When you work in the Gulf, the UK, the US, Canada or Australia, a hospital bill for your mother or father back home can be the most stressful phone call you get. Buying health insurance for NRI parents is one of the best ways to protect both your parents and your savings. The rules changed a lot in 2024, when the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued a master circular that removed the old age limit, shortened waiting periods and set strict deadlines for cashless claims.
This guide explains what changed, the nine things to check before you pay a premium, and the free government cover now available to parents aged 70 and above.
Please note: this article is general information, not professional legal or insurance advice. Rules change, so check the official sources linked below or speak to a qualified professional before you decide. Read our disclaimer.
Table of contents
Can an NRI buy health insurance for parents in India?
Yes, in most cases. With health insurance for NRI parents, your parents are the insured people and the policy is issued in India; you can usually be the proposer and pay the premium from abroad, for example from an NRE or NRO account. Each insurer sets its own proposer and payment rules, so confirm them in the proposal form. If you send money home for premiums, our guide to sending money to India on Expat Money Desk compares transfer costs.
Health insurance for NRI parents is different from visitor insurance for parents, which covers them only while they visit you abroad. Most families need health insurance for NRI parents in India all year, plus visitor cover for trips.
What IRDAI changed in 2024
IRDAI's Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, dated 29 May 2024, replaced 55 older circulars. Existing products had to comply by 30 September 2024. Together with the IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 that took effect on 1 April 2024, it changed health insurance for NRI parents in five important ways, as reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, Business Today and The Hindu:
- No upper age limit: the earlier cap of 65 years for buying a new policy was removed.
- Pre-existing disease waiting period of at most 3 years, down from 4.
- Moratorium of 5 years (down from 8): after five years of continuous cover, a claim cannot be contested on grounds of non-disclosure, except for proven fraud.
- Fast cashless decisions: insurers must decide a cashless request within 1 hour and give final discharge authorisation within 3 hours. Extra charges caused by delay beyond 3 hours are paid from the insurer's shareholder funds.
- Less paperwork: the insurer or TPA, not the family, collects documents from the hospital.
For families comparing health insurance for NRI parents, these rules mean an older parent can still apply, and a long-held policy becomes much safer to claim on.
Health insurance for NRI parents: 9 things to check
Use this checklist when you compare quotes for health insurance for NRI parents. Ask the insurer to confirm each point in writing.
- Sum insured: medical costs in metro cities are high, so look at the room-rent limit and the total cover together.
- Pre-existing disease waiting period: three years is now the maximum; some plans are shorter.
- Room-rent caps and co-payment: many senior plans make you pay a share of each claim. Read the Customer Information Sheet, which IRDAI makes mandatory.
- Sub-limits on cataract, knee replacement and other common surgeries for older people.
- Cashless hospital network near your parents' home city.
- No-claim bonus: under the 2024 rules you can usually choose a higher sum insured or a premium discount.
- AYUSH treatment (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy) must be covered on par with other treatment.
- Renewal terms: renewal cannot be refused except for fraud, non-disclosure or misrepresentation, and there is no fresh underwriting unless the sum insured is increased.
- Grace period: 15 days for monthly premiums and 30 days for other modes, so a late payment from abroad does not break continuity.
Policy types compared
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Individual senior citizen plan | Parents aged 60+ with health conditions | Co-payment, sub-limits, waiting periods |
| Family floater for both parents | Healthy parents in their 50s or early 60s | One claim can use up the cover for both |
| Top-up or super top-up | Raising cover cheaply above a base policy | Pays only above the deductible |
| Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (Vay Vandana) | Parents aged 70+ | Empanelled hospitals only |
Insurers do not publish one standard price for health insurance for NRI parents, so compare written quotes for the same age, city and sum insured. Health insurance for NRI parents costs more as they get older, which is another reason to buy early and keep renewing without a break. Thanks to portability rules, waiting-period credit moves with you if you switch insurer.
Free cover for parents aged 70+: Ayushman Vay Vandana
On 29 October 2024 the Government of India expanded Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY to every citizen aged 70 or above, regardless of income. According to the Press Information Bureau, each eligible senior gets cover of up to ₹5 lakh a year for hospitalisation. As of March 2025 the scheme covered 1,961 procedures across 27 specialties at 30,201 empanelled hospitals.
Keep paying for health insurance for NRI parents even after they get this card. Parents can enrol through the Ayushman App, the beneficiary.nha.gov.in portal, an empanelled hospital or a Common Service Centre. The helpline is 1800-110-770 or 14555. The card does not replace private cover, but it is a valuable extra layer.
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Tax benefit on the premium
If you pay premiums for your parents and file an Indian return under the old tax regime, section 80D allows a deduction of up to ₹25,000 a year for parents' health insurance, or ₹50,000 if a parent is a resident senior citizen. So the premium on health insurance for NRI parents can also cut your Indian tax. See the Income Tax Department's page on health insurance tax benefits. Workers going to the Gulf on an ECR passport should also read about Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana, the compulsory insurance for themselves.
Sources
This guide was checked against these official and reputable sources on 2 November 2026:
- IRDAI: Master Circular on Health Insurance Business (29 May 2024)
- The Hindu BusinessLine: IRDAI removes age limits on health insurance purchase
- Business Today: IRDAI cuts the pre-existing disease waiting period from 4 to 3 years
- The Hindu BusinessLine: IRDAI revamps health insurance norms (master circular)
- The Hindu: Authorise cashless facility within 3 hours, IRDAI tells health insurers
- PIB: Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY for senior citizens aged 70+ (12 March 2025)
- Income Tax Department: tax benefits for health insurance (section 80D)
FAQ: health insurance for NRI parents
Can an NRI buy health insurance for parents in India?
Yes, usually. With health insurance for NRI parents, the parents are the insured persons and you can normally be the proposer and pay from abroad. Each insurer has its own proposer and payment rules, so check the proposal form.
Is there an age limit for health insurance for senior citizens in India?
Not any more. IRDAI's 2024 rules removed the earlier entry age cap of 65, although insurers still underwrite each proposal and may add co-payments or exclusions.
How long is the waiting period for pre-existing diseases?
At most 3 years under the IRDAI master circular of May 2024. After 5 years of continuous cover (the moratorium), claims cannot be contested for non-disclosure except for fraud.
How fast must a cashless claim be approved?
The insurer must decide a cashless request within 1 hour and give final discharge authorisation within 3 hours of the hospital's request.
Do parents aged 70+ get free health cover?
Yes. Since October 2024 every Indian citizen aged 70 or above can get Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY cover of up to ₹5 lakh a year for hospitalisation at empanelled hospitals, regardless of income.
Read next
- Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) explained
- UAE gratuity calculation with worked examples
- Term insurance for NRI buyers: how to buy from abroad
- Visitor insurance for parents visiting the US, Canada, UK or Australia
- Power of attorney for NRI property and banking
- More Health Insurance guides
- About Expat Insurance & Law
- Send money to India: compare costs (Expat Money Desk)
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About the author: Sumit Manwal
Sumit Manwal is the founder of Hospitality Vacancy, the job site built for the hotel industry. He is passionate about helping hotel management students and hospitality professionals build successful careers, and connects talented people with hotel jobs across India, the Gulf and Europe. On Expat Insurance & Law he writes clear, practical insurance and legal-paperwork guides for NRIs and expat workers in the Gulf, US, UK, Canada and Australia, so every reader can make confident decisions about their work and life. He is not a legal or insurance professional, so every guide here links to official sources and he encourages readers to confirm details with a qualified expert before acting.
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