Worked Examples and Buying Checklists
Health insurance portability in India: how to switch insurer without losing waiting periods
How to port a health insurance policy to another insurer in India, what credit carries over, timelines, documents, a worked example and the mistakes that break continuity.
Portability lets you move your health policy to another insurer at renewal and keep credit for the waiting periods you have already served, up to your existing sum insured. IRDAI's rules make it a right for retail health policies, though the new insurer can still underwrite you and is not obliged to accept the proposal. Apply to the new insurer at least 30 days, and not earlier than 60 days, before your renewal date, as IRDAI's current rules provide, do not let the old policy lapse while the new one is pending, and remember that any increase in sum insured is treated as new cover with fresh waiting periods.
This guide is part of the health insurance buying checklist.
What carries over and what does not
| Item | Carries over? |
|---|---|
| Time served against initial, PED and specific-disease waiting periods | Yes, up to the previous sum insured |
| Time counted towards the 60-month moratorium | Yes, for the continuous period, up to the previous sum insured |
| Cumulative bonus | Usually added to the sum insured for portability purposes; check the new insurer's treatment |
| Increased sum insured | No credit on the increase; fresh waits for that part |
| Benefits the old policy did not have (e.g. maternity) | Treated as new; their own waiting periods apply |
| Premium | Priced fresh by the new insurer |
| Loadings or exclusions | New insurer underwrites again |
Steps and timeline
- Compare the new policy's clauses against your current one, line by line. See the worked quote comparison.
- Apply to the new insurer for portability between 60 and 30 days before renewal, with the portability form and proposal form.
- Give documents: current and previous policy schedules, renewal notice, claim history, medical reports if asked.
- New insurer obtains your data (claim history, policy details) from the existing insurer through the industry's shared portability system.
- Decision: under IRDAI's current rules the existing insurer must share your data within 72 hours of the request, and the new insurer must decide and tell you within 5 days of receiving that information. If it misses the deadline, complain to the new insurer's grievance officer and on Bima Bharosa.
- If accepted: pay the new premium and keep the new policy effective from your renewal date.
- If not decided by renewal: renew the old policy for continuity. Many insurers allow a short extension or renewal for a part period; ask.
Worked example: porting a family floater
Illustrative. Sunil, 46, his wife, 44, and their daughter, 15. Floater with Insurer X since 1 January 2023, sum insured ₹5 lakh plus cumulative bonus ₹1 lakh. Sunil declared hypertension with a 36-month PED wait. On renewal, 1 January 2026, they port to Insurer Y with a ₹10 lakh sum insured.
| Cover layer | Waiting period credit |
|---|---|
| First ₹6 lakh (₹5 lakh + ₹1 lakh bonus, if Y counts the bonus) | Three years served: hypertension PED wait over from 1 January 2026 |
| Next ₹4 lakh (increase) | Fresh waits: hypertension-related claims above ₹6 lakh payable only after the PED wait on the new layer |
A ₹7,50,000 hypertension-related claim in March 2026: Insurer Y pays up to ₹6,00,000 (subject to clauses); the ₹1,50,000 above falls in the new layer and is not payable until its wait ends. The moratorium date works the same way: the original ₹6 lakh keeps its 2023 start.
When porting is worth it
- Your current policy has a room-rent cap, co-pay or sub-limits that a new policy removes, at a similar premium.
- Your insurer has repeatedly increased premiums well above your age-band change, or service has been poor.
- You need features your current plan lacks, such as higher restoration or wider network in your city.
When it may not be worth it
- You are close to the 5-year moratorium with your current insurer and have a condition that could be questioned; porting keeps credit, but the new insurer's underwriting may impose terms.
- The new premium saving is small and the new insurer adds a loading.
- The new wording has a narrower definition somewhere important (pre/post hospitalisation days, day-care list, AYUSH).
Portability vs migration
- Portability: moving to a different insurer.
- Migration: moving to a different product with the same insurer, or from a group to an individual policy with the same insurer, with credit for time served. See group health insurance vs a personal policy.
Mistakes that break continuity
- Letting the old policy lapse while waiting for the new insurer's decision.
- Paying the new premium but cancelling the old policy before the new policy is issued.
- Not disclosing a claim or condition in the new proposal form because "the old insurer knows". The new insurer relies on your declaration.
- Raising the sum insured sharply and forgetting the new layer has fresh waits.
Related: waiting periods under the IRDAI 2024 rules, insuring parents.
Frequently asked questions
Can the new insurer refuse my portability request?
Yes, on underwriting grounds, with reasons. Portability gives credit for time served; it does not oblige acceptance.
Can I port mid-year?
Portability is generally done at renewal. Cancelling mid-term and buying a new policy elsewhere starts fresh waiting periods.
Can one member port out of a family floater?
Yes, many insurers allow an individual member to be split out with continuity. Ask both insurers how credit will be counted.
Sources and where to check
- IRDAI — portability and migration provisions in the master circular on health insurance products
- Bima Bharosa — complaints about delays or refusals
- Council for Insurance Ombudsmen — disputes about credit for waiting periods
