What Is an IPID? The Insurance Product Information Document, Explained

When you buy travel insurance from a European insurer, you’ll have access to a short document before you pay. Green, red, and orange icons, outlined comments; It can look a bit like marketing material, but it isn’t. 

This document is called the Insurance Product Information Document – or IPID. Its format is dictated by the European Union, down to the font size. The purpose of the IPID is to quickly tell you, in layman's terms, what the policy covers and what it doesn’t to allow you to compare and contrast coverage options more easily. It’s designed to help the consumer see if the policy will cover what they need, and to make the entire insurance purchasing experience more transparent. 

This guide covers what you can find in the IPID, what isn’t included, and how to look at it to get the information you need before you make a final purchasing decision, whether you're purchasing Schengen visa travel insurance or a policy for any journey overseas.

What is an Insurance Product Information Document? (IPID)

The IPID is a short, standardized policy summary that travel insurers in the EU have to make available to you before you pay and a contract is signed. This rule comes from the EU Insurance Distribution Directive 2016/97, with its exact format set by Commission Implementing Regulation 2017/1469. IPIDs have been mandatory since October 1, 2018. 

It isn’t just travel insurance, though. Other types of insurance providers must also make IPIDs easily accessible before you buy. Car, home, pet, item, etc. are all required to provide them.

If you buy a single-trip policy, multi-trip, or even an annual one from an insurer established in a European Union country, the EEA, or the UK, you are entitled to an IPID before you commit. Since all IPIDs are designed with the same format in mind, you are able to easily compare policies across providers, really comparing them apples to apples without having to look all over the terms and conditions to see how and where they differ for your main coverage details. 

What must a travel insurance IPID contain?

The IPID has to contain several pieces of information, laid out in a specific way with headings, the order of information, and the symbols used beside them standardized. 

The table below shows each heading, what the regulation requires in it, and what information that section provides.

At the very top of the document , you'll see a title, the insurer (AXA, Mutuaide, etc.), the place where it is registered, the authorization number and the regulatory status. When two or more insurers co-create an insurance product, they are all listed there. 

The formatting requirements are quite strict, in addition to the information that has to be shared. The document has to fit on two sides of an A4 document when printed. It can only extend to three pages when the insurer can justify it, and there’s a formal process for that. The typeface used also has to be accessible, at at least 1.2 millimeters in height. This eliminates the option to shrink the text just to pack it full of jargon and information. 

How to read a travel insurance IPID

The IPID can be read from top to bottom, left to right, but you can also read it in any order you like, of course. 

Look at what is insured and the restrictions section

The “green tick section” tells you what guarantees the insurance policy includes. The “orange exclamation point section” tells you about any exclusions or restrictions. For travel insurance, there are a few exclusions you should keep an eye out for: pre-existing conditions, not heeding official guidance/warnings, specific higher-risk sports and activities, and weather events like natural disasters. Still, there are typically other exclusions too. The exclusions depend on the policy and insurer, so check this section thoroughly. 

Check the zone against your actual itinerary

The “Where I am covered” section is usually pretty short, but it’s something to pay very close attention to – especially if you’re applying for a type of visa that requires coverage in specific countries or zones (like the Schengen visa). 

Read the start dates twice

Make sure you fully understand when your benefits fully begin. Some benefits, such as 24/7 assistance, may begin a few days before your insurance starts. Others, such as emergency medical start on your policy’s start date.

Some travel insurance providers can instill mandatory waiting periods, which is something to keep an eye out for when you’re shopping on different insurer websites. For instance, if you purchase a travel insurance plan with a mandatory waiting period today, you may have to wait 7 days before your coverage kicks in – even if your trip starts tomorrow. 

At Insurte, none of our policies have mandatory waiting periods. 

What the IPID doesn’t include

The IPID is a summary, and it’s meant to be. It doesn’t list every single exclusion and it also isn’t intended to replace the actual terms and conditions. It exists to give you a brief overview of the policy – it’s guarantees, main exclusions, and pertinent information. You should always review the complete terms and conditions before you purchase a policy to understand all of the potential restrictions and exclusions. The IPID also isn’t a contract; it’s an informational document. When you purchase insurance, you will receive a contract. 

When can you view an IPID?

Before you purchase a travel insurance policy, the IPID has to be easily, readily available to you. You can typically find it on the insurance product/informational page before you have to click “buy”. Usually, you can download it during the “quote stage” of the shopping process. If you end up reaching a payment page on any website before you’ve seen an IPID, make sure you ask for it because you’re entitled to it and the distributor is required to provide it. 

IPID, terms and conditions, or insurance certificate: which document does what?

It isn’t uncommon for travelers to confuse these three documents, and they all serve their own purposes.

If you’re filing a claim, for instance, while the IPID is helpful, it’s better to look at the full terms and conditions, as the entire policy wording, definitions, and instructions will be listed there, not in the standardized overview. The IPID helps you choose your coverage; the terms and conditions describe everything in detail. 

Does the United States have an equivalent to the IPID?

The US doesn’t have an overall standardization like the EU’s IPID. Instead, American insurance disclosure works a little bit differently, through state-level requirements. Policy declaration pages and coverage summaries vary by state and specific line of business. There isn’t a federal one-page summary or equivalent icon set like the EU’s. 

That said, with travel insurance, it is possible for US travelers to purchase travel insurance from a company overseas. If it’s a company based in the EU, you can expect an IPID, no matter where in the world you’re purchasing from.

Frequently asked questions about the IPID