Pet insurance: waiting periods and existing illness

What is a waiting period on pet insurance?

A waiting period is a time after a pet policy starts during which it does not pay. The Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017 define it as "a period during which a policyholder is not entitled to policy benefits". How long it is, and which benefits it affects, is set in the policy wording and shown on the schedule.

Olvian is not an insurer, broker or financial services provider. It passes a person's request to licensed providers, who pay Olvian a fee and contact the person. This guide explains what the rules require insurers to tell you. It does not say which policy to buy.

Is there a legal limit on waiting periods for pets?

Olvian has not found one. The only waiting-period ceiling in the short-term Rules is Rule 2A.6.1, and it is narrow: it covers a microinsurance policy underwritten under the accident and health class of non-life insurance business, and a death, disability or health event resulting from natural causes. In that case a waiting period may not exceed the shorter of one quarter of the policy term or six months.

A pet policy does not fall within that wording, so you cannot assume the same ceiling applies. For a pet policy, the waiting period is whatever the policy says. That is why you need the figure in writing before you pay.

A waiting period may also differ by type of event. Policies commonly treat an accident differently from an illness, and may apply separate periods to particular conditions. Whether yours does is set by the policy, so ask the licensed provider to list each period and what it applies to.

Which rules apply to a pet policy?

The Policyholder Protection Rules apply to short-term insurance policies. Where a pet policy is a non-life insurance policy issued by a licensed insurer, the disclosure, claims, complaints and termination rules summarised below apply to it. If you are unsure that a provider is licensed, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority lets you confirm whether a company is licensed.

How are existing conditions treated?

Pet policies commonly leave out conditions that existed before the policy began. The wording decides how this works, and the words "pre-existing", "existing", "prior" or "previous" each can mean something different. The definition is the thing to ask for.

The Rules make the topic one the insurer must put in front of you. Rule 11.1 says a "significant exclusion or limitation" is one that may affect the decision of the average targeted policyholder to enter into the policy, and lists examples, including:

• any exclusion relating to certain diseases or medical conditions;
• a waiting period;
• any limit on the amount of cover;
• any limit on the period for which benefits will be paid; and
• any restrictions on eligibility to claim such as age, residence or employment.

Where an insurer gives you a quotation with detailed information about a specific policy, or sells to you by direct marketing, Rule 11.4.2(g) requires "concise details of any significant exclusions or limitations", provided prominently. No later than 31 days after the policy starts, Rule 11.5.1(d) requires comprehensive details of all exclusions and limitations in writing.

When you read them, look for:

1. How the policy defines an existing condition, and whether it depends on diagnosis, treatment, signs or symptoms.
2. How far back the policy looks.
3. Whether a condition that appeared during a waiting period is treated as existing.
4. Whether the exclusion is permanent or can be lifted.
5. Whether related conditions are excluded together.

What do I have to tell the insurer?

Your honest answers are the basis of the cover. Rule 11.4.2(k) requires the insurer to tell you about "any obligation to disclose material facts, including information to ensure that a policyholder knows what must be disclosed as well as the consequences of non-compliance".

After the policy starts, Rule 11.5.1(i) requires the insurer to give you in writing "the representations made by or on behalf of the policyholder to the insurer which were regarded by that insurer as material to its assessment of the risks under the policy". Read that list. If it describes your pet's age, breed, weight or history wrongly, tell the insurer straight away, in writing, and keep a copy.

If you are unsure whether something is relevant, such as a limp that came and went, a skin problem, or a visit to a vet for a check, mention it and let the insurer decide. Do not guess. A fact left out can be used against a claim later.

What happens to the waiting period when the policy renews?

The Rules do not give pet policies a blanket rule on this. Rule 2A.6.3, which says a microinsurance policy may not impose a waiting period when it is renewed, is limited to microinsurance policies. For a pet policy, ask the licensed provider:

• Does a waiting period apply again at renewal, or only at the start?
• If I increase the benefits or add a cover type, does a waiting period apply to the new part?
• If I move from another insurer, is any period I have already served recognised?

Get the answers in writing. Rule 11.3.1 requires communication to a policyholder to be in plain language and not misleading, and an answer on your own pet's cover is exactly the kind of information you can ask the insurer to put in writing.

Can I cancel if the cover is not what I expected?

Yes, within limits. Rule 4.2 gives a cooling-off right: if the policy term is longer than 31 days, and no benefit has been paid or claimed and no insured event has occurred, you may cancel by notice to the insurer within 14 days after receiving the policy contract. Rule 4.3 requires a refund of premiums paid, less the cost of any risk cover you enjoyed, and Rule 4.4 requires the insurer to act within 31 days of receiving your notice.

A claim or an insured event ends the cooling-off right, so read the schedule and the exclusions first.

What if a claim is declined because of an existing condition?

Ask for the decision in writing. If an insurer repudiates or disputes a claim, Rule 17.6.3 requires a plain-language notice that gives the reasons "in sufficient detail to enable the claimant to dispute such reasons if the claimant so chooses". It must also tell you that you may make representations within not less than 90 days, how the insurer's internal review works, and that you may complain to an ombud, with contact details.

That notice is where you will see which clause the insurer relies on and what it says your pet's history was. Do not rely on memory; read the clause against the policy definition you were given, and against the representations the insurer recorded under Rule 11.5.1(i).

What should I ask the licensed provider?

1. What is the waiting period for accidents, for illness and for any other benefit, in days or months?
2. How does the policy define an existing condition? Please point to the clause.
3. What representations of mine are you relying on? Please send them in writing.
4. Is any condition already excluded on my quote?
5. What are the significant exclusions, limits and excesses?

Our guide on limits, excesses and exclusions goes through what a schedule shows, and the guide on renewals, cancelling and complaints covers what happens after you buy.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026. Olvian is not a financial services provider and this guide is information, not advice.

• Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017, definitions, Government Notice 1433, Government Gazette 41329, 15 December 2017, as amended by Notice 996, Government Gazette 41928, 28 September 2018.
• Rule 11: disclosure
• Rule 4: cooling-off rights
• Rules 2A.6.1 and 2A.6.3 (microinsurance waiting periods), in the National Treasury consultation text of the September 2018 amendments
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority: consumer page