Visas ยท insurer fileSouthern Cross Travel Insurance
Southern Cross Travel Insurance eligibility rules
The Kiwi default, with a rare five-year working-overseas product. Buy before you leave. Every row below is taken from Southern Cross Travel Insurance's own policy wording, FAQ or terms, with the date we last checked it.
The rules in full
| Rule | Answer | What the wording says | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can buy it | Specific countries only | New Zealand permanent residents on the NZ site, Australian residents on the AU site. | verified |
| No fixed country of residence | No | Residency in NZ or Australia required. | verified |
| Buying after you have left home | No | The policy wording requires that you have not already left New Zealand when you buy. | verified |
| Maximum age | No stated cap | No overall maximum stated, though the personal accident benefit runs 16 to 80. | verified |
| One-way and open-ended trips | No | You must intend to return to New Zealand: it is an eligibility criterion. | verified |
| Longest trip | 12 months | Twelve months including extensions. The separate Working Overseas policy runs up to 60 months. | verified |
| Pre-existing conditions | Yes | Mandatory online medical assessment with a three-year lookback. A diagnosis is not required for something to count. | verified |
| Cover in the USA | Yes | Included in worldwide cover. | partly |
| Schengen visa certificate | No | Not marketed for Schengen visas. | partly |
| Winter sports | With conditions | Snow sports via add-on. | partly |
| Scuba diving | With conditions | Check the wording for depth limits. | low |
| High-altitude trekking | With conditions | Check the wording for altitude limits. | low |
| Scooters and motorbikes | With conditions | Optional moped and motorbike add-on capped at 200cc, or 15kW electric, with the correct licence class. Includes pillion passengers and motorbike taxis. | verified |
| Working abroad | With conditions | The standard policy covers non-manual office and conference work only. There is a separate Working Overseas policy for people actually working. | verified |
| Trip cancellation | Yes | Base NZ$2,500 with options up to unlimited. | verified |
| Families | Yes | Family policies available. | partly |
Who underwrites it
Southern Cross Benefits Limited. The carrier matters more than the brand: it is the entity that actually pays your claim and the one whose regulator you would complain to.
Our commercial relationship
We may earn a commission if you buy through our link to Southern Cross Travel Insurance. That is disclosed on every link, and it never changes where they appear or in what order. Rates unpublished.
Sources: scti.co.nz, scti.com.au. Checked 2026-08-03. This is information about published eligibility rules, not advice, and not a guarantee of cover.