Working overseas can be one of the most enriching experiences of your life. It’s a great way to understand different cultures, learn new skills and discover all the world has to offer. But when it comes to travelling, there’s always room for the unexpected to happen, so it’s important to protect yourself with comprehensive travel insurance. 

Our Working Overseas travel insurance policy is designed to protect you while you’re living abroad, so you can enjoy yourself, knowing that you have someone to turn to if things go wrong.

Get a Working Overseas quote now

What does the Working Overseas policy cover?

Our Working Overseas travel insurance policy can provide cover for: 

• Medical and evacuation 
• Changes to your journey 
• Luggage and personal items
• Rental vehicle excess
• Funeral expenses
• Cash allowance whilst in hospital
• Personal accident
• Personal liability

To learn more about these key benefits and section limits, click here. 

Please note our Working Overseas policy only provides COVID-19 cover for claims under Section 1, Medical and Evacuation.

Why choose a Working Overseas policy?

We know that living overseas is different from going on a holiday or visiting family and friends overseas and our Working Overseas policy reflects that. When you’re working overseas, you require a policy that suits what you’re going to be doing and will give you peace of mind while you’re enjoying your overseas experience. 

Below are some of the features of our Working Overseas policy: 

• We offer cover for office-based work and manual work, including retail and hospitality. 
• We offer two policy options, Medical Only or Comprehensive Cover, and four excess options ($100, $250, $500 & $1000), so you can tailor the plan to work best for you. 
• Under Section 1 of our policy wording (Medical and Evacuation), we offer cover for a range of services that you may require while overseas including maternity care, ancillary services (chiropractor, physiotherapist), rehabilitation and occupational therapy, and psychology. 
• Under Section 2 of our policy wording (Changes to Your Journey), we offer cover for resumption of journey, so you can get back on track if you have to return to New Zealand as a result of an unexpected event. 
• All of our policies come with worldwide emergency assistance, giving you access to one of the world's largest networks of emergency medical resources, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What we’re unable to cover

The Working Overseas policy is designed to cover you for manual, non-hazardous work, so there are some professions we cannot offer cover for.

We do not cover professional sports or hazardous work. We consider hazardous work to be any work or occupation (paid, unpaid or voluntary), where you are exposed to an increased risk of physical danger, harm or any adverse health effects as a result of your duties and/or the location of your work, including the following occupations, activities and locations:

• activities involving heights above two metres; or
• underground or underwater; or
• more than 12 nautical miles (22.2km) offshore; or
• work with wild animals, including in zoos, safari parks, game reserves and sanctuaries; or
• Remote Areas; or
• construction sites; or
• operation of heavy machinery; or
• working with or around hazardous chemicals and/or materials; or
• work with firearms, explosives or weaponry of any kind; or
• forestry; or
• demolition; or
• activities as a member of the armed forces or fire, police and ambulance services.
• In addition, activity 'as an aircraft crew member', (this includes anyone in control of a device that leaves the ground) is not covered.

All work, occupations, business or professions are excluded under section 6, Personal Liability.

Here are some examples of occupations we consider to be hazardous:

• Mining & rescue
• Cement and concrete manufacturing
• Coast guard search and rescue
• Fire fighting
• Tornado chasing
• Construction work
• Working in any type of oil or gas field
• Slaughterhouse work
• Lion taming
• Power line repair
• Commercial fishing
• Structural and steel work
• Stunt work
• Logging
• Deep sea drilling

If you are unsure whether your role would be considered 'Hazardous work', please feel free to give us a call on 0800 800 571 or send us an email at info@scti.co.nz. Please click here to see the policy wording in full.

Is the Working Overseas policy right for me?  

Our Working Overseas travel insurance policy automatically covers office-based work and some types of manual work. It may be suitable for you if you:

• are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
• are aged 69 years or under
• intend to live and work overseas for five years or less

This policy is available to you whether you have a return or one-way ticket. You can buy cover from one month to 12 months, and don’t have to be working while you’re overseas to purchase this policy.

For full details, please refer to the Policy Document, and if you’re unsure about the type of work you’re planning to do overseas, we would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
 

What destinations should I choose?

The Working Overseas policy offers two destination categories you can choose from: Australia/South Pacific and Worldwide. Be sure to get the right cover for the countries you plan to travel to, not just the countries you’ll be working in. For example, if you’ll be working in Australia but you plan to visit Europe, you must select the Worldwide option.

Australia/South Pacific plan

The following countries are all covered under the Australia/South Pacific plan:

• American Samoa
• Australia
• Indonesia
• The Cook Islands
• Fiji
• French Polynesia
• New Caledonia
• Niue
• Samoa
• Tonga
• Vanuatu

Going further abroad?

Our Worldwide plan offers our highest level of cover and includes all destinations, including those listed under the Australia/South Pacific plan. The only exception are destinations with a travel advisory risk rating of ‘do not travel’ or ‘avoid non-essential travel’ published on the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. There is no cover for unexpected events relating to the reason the why a travel advisory was issued for a destination or region by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more information please visit our website here.

What if things change?

One day you’re living in New Caledonia, the next you could be in New York! If your situation changes and you need to make a change to your Working Overseas travel insurance policy, get in touch with us, and we can make the necessary changes for you. You will need to make sure that your policy is kept up-to-date, ensuring that the destinations you travel to are covered. If you need to contact us from overseas, you can either email us at info@scti.co.nz or call us on +64 9 979 6593.