【Earthquake Travel Insurance】If you encounter an earthquake in Japan, is it covered? Best time to buy + claims guide

According to recent information from the Japan Meteorological Agency, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the north-eastern coastal area of Japan on 20 April, briefly prompting a tsunami warning. Some areas recorded an intensity of lower 5, and strong tremors were also felt in Tokyo and elsewhere. Authorities have also warned that the probability of a massive earthquake of magnitude 8 or above occurring within the next week is 10 times higher than usual, urging people in the affected areas to strengthen their disaster preparedness.

For travellers heading to Japan, the key question is: if an earthquake does happen, will travel insurance be useful? If flights and hotels have already been booked, can they be cancelled and compensated?

In fact, most travel insurance policies cover earthquakes, but the key issue is whether the event is regarded as a “known risk”, and whether you purchased cover in advance. If you only take out insurance after news of the earthquake has already emerged, or even after a travel warning has been issued, there is a very high chance that related losses will not be compensated.

In this article, 10Life takes a detailed look at the scope of earthquake cover under travel insurance, the best time to buy, and what to note when making a claim. 

Travel insurance covers trip, transport and medical losses arising from earthquakes, mainly including:

Trip cancellation or curtailment: If you are unable to depart or need to return to Hong Kong early because of an earthquake, non-refundable flight, hotel and activity costs may be reimbursed  
Flight delay or cancellation: If your flight is affected and reaches the specified delay period (e.g. 5–6 hours), cash compensation or additional accommodation and transport expenses may be covered  
Overseas medical expenses and emergency evacuation: If you are injured in an earthquake, medical expenses are generally covered, and emergency medical transport or repatriation arrangements may also be provided  

The actual scope of cover and compensation limits vary between policies. Before purchasing, you may compare travel insurance on 10Life. 

Generally, travel insurance covers earthquakes under natural disaster protection, but whether a claim is successful usually depends on the following conditions:

• The earthquake occurs after the policy has been purchased
• It was not regarded as a known event at the time of purchase
• No travel warning was in effect that affected the itinerary
• The loss falls within the policy coverage

If the insurance is purchased only after an earthquake has occurred, the insurer may regard the earthquake as a “known risk”, and compensation will generally not be available. 

“Known risk” refers to an event that has already occurred or can reasonably be foreseen at the time of taking out insurance. For example:

• An earthquake has already occurred
• The news has widely reported the related disaster
• The government has issued a travel warning 

Generally speaking, an insurer will not regard travel to an earthquake-prone area as a known risk solely on that basis; rather, it depends on:

• Whether a specific event has already occurred
• Whether it has already affected travel arrangements

Therefore, the key point is whether “that particular earthquake has already occurred or been widely reported”, as travel insurance primarily covers unforeseen events rather than risks that have already arisen. 

As regards this incident, after the earthquake on 20 April, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a “Hokkaido and Sanriku Offshore Subsequent Earthquake Advisory”, warning that the risk of an earthquake of magnitude 8 or above occurring within the following week had risen significantly compared with normal levels. Whether such an “official risk warning” affects travel insurance depends on how the insurer defines a “known risk”.

In general, this may be understood in two situations:

1. Clearly a known event 
   The earthquake that occurred on 20 April is a confirmed event. If you purchase insurance only afterwards, losses arising from that earthquake are usually not covered.
2. A grey area of risk warnings 
   If you buy insurance during the period in which an official warning has been issued, and an earthquake subsequently occurs, whether it is covered may vary depending on the insurer’s policy wording. Some policies may still treat it as a fortuitous event, while others may classify it as a foreseeable risk.

The key point is that insurers do not all define “known risk” in exactly the same way. Therefore, 10Life recommends that if you plan to travel or buy insurance during the relevant warning period, you should confirm with the insurer before purchase:

• Whether an earthquake that occurs after purchasing during an official warning period is covered  
• Whether trip cancellation or interruption falls within the scope of a claim  

Where possible, ask the insurer to provide written confirmation or a recorded confirmation, so that it can be used as a reference when making a claim in future.

Many people assume that having travel insurance means they are fully covered, but in reality, many claims are unsuccessful, often due to some common circumstances.

If an earthquake had already occurred before the policy was taken out, the event is generally regarded as a “known risk”, and any related losses are usually not covered.

Even if the trip has not yet started, if the destination has already been severely affected and the traveller still chooses to travel, this may also be regarded as voluntarily assuming the risk. Taking Japan as an example, as of now, the Hong Kong Government has not issued outbound travel alerts for most areas (with only Fukushima Prefecture under a Yellow Outbound Travel Alert), but the Security Bureau has issued a safety notice reminding members of the public to pay attention to local conditions. Under the terms of some individual policies, such information may also affect whether a claim will be paid.

Yes, but the conditions must be met. If an earthquake occurs after you have purchased the insurance and it materially affects your trip (for example, flight cancellation or damage at your destination), you can generally claim for non-refundable expenses. However, it must be a case of “forced cancellation”, rather than simply choosing not to go.

For example:

• Some travellers discover before departure that their destination has been affected by the disaster, making the trip impossible,
• or they have already arrived, but need to return to Hong Kong early because the situation has worsened,
• or their flight needs to be rearranged due to the impact of the earthquake.

If you cancel simply out of concern, without any actual impact on the trip, compensation is usually not available.

If an earthquake has already occurred, or if travel insurance is purchased only after the related damage has been widely reported, losses arising from that earthquake will generally not be covered. This is because insurance is intended to protect against unforeseen risks that have not yet occurred. Therefore, if you plan to travel to areas such as Japan where earthquakes occur more frequently, you should purchase travel insurance as early as possible.

When it comes to insurance, timing is often more important than the coverage itself.

It is generally recommended to purchase travel insurance immediately after booking your flight or hotel. This ensures that, throughout the entire trip, all potential risks remain unknown and the coverage can take full effect.

By contrast, many people only consider buying insurance after seeing news of an earthquake, or even leave it until just before departure. The risk with this approach is that, once an event has been widely reported, the insurer may regard it as a known risk, which could affect claims. Therefore, the earlier you purchase travel insurance, the more complete the protection.  

Generally speaking, whether the required documents are complete when making a claim will directly affect the processing speed and the approval outcome.

Common documents required include:

• Flight and hotel confirmation documents  
• Flight delay or cancellation notifications  
• Earthquake-related evidence (such as news reports or official announcements)  
• Medical documents and receipts (where applicable)  

The basic claims process is generally as follows:

• Contact the insurance company or submit an application via an online platform  
• Submit the relevant supporting documents  
• Wait for assessment and compensation arrangements  

Please note that the above is only a general process and list of document requirements. The claims procedure, required documents and time limits may vary between insurers or products, and the terms of the individual policy should prevail. After an incident, you should retain all relevant supporting documents as early as possible and submit your claim within the period specified in the policy, so as not to affect the progress or outcome of the claim.  

Is there still cover if you buy travel insurance only after an earthquake?

Losses caused by the earthquake may not be covered, but other losses not caused by the earthquake may still be covered. This is because the earthquake is already a “known risk”, so the related losses may fall outside the scope of cover.

Does a travel alert always mean no claim?

Not necessarily. Whether you are covered depends on the policy terms and the alert level. However, if you only buy the policy after an alert has been issued, the chances of a successful claim are usually lower.

If I am only travelling to Tokyo, does earthquake cover still apply?

It depends on whether the overall trip is actually affected. If your flight, transport or itinerary is disrupted by the earthquake, there may still be no cover even if the destination itself is not in the worst-affected area.

If I cancel my trip because I am worried about safety, can I make a claim?

Generally, no. Travel insurance mainly covers situations where you are “forced to cancel”, rather than decisions made based on personal preference or concerns about risk.

Does travel insurance cover flight cancellations caused by severe weather? 

Generally speaking, most travel insurance policies cover flight delays or cancellations caused by severe weather such as typhoons or blizzards. However, conditions must be met, and the policy must be purchased before the severe weather occurs. If you only buy the policy after a weather warning has been issued, it may be treated as a “known risk” and not be compensated.

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.