Not fit to fly certificate
Medical evidence that you are unfit to travel — for airline refunds, tour operator cancellations and travel insurance claims. Signed by a UK GP, same day.
The short answer. A not fit to fly certificate is a doctor’s letter confirming you are medically unable to travel. Insurers and tour operators will rarely consider a medical cancellation without one. It should name the condition, state clearly that you are unfit to travel, and give the dates it covers.
When you need one
You have a trip booked and something has happened. An injury, an infection, a pregnancy complication, a flare-up of a long-term condition, a bereavement in the family with a medical dimension — or an airline has simply told you they will not carry you. Whatever the cause, the next step is almost always the same: someone will ask for it in writing from a doctor.
The three things this letter is usually needed for:
- A travel insurance claim. Cancellation cover almost always requires medical evidence that travel was not advisable.
- A tour operator or airline refund. Package holiday operators frequently ask for a fit to fly or not fit to fly letter before considering a medical cancellation.
- Moving a booking. Some carriers will waive a change fee on medical grounds with documentation, even where the fare is non-refundable.
What makes a letter that actually works
Most rejected claims we hear about fail on the letter, not the illness. A letter that says only “this patient has been unwell” tells an insurer nothing it can assess. What they are looking for is specific and boring:
| The letter should give | Why the insurer wants it |
|---|---|
| Your name and date of birth | To match the booking and the policy |
| The date you were assessed | To show the advice was contemporaneous, not retrospective |
| The nature of the condition | To check it is not a pre-existing exclusion |
| A clear statement that you are unfit to travel | The actual clinical opinion being relied on |
| The dates or period it covers | To confirm it covers the travel dates |
| Doctor’s name, GMC number, signature and date | To verify a registered clinician wrote it |
Do this first: Tell your insurer and your operator as soon as you know you cannot travel, then get the letter. Several policies reduce or refuse a claim if you delayed cancelling, on the basis that the cancellation charge would have been lower had you acted sooner.
When the airline decides, not the doctor
Sometimes the situation is reversed: you feel able to travel, but the airline’s own rule says no. Being past the pregnancy cut-off is the most common version of this, but it also happens with a cast fitted within 48 hours, an unresolved pneumothorax, or a condition the carrier’s medical department will not clear.
In that situation no doctor can write a letter that overrides the airline. What a doctor can do is document the clinical position, which is what your insurer will need. If you have been refused travel, tell us what the airline said — the letter should address it directly.
If you are working out what to do next
Common questions
What is a not fit to fly certificate?
A signed letter from a doctor stating that you are medically unfit to travel, and why. It is the evidence airlines, tour operators and travel insurers ask for when you need to cancel a trip, claim a refund or move a booking on medical grounds.
Will this get me a refund?
It gives you the evidence you need to ask; it cannot compel anyone to pay. Whether you get money back depends on your ticket type, the operator’s policy and your insurance cover. What is certain is that almost every insurer and operator will refuse to consider a medical cancellation without a doctor’s letter, so this is the step that makes a claim possible.
What should the letter say?
Insurers generally want your name and date of birth, the date you were seen, the nature of the condition, a clear statement that you are unfit to travel, the period that applies, and the doctor’s name, GMC number and signature. Vague letters get queried. If your insurer has its own form, send it to us and we will complete that instead.
My GP said they will not write one. Is that allowed?
Yes. Letters for insurance and refund purposes are private work outside the NHS GP contract, so a practice can decline or charge a fee. That is the most common reason people come to us.
How quickly do I need it?
Sooner than most people think. Many insurers require you to notify them and cancel as soon as you know you cannot travel, and some reduce or refuse a claim if you cancelled late. Get the letter dated around the point you decided not to travel, not weeks afterwards.
Can I get one for someone else — my child, or a relative I care for?
Yes. A certificate can be issued for a child or for an adult you are travelling with, based on their clinical details. Many claims also fail on a technicality that catches people out: if the person who is ill is not the person named on the booking, the insurer usually still needs the letter to name the ill person and explain the relationship.
Get a not fit to fly certificate
Tell us what has happened and what your insurer or operator has asked for. A GMC-registered GP reviews your case and issues the letter the same day on weekdays.
Get startedReviewed by a GMC-registered GP. Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued on clinical grounds.