For sole earners with dependents. Indian term life is roughly half the cost of equivalent US/UK term — ₹14-25K/year for ₹1Cr cover at age 35. NRIs can buy on PAN + Aadhaar; death benefit pays in INR to your nominee, repatriable if they're overseas.
Lump sum on diagnosis of cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, or major surgery — separate from hospitalisation cover. Get it if there's family history. ₹25-50L cover runs ₹3-8K/year at 35-45. Cheaper as a term-life rider than standalone.
Already covered by your US/UK employer plan? It's not enough. Most employer plans only cover emergency care abroad — and only after you pay the Indian hospital upfront, then file for reimbursement (paperwork hell). Routine visits, follow-ups, pre-existing flare-ups, and medical evacuation typically aren't covered. Some Kaiser HMO and ACA marketplace plans exclude India entirely.
Indian travel insurance closes the gap for the cost of a couple of cocktails — cashless treatment at network hospitals (no upfront pay), medical evacuation from remote areas, trip cancellation, baggage, flight delays. Single-trip ₹500-2,000; annual multi-trip ₹3-5K wins at 2+ visits a year.
Property
Property in India
For NRIs with apartments, houses, or land in India — owner-occupied, rented, or vacant.
₹3-8K/year for ₹50L-1Cr structure + ₹5L contents. Cheap relative to the asset, but most NRIs skip it — fire, flood, theft on a vacant property is the actual risk. Vacant + rented properties need explicit cover beyond standard.
Students
Studying abroad
For Indian students going to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or Europe to study.
Already covered by the university plan? Most US/UK universities require insurance and auto-enrol students in their own plan ($2,000–$4,000/year). That covers care on campus — but not when you fly home to visit parents between semesters. The moment you land in India, the university plan stops paying.
Indian student travel insurance covers both — medical care while studying abroad and during India trips — plus the things university plans rarely include: study interruption (forced to drop out due to illness), sponsor protection (fees keep getting paid if your parent passes), baggage and flight delays. ₹15–50K total for 1–5 years of cover. Buy in India before flying out — options narrow once you're abroad.
❌ Insurance you can probably skip
ULIPs (Unit Linked Insurance Plans) — terrible product for NRIs. High commission, opaque fees, returns lag pure mutual funds by 2-3% annually. Buy term life + invest the difference in mutual funds.
Personal accident / disability cover (standalone) — usually a rider on existing health insurance is cheaper and adequate.
Vehicle insurance for cars you don't drive in India — if your car sits at parents' or in your closed parking, the bare-minimum third-party cover (₹2-3K/year) is enough; don't pay for comprehensive on a non-driven vehicle.
Long-term endowment plans / "money-back" insurance — these mix insurance + investment and do neither well. Same mutual-fund-vs-ULIP logic applies.
💡 Planning to move back?
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.
Full moving-back-to-India guide →