One of the few NZ travel insurers covering dental tourism trips
Travelling overseas for planned dental treatment? Go Insurance is one of the very few New Zealand travel insurers that offers Dental Tourism cover — specialist protection designed for New Zealanders travelling abroad for elective dental procedures.
From trip cancellation and emergency treatment overseas to return travel for remedial procedures, Dental Tourism cover can help protect eligible costs if something goes wrong before or during your trip.
Important before you apply
Dental Tourism cover is not automatically included with your travel insurance policy.
Standard travel insurance was not designed for dental tourism
Standard travel insurance typically covers emergency overseas medical treatment but excludes treatment that is elective, cosmetic or planned. If you are travelling overseas specifically for dental work, your standard policy may not respond to claims connected with that treatment.
Go Insurance is one of the very few New Zealand travel insurers to offer dedicated Dental Tourism cover, designed to provide selected protection for eligible New Zealanders travelling abroad for planned dental procedures. Cover is subject to your treatment being declared and accepted prior to policy inception.
What Dental Tourism cover includes
If approved, Dental Tourism cover provides the following benefits. All amounts are in NZD and subject to the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions of the cover document and Policy Wording.
$10,000
Trip cancellation
If your trip is cancelled before departure due to the death or hospitalisation of your contracted dental practitioner, major damage to the dental facility, or other covered events under the standard policy cancellation section.
$25,000
Emergency overseas dental treatment
If you suffer complications from your eligible dental treatment while still overseas, cover is available for the reasonable cost of emergency dental treatment to treat those complications.
$10,000
Additional transport and accommodation
If complications mean you need to stay longer than planned, cover is available for additional transport and accommodation costs until you are certified fit to travel. Also covers a relative or travelling companion to remain with you or travel from New Zealand if their presence is medically necessary.
$5,000
Return travel for remedial treatment
If your dental treatment is not successful within 2 months of the original procedure or 1 month after your return to New Zealand (whichever comes first), cover is available for reasonable travel and accommodation costs to return overseas for remedial treatment. Proof from a New Zealand dental practitioner is required.
What types of dental treatment are eligible?
Dental Tourism cover applies to elective outpatient dental treatment that has been declared to and accepted by Go Insurance prior to policy inception. Eligible treatment types include:
Implants and restorative work
Tooth implants, crowns, bridges and fillings are among the most common procedures New Zealanders seek overseas.
Cosmetic dentistry
Cosmetic dental procedures including veneers and other aesthetic treatments that are elective in nature.
Gum and root treatments
Gum disease treatment and root canal treatment performed as elective outpatient procedures.
Maxillofacial surgery
Elective maxillofacial surgical procedures performed at a properly regulated dental facility overseas.
All treatment must be declared before you travel
Your eligible dental treatment must be declared to and accepted by Go Insurance prior to policy inception. Treatment that has not been declared and accepted will not be covered. Your dental practitioner must be properly registered in the country where they practise, and the facility must be properly regulated.
Why dental tourism trips need specialist cover
Travelling overseas for dental treatment involves financial commitments and health risks that standard travel insurance is not designed to address.
Your procedure is cancelled
If your dental practitioner is hospitalised or the facility is damaged before your trip, you may face irrecoverable costs with no recourse under a standard policy.
Complications arise overseas
Adverse reactions to anaesthesia, wound infections, unusual swelling or excessive bleeding can require urgent dental intervention and extended stays overseas.
Treatment is unsuccessful
If the procedure fails and remedial treatment is required, you may need to return overseas at your own expense — a cost standard travel insurance will not cover.
You need to stay longer
Complications can mean additional nights of accommodation and changed flights, adding significant unplanned costs to what was already a significant investment.
Apply for Dental Tourism cover
Dental Tourism cover can be added to any Go Insurance Leisure cover level. You will need to provide details of your planned treatment when applying.
Your eligible dental treatment must be declared and accepted prior to policy inception. If approved, the cover must be shown on your Certificate of Insurance before you travel.
Have this information ready
Steps to take before arranging treatment overseas
Taking the right steps before you travel can protect both your health and your cover.
Research your provider
Check the qualifications and registration of your dental practitioner and confirm the facility is properly regulated in the country where it operates.
Understand your treatment plan
Get a written treatment plan detailing the procedures, risks, recovery time and any follow-up appointments needed before you return home.
Apply for cover before you travel
Apply for Dental Tourism cover and ensure it is shown on your Certificate of Insurance. Cover must be in place before the event giving rise to a claim.
Keep all your documents
Retain written treatment plans, receipts, invoices, appointment confirmations and pre- and post-operative instructions from your dental practitioner.
Dental Tourism Insurance FAQs
These answers are general in nature. Please read the Cover Document and your Go Insurance Policy Wording for full details of cover, limits, conditions and exclusions.
Is Dental Tourism cover automatically included with my travel insurance?
No. Dental Tourism cover is an optional extension that must be applied for separately. It must be shown on your Certificate of Insurance before it applies.
What types of dental treatment are eligible?
Eligible treatment includes elective outpatient procedures such as tooth implants, gum disease treatment, cosmetic dentistry, veneers, crowns, bridges, maxillofacial surgery, root canal treatment and fillings. All treatment must be declared to and accepted by Go Insurance prior to policy inception.
Does standard travel insurance cover my dental treatment overseas?
Standard travel insurance typically excludes elective, cosmetic or planned treatment. If you are travelling overseas specifically for dental work, your standard policy is unlikely to respond to claims connected with that treatment. That is why Dental Tourism cover needs to be added separately.
How much cover is available if I have complications overseas?
Up to $25,000 for emergency overseas dental treatment arising from complications, plus up to $10,000 for additional transport and accommodation if you need to stay longer than planned. A relative or travelling companion can also be covered to remain with you or travel from New Zealand if their presence is medically necessary.
What counts as a complication?
Complications are unexpected negative physical consequences caused by your eligible dental treatment that present as a separate diagnosis. This includes adverse reactions to anaesthesia, wound infections, unusual swelling, excessive bleeding or wound rupture requiring urgent dental intervention. It does not include dissatisfaction with the result or negligence by your dental practitioner.
What if my treatment is not successful and I need to go back?
Up to $5,000 is available for reasonable travel and accommodation costs to return overseas for remedial treatment, provided the treatment is not successful within 2 months of the original procedure or 1 month after your return to New Zealand, whichever comes first. You will need a New Zealand dental practitioner to confirm the remedial treatment is medically necessary.
What if my dental practitioner cannot perform my procedure?
Up to $10,000 in trip cancellation cover is available if your trip needs to be cancelled due to the death or hospitalisation of your contracted dental practitioner, or major damage to the dental facility where your treatment was scheduled.
Does the dental practitioner need to be registered?
Yes. Your dental practitioner must be a registered practising member of the dental profession recognised by the law of the country where they practise, and must not be related to you or any person you are travelling with. The facility must also be properly regulated in the country where it is situated.
Does this cover need to be read alongside the Policy Wording?
Yes. Dental Tourism cover is an extension to your Go Insurance travel insurance policy and must be read in conjunction with your Policy Wording, which contains the standard terms, conditions, exclusions and definitions that also apply.
What documents should I keep?
Keep your written treatment plan, receipts, invoices, appointment confirmations, pre- and post-operative instructions, and any correspondence with your dental practitioner or facility. These will be required to support a claim.