Nearly 97 lakh Indians live in the Middle East, according to MEA data from January 2025. That’s 55% of all NRIs globally. The UAE accounts for 34 lakh, Saudi Arabia for 26 lakh, and the remaining Gulf states for another 37 lakh.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran. Iran retaliated with missiles targeting Gulf states that host US military bases, hitting the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. Three people were killed and 58 injured in the UAE alone. Eight countries shut their airspace. Indian airlines cancelled roughly 750 international flights in the first 48 hours.
With nearly 97 lakh Indians in the region and the conflict escalating, we wanted to find out: do term insurance policies in India actually cover death in a conflict zone?
The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no. It depends on the specific wording of your policy, which insurer issued it, and the circumstances of the death.
The industry is split on this
There is no uniform position across Indian insurers on war-related deaths. Narendra Bharindwal, president of the Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI), told Business Standard in May 2025 that “standard life and term insurance policies issued by life insurance companies do not typically exclude death due to war or war-like operations as a general exclusion. The only standard exclusion across all life insurance policies is death by suicide within the first year of the policy.”
But that’s not the full picture. Sandeep Katiyar, co-founder and CFO of Finhaat, told the same publication that “insurers typically have war exclusion clauses baked into the terms.” According to him, claims may be rejected for participation in war, terrorist activities, acts of foreign enemies, or even “being in a known conflict zone, even if not directly involved.”
Both statements are correct because it varies by insurer and by policy.
What the actual policy documents say
When you read the exclusion clauses of specific plans, the wording matters enormously. Some policies exclude only “active participation” in war. Others exclude any death “caused by” war, with no participation qualifier. That single difference determines whether a civilian bystander is covered.
HDFC Life’s Click 2 Protect policy excludes “war, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil war, rebellion, terrorist activity, revolution or taking part in a riot or civil commotion.” ICICI Prudential’s iProtect Smart excludes death “caused by war, terrorism, riots, or civil commotion.” LIC’s New Jeevan Amar and Max Life’s Smart Secure Plus carry similar clauses.
Kotak Life’s exclusion is broader: “death occurring due to invasion, war, foreign hostilities (declared or undeclared), act of a foreign enemy, truce, mutiny, civil war, rebellion, insurrection, revolution, civil commotion, riots, strikes.” No participation qualifier at all.
On the other hand, Bajaj Life Insurance states on its website that “a term plan’s sole exclusion is in the event of the policyholder’s suicide, which must occur during the first year.” Some insurers, like Ditto (JoinDitto), note that “many Indian insurers cover deaths caused by war or terror attacks, but this applies only when the insured is a civilian and not involved in the conflict.”
The takeaway: there is no industry standard. You must read your specific policy document.
The hidden risk: internal geography lists
Beyond explicit wording, insurers maintain internal lists of 13 to 20 high-risk geographies, according to IBAI president Bharindwal. If a policyholder dies in one of these locations, the claim can be denied based on internal underwriting criteria, even when the policy doesn’t name the specific country. These lists are not published. You won’t find them in your policy document.
Causation still matters
Here’s the one point both experts agree on: if a civilian dies of causes unrelated to the conflict (a car accident, a heart attack), the claim can be honoured even in a conflict zone. As Katiyar put it: “If an Indian expat living in the Middle East dies of a heart attack, and there’s no link to the ongoing conflict, the claim can still be honoured — provided there are no geographical exclusions in the policy.”
The Supreme Court of India, in its May 2024 ruling on exclusion clauses (Civil Appeal No. 1496/2023), held that insurers bear the burden of proving an exclusion applies, and that such clauses must be “interpreted narrowly against the insurer.”
The one exception: Saral Jeevan Bima
IRDAI’s own standard term insurance product, Saral Jeevan Bima (introduced in October 2020 via Circular IRDAI/Life/Cir/Misc/254/10/2020), permits only one exclusion: suicide within 12 months. No war clause. No terrorism clause. No geographical restrictions. Every life insurer in India is required to offer it. Coverage ranges from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. It’s not a high-value product, but its protection scope is the widest of any term plan available.
What NRIs in the Gulf should do right now
1. Read your policy document. Not the brochure. The actual policy bond. You can upload the PDF to our Policy Decoder to get a plain-English breakdown of your exclusions. Search the exclusions section for the words “war,” “hostilities,” “civil commotion,” and “terrorism.” Pay close attention to whether the wording says “participation in” (narrower, potentially covering civilians) or “death caused by” (broader, potentially excluding civilians).
2. Check if you hold Saral Jeevan Bima. It will be labelled as such on the policy. If you do, you have wider coverage than any proprietary plan.
3. Ask your insurer about war risk riders. Some insurers offer Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) riders or terrorism cover as add-ons. If your base policy excludes war, a rider may fill the gap.
4. Notify your insurer of your current country of residence. This is mandatory for NRIs. If your policy was issued when you lived in India and you later moved to the Gulf without informing the insurer, the entire policy could be voided at claim time. As Katiyar warned: “Always declare your location and job profile truthfully. If you leave that out, the insurer might reject the claim later — even if the death wasn’t war-related.”
5. Register with your nearest Indian embassy. MEA has set up a Special Control Room (helpline: 1800118797, toll-free). Embassy helplines are active for UAE (+971 543090571), Saudi Arabia (+966 11 4884697), Kuwait (+965 65501946), Qatar (+974 55647502), Bahrain (+973 39418071), and Oman (+968 98282270).
FAQs
Does term insurance cover death in war?
There is no uniform answer. Some Indian term insurance policies exclude only “active participation” in war (meaning civilian bystanders may be covered). Others use broader language excluding any death “caused by” war, which could exclude civilians too. IRDAI’s Saral Jeevan Bima has no war exclusion at all. The only way to know is to read your specific policy document’s exclusions section.
Are NRIs in the Gulf covered by Indian term insurance during the Iran-Israel conflict?
It depends on your policy wording, whether you notified your insurer of your current country of residence, and the cause of death. A natural death unrelated to the conflict can still be claimed in most cases. A death directly caused by military action may or may not be covered, depending on whether your policy uses “participation” language or blanket “caused by” language. Insurers also maintain internal high-risk geography lists that can independently trigger a denial.
What is Saral Jeevan Bima and why does it matter here?
Saral Jeevan Bima is a standard term life insurance product that IRDAI mandated all life insurers to offer since October 2020. Its only exclusion is suicide within 12 months. No war, terrorism, or geographical exclusions are permitted. Coverage ranges from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. The cover amount is smaller than proprietary plans, but the protection scope is wider.
Can I add war risk coverage to my existing policy?
Some insurers offer AD&D (Accidental Death and Dismemberment) riders or terrorism cover as optional add-ons. High-risk international travel policies from general insurers may include terrorism cover under health or personal accident categories. Corporate group policies in high-risk sectors (oil and gas, media, diplomacy) may include war-risk provisions. Check with your insurer whether a rider is available for your specific plan.
Related reading
- Can NRIs Buy Term Insurance Without Visiting India?
- Are Riders Worth It for NRI Term Policies?
- Term Insurance for Families: Every Life Stage
Sources: MEA NRI population data (January 2025, Rajya Sabha); HDFC Life Click 2 Protect policy documents; Kotak Life exclusions guide; Bajaj Life Insurance war coverage page; IRDAI Circular IRDAI/Life/Cir/Misc/254/10/2020 (Saral Jeevan Bima); Business Standard (May 9, 2025) — quotes from Narendra Bharindwal (IBAI) and Sandeep Katiyar (Finhaat); Supreme Court of India, Civil Appeal No. 1496/2023 (May 16, 2024); JoinDitto; Al Jazeera; CNN; NPR; Bloomberg; ETV Bharat
Reviewed and Edited by
Andy Shatananda
Andy Shatananda is a Senior Account Director with over 13 years of experience in building brands through strategy, strong client partnerships, and outcome driven marketing. He specializes in translating complex business goals into clear, scalable digital solutions. At Quantent, he leads with a balance of commercial thinking and creative rigour, helping brands grow with clarity, consistency, and purpose.
