Health Insurance Portability: Rules, Process and Pitfalls

Health insurance portability lets you move your policy to a different insurer at renewal without losing the waiting-period time you have already served, as long as there is no break in cover. As of October 2026, IRDAI rules let you carry over credit for pre-existing disease and specific-illness waiting periods up to your old sum insured, and continuous years also count towards the 5-year moratorium. The catch: the new insurer still underwrites you and can say no, so never let the old policy lapse while you wait.

This guide covers the porting process itself. If you are still deciding what a good policy looks like, start with our health insurance checklist.

What carries over when you port

IRDAI's Master Circular on Health Insurance Products (May 2024) consolidated the portability rules. The key point is continuity: your coverage history travels with you.

The 3-year waiting-period cap

From April 2024, IRDAI capped the PED waiting period at 36 months (earlier 48), and specific-illness waiting periods are also capped at 36 months as of October 2026. Many plans now offer 1 or 2 years. If the new plan's waiting period is shorter than the time you have already served, the credit covers it fully for your old sum insured.

The 5-year moratorium

After 60 continuous months of cover, an insurer cannot reject a claim on grounds of non-disclosure or misrepresentation, except for proven fraud. This was cut from 8 years to 5 years in 2024. Continuous cover under a ported policy counts, which is one of the strongest reasons to port rather than buy fresh and cancel. Specific exclusions written into the policy still apply after the moratorium.

When porting makes sense (and when it does not)

Good reasons to port:

• Your insurer has a weak claim settlement record or repeated cashless denials at hospitals you use
• You want a higher sum insured that your current insurer will not offer
• The current plan has a room-rent cap, co-payment or disease sub-limits you want to escape
• Premiums have risen sharply at renewal without better benefits
• You are leaving a job and need to convert group cover (see is employer health insurance enough)

Weak reasons to port:

• A slightly lower first-year premium. The new insurer may raise it later, and you lose any loyalty features.
• You are mid-treatment for a major illness. The new insurer may decline or exclude it, and your current insurer is already paying.

Worked example: porting with a higher sum insured

Meera, 38, has had a ₹5 lakh individual policy since October 2023. She declared hypertension, which carries a 3-year PED waiting period. In October 2026 she has served all 3 years, and she wants to port to a new insurer and raise cover to ₹15 lakh.

What the new insurer must honour (illustrative):

Suppose in year 1 of the new policy she is hospitalised for a hypertension-related condition with a bill of ₹8,00,000. The new insurer pays up to ₹5,00,000, because only that portion has completed the PED waiting period. The remaining ₹3,00,000 is not payable from the new ₹10 lakh layer until its own waiting period ends. A non-PED claim of ₹8 lakh (say, an accident) would be fully covered from day one.

Medical costs rise much faster than general inflation, which is why people raise cover in the first place. Use the inflation calculator to see what a ₹5 lakh bill today could cost in 10 years at an assumed medical inflation rate.

Step-by-step porting process

1. Shortlist the new plan. Compare sum insured options, room-rent rules, co-pay, PED waiting period, restoration benefit and network hospitals near you.
2. Apply before renewal. As of October 2026, most insurers accept portability requests between 60 and 30 days before your renewal date. Aim for about 45 days to leave room for medical tests. Porting is allowed only at renewal.
3. Fill the proposal and portability forms. Disclose every condition, medication and past claim honestly. Non-disclosure is the most common reason ported claims are later disputed.
4. Submit documents. Copies of all previous policy schedules (to prove continuity), claim history, ID and address proof, and any medical reports.
5. Let the insurers exchange data. The new insurer fetches your policy and claim history from the old insurer, including through the Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) portal.
6. Underwriting decision. The new insurer may accept, accept with loading or specific exclusions, or decline. Get the credited waiting periods and sum insured in writing.
7. Pay and get the policy before the old one ends. Only then let the old policy run out. If the decision is delayed, renew the old policy rather than risk a break.

Common porting mistakes

• Letting the old policy lapse. Continuity is everything. A break, even within the renewal grace period, can mean claims in the gap are not paid and credits may be questioned.
• Assuming all add-ons move. Features like OPD cover, maternity or a specific restoration design belong to the old product.
• Porting during an active claim. Settle the claim first; portability does not transfer pending claims.
• Ignoring the new plan's sub-limits. A plan with a 1% room-rent cap can pay far less than your old one. Read why insurance claims get rejected before you switch.
• Not checking the family floater structure. Moving from individual policies to a floater (or the reverse) is allowed, but credits apply per member based on their own history. See individual vs family floater health insurance.

Tax and GST after porting

Since 22 September 2025, premiums on individual health insurance policies, including family floaters, carry 0% GST (earlier 18%), as of October 2026. Group health policies bought by employers still attract 18% GST.

Under the old tax regime, health insurance premiums remain deductible under Section 126 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (old Section 80D): up to ₹25,000 for self, spouse and children (₹50,000 if a senior citizen) and a further ₹25,000 or ₹50,000 for parents. The new regime does not allow this deduction. Porting does not change eligibility; the new insurer's receipt works the same way.

If your portability request is mishandled

If an insurer delays sharing your data, refuses credits you are entitled to, or does not explain a rejection:

1. Write to the insurer's Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO). Insurers must acknowledge immediately and resolve within 14 days as of October 2026.
2. If unresolved, escalate on IRDAI's Bima Bharosa portal (bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in) or the toll-free number 155255.
3. For claim disputes up to ₹50 lakh, approach the Insurance Ombudsman if the insurer has rejected your complaint or not replied within 30 days. File within one year. The service is free.

Key takeaways

• Porting moves your waiting-period credits and moratorium years to a new insurer, but only up to your old sum insured.
• Any extra sum insured added at porting starts fresh waiting periods (capped at 36 months as of October 2026).
• Apply about 45 days before renewal and never let the old policy lapse while you wait.
• The new insurer can decline or load your premium; portability guarantees continuity, not acceptance.
• Individual health premiums are GST-free since 22 September 2025; the old Section 80D (now Section 126) deduction still applies only under the old regime.