Canada Coverage Alert: War in the Middle East and Surrounding Region

Last updated: March 5, 2026

As of February 28, 2026, a major and active military conflict has unfolded in the Middle East and surrounding region following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes into Iran. As reported, the U.S. has stated that this is aimed at regime change and the overthrow of the Iranian government and has resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  This has triggered a rapid military escalation and retaliatory strikes from Iran across multiple countries in and around the region.  The security situation in the region remains highly volatile and unpredictable, with ongoing attacks, military activity, and evolving geopolitical responses, posing significant risk of broader regional and potentially global spread.

As the situation in the region continues to escalate, we sincerely hope that you and your traveling companions are safe and unaffected by the ongoing events. 

These acts of war have caused widespread and ongoing disruptions to regional and global travel operations, including closed or restricted airports, airspace, maritime routes, and border crossings across the region. Travelers may experience cancellations, diversions, or extended delays.

Further, the Government of Canada/Global Affairs Canada a travel notice to all Canadians advising to avoid all travel to the region, including multiple countrywide or localized, with further changes possible. They have also urged Canadians in the affected regions to be vigilant and follow the instructions of local authorities at all times, including any orders to shelter in place, ensure that your travel documents and those of your family are up to date and monitor local and international media to stay informed of the rapidly evolving situation. Canadians in the affected regions are advised to check with their airline and travel agent to confirm the status of their flight. Additionally, Global Affairs Canada advises that if a Canadian is stranded in a country that requires a visa to consult local immigration to inquire about extensions or available overstay measures and if the Canadian traveller chooses to travel to the Middle East despite the warnings, the Canadian traveller may be unable to leave if conflict escalates further.

Please be aware: Our assistance teams are available 24/7 at 1-866-520-8823 (from the U.S. and Canada) or 1-519-742-9013 (outside the U.S. and Canada), and we are endeavoring to assist our customers to the best of our ability. However, due to events outside of our control, our ability to facilitate assistance services while you are in the region may be substantially limited at this time. If you need help getting out of these countries or other consular assistance, we recommend contacting the nearest Canadian embassy, or contacting Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre: [email protected] or calling 613-996-8885, texting 613-686-3685, WhatsApp 613-909-8881 or Signal 613-909-8087.

Allianz Partners’ Canadian customers considering making changes to their travel plans should contact their travel supplier.  Some travel suppliers may now, or closer to your departure date, allow customers to cancel their trip and receive a refund or change their dates of travel without change fees when traveling to a destination affected by these events. 

With respect to insurance coverage, Allianz Global Assistance policies sold to Canadian residents generally does not provide coverage for any loss resulting directly or indirectly from war (declared or undeclared) or acts of war. Plans may also exclude losses resulting directly or indirectly from governments acts or prohibitions, or from political risk as defined in the plan, which generally includes actions intending or implying the intention to overthrow, supplant or change the existing ruler or constitutional government.

Please note that this war became a known event on February 28, 2026.  Plans also exclude coverage for any loss resulting directly or indirectly from any known, foreseeable, or expected event. 

Moreover, please note that Government of Canada/Global Affairs Canada has issued an “avoid all travel” travel advisory for several countries in this region, as well as localized “avoid non-essential travel” warnings within many other countries in the region. Due to the general exclusion of war (declared or undeclared) or acts of war, our plans do not provide coverage for cancellations due to the issuance of travel warnings, and moreover several benefits and covered reasons under our plans require that the insured must not have traveled against government advice. 

Finally, please note that our plans do not provide any coverage, benefit, or service for any activity that would violate any applicable law or regulation, including without limitation any economic or trade sanction or embargo. 

We encourage customers who believe they have coverage under their plan to file a claim.  Benefits, covered reasons, and coverage limits vary by plan.  Please review your plan for details on the coverage available under your plan, as well as the temporary accommodations noted below, or contact us at the number listed on your plan with any questions or to file a claim.

If your trip is canceled, you may change your insurance plan’s effective dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip, as long as that trip is scheduled to be completed within 540 days from the plan’s original purchase date.  Changes can be made by calling the phone number on your plan.  Please note, if you wish to move your plan’s covered trip dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip, you must update your trip dates prior to the departure date of that new or rescheduled trip.  Additionally, if your trip costs for your new or rescheduled trip are different than the cost of your original trip, you will need to update your plan’s coverage limits accordingly.  Any change in trip cost insured for the new or rescheduled trip may result in a change in premium.  If you update your plan’s trip dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip but do not adjust your limits, the original plan limits will apply to the new or rescheduled trip. Please note that your updated policy will also include and be subject to the exclusions noted above.

Alternatively, if your travel supplier cancels your trip, so long as no payable claim has been filed under the plan, you may cancel your plan for a full refund of your plan cost by contacting us.  You may also cancel your plan within 10 days from the date your plan was purchased, so long as you have not started your trip or filed a claim.  See your plan for details, or contact us at the number listed on your plan. Refunds must be requested within 540 days of the original plan purchase date.  Plans do not provide any coverage or accommodation for any loss incurred after the plan ends.

Customers considering making changes to their travel plans should contact their travel supplier.  Many travel suppliers are waiving fees and/or offering refunds or credits for future travel to customers with planned travel to this region. Availability of accommodations may be subject to any refund, credit, or reimbursement you receive or that you are eligible to receive from your supplier or other source. 

For a temporary period in response to this evolving emergency situation, to help protect the health and safety of our customers, we are currently accommodating certain claims as described in more detail below for insureds whose travel plans have been impacted as a result of this war that began February 28, 2026. 

These accommodations are available only for the following “Impacted Countries”:  Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, West Bank / Gaza / Palestinian Territories / Palestine, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, or Yemen.

• Emergency Medical Care if you are injured as a result of acts of war while on an insured trip in an Impacted Country (if your plan includes the Emergency Medical Care benefit)
• Trip Interruption and/or Travel Delay for insureds who were either (a) in an Impacted Country on February 28, 2026 on an insured trip; or (b) in transit on an insured trip and scheduled to arrive in an Impacted Country on February 28, 2026 (if your plan includes the Trip Interruption and/or Travel Delay benefit, as applicable)

Insureds qualifying for this Trip Interruption accommodation will be subject to the per policy maximum of $350 per day to a maximum of $1,500 for this benefit.

The accommodations described above are strictly applicable to the war in the Middle East and surrounding region that began on February 28, 2026.  These accommodations are only available for Canadian customers whose plan includes the applicable benefit and whose plan was in effect on or before February 28, 2026.  Plans that became effective on or after March 1, 2026 are not eligible for these accommodations.  To be eligible for these accommodations, the insured must have a trip itinerary dated on or prior to February 28, 2026 that included travel to or within an Impacted Country on February 28, 2026, and that itinerary must not have been changed by the travel supplier to remove such travel as of the date the claim is filed.

All claims and accommodations are subject to any and all applicable legal restrictions as well as any applicable sanctions-related policy exclusions.  All other terms, conditions, and exclusions of the plan apply as normal. By making this accommodation, we are not waiving our rights to generally exclude losses for war (declared or undeclared), acts of war, known or foreseeable events, political risk, or any other otherwise applicable exclusion. Customers have a duty to minimize their loss, and any failure to do so may impact the amount of any reimbursement available.  All benefits are subject to maximum limits of liability, which may in some cases be subject to sublimits, day limits, and daily maximums, as well as any and all refunds available from your travel supplier(s) or other sources.  Only the expenses covered by the insured’s plan’s benefits are subject to these accommodations.  Not all benefits are available on all plans.  Please read your plan for details.

Benefits, covered reasons, and coverage limits vary by plan.  Please review your plan for details on the coverage available under your plan, or contact us at the number listed on your plan with any questions or to file a claim.

If you purchased a travel protection plan that included a travel cancellation fee waiver offered by a travel supplier, please contact your travel supplier for questions and coverage information related to trip cancellation under that waiver. Please note, the above refunds, opportunities to change dates, and other accommodations may not be available for any third-party travel cancellation fee waiver you purchased from your travel supplier.

The information in this Coverage Alert is current as of the time of publication but is subject to change as the situation develops.  Please visit www.allianz-assistance.ca for the latest coverage information.

Please note, the above-described accommodations are an explicit and limited expression of donative intent only, which is for only the limited purposes expressly specified here and for no other further purpose, express or implied.  Further, it is expressly not a guarantee of coverage or admission of legal or equitable liability.  Nothing contained or described here, nor any payment made pursuant to the position described here, is or should be construed to be a waiver of any term, condition, or exclusion of any plan, or any applicable rights, remedies, or defenses under any plan or at law or equity.  We and our applicable underwriters and reinsurers reserve all rights, remedies, and defenses under the plan and under applicable law and at equity. 

Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply to all plans. Benefits and limits vary by plan. For a complete description of the coverage and benefit limits offered under your specific plan, carefully review your plan’s Confirmation of Coverage and Certificate of Insurance/Policy. Insurance benefits are underwritten by CUMIS General Insurance Company and distributed by AZGA Service Canada Inc. Allianz Partners, Allianz Global Assistance and Allianz Travel are marks of Allianz Partners and/or its affiliates. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between Allianz Partners and AZGA Service Canada Inc. or CUMIS General Insurance Company. Plans include insurance benefits and assistance services. Except as expressly provided under your plan, you are responsible for charges you incur from third parties.