Buy your Indian health policy 12-24 months before the move.
Indian health insurance has waiting periods for pre-existing conditions (2-4 years), specified conditions like hypertension/diabetes/thyroid (2 years), and major surgeries (4 years). The clock starts when you buy, not when you arrive in India. Buy it now while you're abroad and the waiting periods are behind you by the time you'd actually claim.
Niva Bupa Aspire and HDFC Ergo Optima Restore offer "PED waiting period buyout" riders that cut these waits to 1-2 years for an extra 15-25% on premium. Worth it if your move is under a year out.
Get an ICICI Lombard quote
Health, motor, travel, home — quote-and-buy directly. One of India's largest general insurers; works for NRI customers with overseas address (subject to their KYC).
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Common questions about NRI insurance
Q1 What's the single most important insurance for an NRI with parents in India? Senior parent health insurance — by a wide margin. ICU week at a Mumbai/Bangalore private hospital is ₹2-5L; serious surgery ₹5-15L. Aim for ₹15-25L per parent in metros, ₹10L Tier 2-3. +
Senior parent health insurance — by a wide margin. ICU week at a Mumbai/Bangalore private hospital runs ₹2-5L; serious surgery ₹5-15L. Premiums for ₹15L cover at age 65 are ₹28-50K/year — a fraction of what one ICU week costs.
The waiting-period trick: buy before they turn 60 — most senior products have shorter PED waits or buyout options if you start the policy young. Read the senior parents guide →
Q2 Should I keep my US health insurance after moving back? Generally no — US individual cover is 5-10x Indian premiums and won't pay for routine India care anyway. Keep US travel cover for periodic visits; buy comprehensive Indian health locally. +
Most NRIs over-insure with the US plan post-move. US individual cover runs $500-800/month; equivalent Indian comprehensive cover is ₹6-14K/year (₹500-1,200/month). Plus US plans don't network with Indian hospitals.
What to do: drop US individual cover within 60 days of return; buy a single-trip travel policy for any future US visit (₹500-1,500/trip). See Indian health picks →
Q3 Why is term life cheaper in India than the US? Indian term life runs ~50% the cost of US/UK equivalents — ₹14-25K/year for ₹1Cr cover at age 35. Mortality assumptions, distribution costs, and regulatory caps all favor Indian rates. +
Indian online term plans are ₹14-25K/year for ₹1Cr cover at 35; equivalent US 30-year level term is $40-70/month ($480-840/year). The actuarial math is similar; Indian distribution is far cheaper.
The catch: if you'll re-domicile to India, lock the policy before returning — Indian insurers underwrite based on residency at policy start, so a US-resident applicant gets the standard rate. Term life picks →
Q4 What insurance should NRIs definitely skip? ULIPs, endowment plans, money-back policies, standalone personal-accident covers, and comprehensive vehicle insurance on cars you don't drive in India. High commission, low actual cover. +
ULIPs (Unit Linked Insurance Plans) — terrible products. High commission, opaque fees, returns lag pure mutual funds by 2-3% annually. Buy term + invest the difference.
Endowment / money-back — same logic. They mix insurance + investment and do neither well.
Standalone personal-accident cover — usually a rider on existing health insurance is cheaper.