New BIBA Travel Directory meets FCA criteria to help brokers comply with new rules

Authored by BIBA

The FCA has confirmed that BIBA’s Travel Medical Insurance Directory meets their criteria for a ‘medical cover firm directory’ and will be listed on the FCA website from today, Wednesday 27 January 2021.  This, therefore, enables brokers to easily signpost consumers to this BIBA service to fulfil their regulatory obligation.

From the 26 April 2021 insurance providers selling travel insurance, will be required by the FCA to signpost travel insurance customers with more serious medical conditions, under certain circumstances, to a travel medical firm directory that meets the FCA’s criteria. This includes, in relation to medical conditions, when a provider declines or otherwise does not offer a consumer a quotation, cancels a consumer’s policy, offers a policy with a medical condition exclusion which cannot be removed from the policy, offers a policy with a medical condition premium loading of £100 or more, and/ or offers a policy in respect of which the medical condition premium is not known.

Graeme Trudgill, BIBA’s Executive Director, said: “We have a simple solution for the industry that helps them to easily fulfil their new regulatory obligation and helps consumers to better find the essential specialist travel insurance that they need.”

“We are delighted to have met the FCA criteria for a medical cover firm directory and to be part of the solution. We have worked closely with the FCA throughout the process and we look forward to the times when consumers can safely travel again. BIBA will do all that we can to help consumers to find the cover they need and make their journey easier.”

BIBA is offering the following guidance on how to fulfil the incoming regulatory requirements.

What insurance providers need to do

To satisfy the FCA requirements using BIBA’s Travel Medical Directory, firms need to provide the following in a prominent, clear and accurate manner:

• give the customer the contact details of the medical cover firm directory, including phone number and website

• explain the potential benefits of accessing the medical cover firm directory and any other relevant considerations

• state the purpose of the directory. Full details are available on here

The URL for BIBA’s travel medical directory is: https://biba.org.uk/travel-medical-directory

While not a part of the travel medical directory, if a customer would rather speak to someone than access a website, BIBA’s Find Insurance Service operates a contact centre (0370 950 1790) that is able to take their call.

From 26 April 2021

The requirement to signpost to a travel medical directory is triggered when a firm:

(1) declines, or otherwise does not offer, a consumer a quotation due wholly or partly) to a medical condition;

(2) cancels a consumer’s policy due (wholly or partly) to a medical condition;

(3) offers a policy with a medical condition exclusion which cannot be removed from the policy;

(4) offers a policy with a medical condition loading of £100 or more; and/or

(5) offers a policy in respect of which the medical condition premium is not known.

Any insurance providers who wish to be listed on the BIBA Travel Medical Directory, can register here or contact Fellk@biba.org.uk