Customer advice - US and Israel conflict with Iran

March 2026

Please note:

Until further notice there is no cover for travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

This applies to all single trip and annual multi trip policies - if you have plans to visit any of these countries, you should contact your travel service providers for help and guidance.

You must not travel against the advice of the FCDO.

For travellers to Cyprus, Egypt and Turkey, FCDO advice may change at short notice, you should stay in close contact with your travel service providers.

For persons already travelling:

Snowcard Insurance does not provide cover relating to acts of war which are specifically excluded by the policy general conditions (see below).

Travellers should liaise with their airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority have provide advice via this link https://www.caa.co.uk/newsroom/news/middle-east-passenger-travel-advice-1-march-2026/

Your airline is responsible for your flights back to the UK. As the situation is affecting a large number of travellers across the Far and Middle Eastern regions, you should be provided with regular updates by your travel service providers. 

If you have any concerns or require special assistance, you should contact the FCDO who are providing advice to UK travellers stranded overseas; Telephone: UK +44 (0)20 7008 5000

US and Israel conflict with Iran in the Middle East 

On the 28th February 2026, the US and Israel launched strategic missile attacks on Iranian political and military sites amid the Israel-Iran conflict. Iran responded with retaliatory strikes at Israel and US bases across the region, including Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and UAE. 

Airspace in and around the region has been closed completely or has been restricted, resulting in flight cancellations or rescheduling. The disruption is likely to impact travel to other long-haul destinations, as flights are rerouted to avoid the affected airspace. 

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is warning “against all travel to Israel and Palestine”. It is also warning “against all but essential travel to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE”. 

The FCDO has told British nationals in the affected region to “immediately shelter in place” and to “register their presence”. 

Our policies contain specific General Exclusions relating to this situation: 

General exclusions 13 – war, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil unrest, revolution insurrection, military force, coup d’etat, terrorism (this does not apply to claims made under the Medical, repatriation and other expenses Section) or weapons of mass destruction

General exclusions apply to all sections of this policy. An ‘exclusion’ is something that is not covered and therefore no payment or service would be available. 

Note: effective 02/03/2026 General exclusion 13 is amended to;

13. Any claim caused directly or indirectly by:

• war, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil unrest, revolution insurrection, military force, coup d’etat, terrorism or weapons of mass destruction (this does not apply to claims made under the Medical, repatriation and other expenses Section in respect of Passive War only). 

Passive War means a claim directly caused by war provided that you: 

1. take no active part in war; and
2. are situated outside of your country of domicile; and
3. are not visiting countries or areas which, prior to the time of travel, is against the recommendation or advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). 

Cover under our policies will be limited. We would therefore like to advise customers as follows: 

Customers who are due to travel 

• If you have not yet travelled and cannot as a result of this conflict, for example, if your operator/carrier has cancelled your flight, please contact your tour operator or travel provider for a full refund. If your travel company cannot refund your money, you may be able to ask them to re-arrange your holiday destination or date.
• You may have Consumer Protection cover if your travel arrangements were purchased using a credit card. In this instance, contact your bank or credit card issuer as an alternative avenue for a refund.
• If you choose to cancel your trip of your own accord, your policy will not cover you for any cancellation costs that you could incur. Please refer to your policy wording for details of the cover provided.
• If you have bought a single trip policy and you would like to travel to another destination or on another date, please contact Customer Services; [email protected] so that the appropriate changes can be made for you. An additional premium may be payable for any increase in trip duration or change in destination country. 

Customers already abroad: 

1. If you are in the affected area, please follow the advice of the FCDO, local authorities or your tour operator and monitor local media.
2. If you have cut short your trip as a result of this conflict, then you should contact your airline or travel operator, as they have a duty of care to provide accommodation until suitable travel arrangements are made available.
3. Whilst there is no cover under this policy if your return flights to the UK are cancelled or delayed and you are unable to return to the UK within the period of cover outlined in your policy schedule, your policy will be extended for you at no extra cost for up to 30 days. As no cover is provided under this policy for additional accommodation during an unplanned extended stay, you should contact your tour operator or travel provider directly. 

All requests for more than 30 days must be authorised by the Medical Emergency Assistance Company. Please see Medical and other emergencies for details of how to contact the Medical Emergency Assistance Company. 

Need more assistance? 

If you have any questions about what is or isn’t covered under your policy, then please contact the claims 

department shown in your policy wording. 

Useful contacts 

Use the following contact details to keep up to date with the latest advice, if you require consular support or need to register your presence in the affected region. 

Website: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice 

Telephone: UK +44 (0)20 7008 5000