming to avoid automatically excluding them from cover because of their “undiagnosed” status.

Despite these changes, public information shows that approaches vary significantly between providers. In some policy documents, treatment for autism spectrum disorder or ADHD is specifically excluded, while other insurers advertise specialist ADHD or autism travel insurance products that explicitly include cover when these conditions contribute to medical emergencies or trip disruption. Travellers who do not check these details risk either over‑paying for cover they cannot fully use or, worse, discovering after an incident that a key aspect of their condition is excluded.

Cost pressures and the risk of invalidated claims

Rising declarations of medical conditions are also reshaping pricing. Analysis by consumer groups shows that travel insurance premiums can increase steeply once any pre‑existing condition is disclosed, sometimes by several hundred percent for high‑risk diagnoses. For more common conditions, including some mental health issues, comparison site data cited by Which? in 2024 suggested that premiums roughly doubled on average for travellers who disclosed health issues compared with those who did not.

This price gap creates a strong temptation for some travellers to omit diagnoses such as ADHD or autism, particularly if they believe these conditions are well managed or unlikely to trigger a medical emergency abroad. However, policy wordings and regulatory guidance consistently state that non‑disclosure of material information can allow insurers to refuse claims or treat the policy as if it never existed. That can apply even if the claim is not directly related to the undisclosed condition, depending on the wording and how an insurer interprets the risk.

Several policy documents available publicly underline this point through detailed non‑disclosure clauses. These state that if a customer fails to reveal relevant medical information when asked, the insurer may decline to pay out for curative treatment or repatriation costs, and can cancel the policy from inception. For neurodivergent travellers, this is particularly important because the line between a mental health or cognitive condition and other aspects of wellbeing, such as stress‑related symptoms or anxiety, can be complex.

At the same time, competition in the sector has led some insurers to promote inclusive medical screening where certain stable conditions, including ADHD in some cases, do not automatically attract additional premiums. These variations underline why experts advise travellers to use specialist brokers or comparison tools that allow detailed medical questionnaires, rather than assuming that all insurers treat neurodivergent conditions in the same way.

What neurodivergent travellers can check before booking a holiday

The changing landscape leaves neurodivergent holidaymakers with more options but also more complexity. Public guidance emphasises several steps that can help reduce the risk of being under‑insured. The first is to read medical screening questions carefully and answer them based on current medical records, including any referrals, ongoing assessments or prescriptions related to ADHD, autism or associated mental health conditions.

Travellers are also encouraged by advice services to review policy documents for sections covering mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, paying attention to exclusions that differentiate between emergency treatment and longer‑term therapy or support. In some policies, emergency stabilisation abroad may be covered, while follow‑up care or behavioural therapies are not.

Specialist neurodivergent‑friendly or disability‑aware insurers are becoming more visible through signposting schemes and targeted marketing, offering policies tailored for autistic travellers, people with ADHD or families travelling with neurodivergent children. These products typically emphasise clear disclosure rules and support if a condition contributes to trip cancellation, missed departures or difficulties coping while abroad.

For UK travellers to Europe, officials also encourage obtaining the UK Global Health Insurance Card, which can provide access to state‑provided healthcare in participating countries. However, the card does not replace travel insurance and does not cover non‑medical issues such as cancellations, lost property or private treatment. For neurodivergent travellers, having both a GHIC and a policy that accurately reflects their medical profile is increasingly viewed in public guidance as essential preparation for overseas trips.