Holiday cancellation medical certificate
The doctor’s letter your insurer, airline or tour operator asks for when illness stops you travelling. Signed by a UK GP, same day.
The short answer. If illness or injury has stopped you travelling, your insurer or tour operator will almost certainly want written medical evidence before considering a refund or a claim. This letter provides it: the condition, a clear statement that travel was not advisable, the dates it covers, and a GMC-registered doctor’s signature.
Do this today, before anything else: Tell your insurer and your tour operator that you are cancelling before you sort the paperwork. Most policies require you to cancel as soon as you know you cannot travel, and some reduce a claim if a delay increased the cancellation charge. Notify first, document second.
Who asks for this letter
Travel insurers. Cancellation cover is the most claimed-on section of a travel policy and the most heavily evidenced. Expect to complete a claim form and to be asked for a medical certificate; many insurers have their own form for a doctor to complete, which we are happy to fill in instead of writing our own letter.
Tour operators and package holiday companies. A package booking is usually non-refundable once you are inside the cancellation window, but most operators have a discretionary process for medical cases, and every one of them asks for a doctor’s letter.
Airlines. Refund rights on a non-flexible fare are limited, but many carriers will waive a change fee or issue a credit on documented medical grounds. Taxes and charges are usually reclaimable regardless. More on airline refunds.
Cruise lines. Cruise medical rules are stricter than airlines’ and cancellation charges tend to be steeper. Fit to cruise certificates.
What the letter should contain
| Include | Why |
|---|---|
| Patient name and date of birth | Matches the booking and the policy |
| Date of assessment | Shows the advice was given at the time, not reconstructed later |
| The condition and when it began | Lets the insurer check pre-existing condition terms |
| A clear statement that travel was not advisable | The clinical opinion being relied on |
| The period covered | Must span the original travel dates |
| Relationship, if the ill person is not the traveller | Needed for close-relative cancellation cover |
| Doctor’s name, GMC number, signature and date | Verification |
If your insurer has sent you its own medical certificate form, send it to us. A form completed in the insurer’s own format is processed faster and queried less often than a free-text letter.
Common questions
What is a holiday cancellation medical certificate?
A doctor’s letter confirming that illness or injury prevented you travelling. It is what travel insurers, airlines and tour operators ask for before considering a refund, a claim or a booking change on medical grounds.
Is this the same as a not fit to fly certificate?
They overlap and often the same letter does both jobs. The difference is emphasis: a not fit to fly certificate focuses on your fitness to travel by air, while a cancellation certificate is written for an insurer or operator and covers the trip as a whole — including cruises, package holidays and trips cancelled because someone else in the party is ill.
Can I claim if a relative is ill, not me?
Many policies cover cancellation because of the illness or death of a close relative, or of a travelling companion, even if you are perfectly well. Check the definition of “close relative” in your policy — it is often narrower than people assume. The letter should name the person who is ill and their relationship to you.
How much does the letter cost, and is it worth it?
From £67. Whether it is worth it depends on what you stand to recover: for a £3,000 family package holiday it is plainly worth it, for a £40 flight it may not be. Check your policy excess before you buy anything.
What if I already travelled and cut the trip short?
That is a curtailment claim rather than a cancellation, and insurers usually want evidence from a doctor at the destination as well as confirmation from a UK doctor. Get whatever documentation you can while you are still there — it is much harder to obtain afterwards.
Related
Get your cancellation certificate
Tell us what happened, who was ill and what your insurer has asked for. A GMC-registered GP issues the letter, or completes your insurer’s own form, the same day on weekdays.
Get startedReviewed by a GMC-registered GP. Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued on clinical grounds.