What is a waiting period in health insurance?
Written for policyholders in India · Last reviewed 2026-10-10
A waiting period is time, counted from the start of your cover, during which certain illnesses or treatments are not paid for. There are three kinds: an initial waiting period for illness in the first days of a new policy, specific waiting periods for listed conditions, and a waiting period for pre-existing diseases. Each runs on continuous cover, so renewing on time keeps the time you have already served.
IRDAI's guidance on the Customer Information Sheet describes waiting periods as time during which specified diseases or treatments are not covered. The CIS format has three lines for them: the initial waiting period, specific waiting periods, and the pre-existing disease waiting period.[1, 2]
The three kinds of waiting period
| Type | What it excludes | Limit or example |
|---|---|---|
| Initial waiting period | Illness (not accidents) in the first days of a new policy | Set by each product; one insurer's product uses 30 days and does not apply it on continuous renewal |
| Specific waiting period | Listed diseases or treatments, except when caused by an accident | Up to 36 months from the start of the policy |
| Pre-existing disease waiting period | Conditions diagnosed, or for which medical advice or treatment was recommended or received, in the 36 months before the policy began, which you disclosed | At most 36 months of continuous coverage |
Specific waiting periods are listed condition by condition in the wording — one insurer's product, for example, has 24-month and 36-month lists. In that product the listed waiting period applies even if the condition was contracted after the policy began, and where a condition falls under both a specific and the pre-existing disease waiting period, the longer of the two applies.[4, 3]
How the clock runs
Waiting periods count continuous cover. Once a specific waiting period is over, the listed conditions are covered provided the policy has been renewed without a break. Renewing within the grace period protects the credit you have built up, and porting or migrating carries it to the new policy.[5, 1]
If you increase your sum insured, one insurer's wording restarts the waiting period only for the increased portion; the amount you already had keeps its credit.[3]
Before you accept a waiting-period rejection
Identify which waiting period
A health rejection must refer to the specific policy terms relied on. Initial, specific and pre-existing disease waiting periods have different lengths and triggers.[1]
Check the start date
Your schedule must show the date from which you have been continuously covered. Count from there, including earlier insurers if you ported.[2]
Check which version of the rules applies
The 36-month caps come from the 2024 framework. Older products had to be revised by 30 September 2024, but extending the new benefits to existing policyholders was left to insurers — check the wording for your policy year.[1]
A claim rejected for a waiting period covers the dispute in detail, and what counts as a pre-existing disease covers that definition.
Sources
The official documents this page relies on. Rules change: where it matters to your claim, check the current version at the source.
1. IRDAI (verbatim copy hosted by the Institute of Actuaries of India)
Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, Ref IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024 dated 29.05.2024 (17 pages, Version 1)Dated 2024-05-29 · Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024, 29 May 2024, Chapter I, para 4(b)(vii) (CIS contents); IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024, 29 May 2024, Chapter I, para 8(b); IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024, 29 May 2024, Chapter I, para 17(b); IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024, 29 May 2024, 'Effective date', para (2); IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business, IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024, 29 May 2024, 'Effective date', para (3)
Read from a copy hosted at actuariesindia.org · Official page
2. IRDAI (scanned verbatim copy hosted by TaxGuru)
Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, 2024, Ref IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024 dated 5 September 2024Dated 2024-09-05 · Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024, Schedule D, CIS – Health, row 7 'Waiting period' (p. 101 of the copy read); IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024, Schedule C, para 3.1(vii) (p. 97 of the copy read)
Read from a copy hosted at taxguru.in · Official page
3. The New India Assurance Co. Ltd.
Arogya Sanjeevani Policy - Policy Clauses (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425)Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: New India Assurance, Arogya Sanjeevani Policy wording (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425), clause 6.3 (Code- Excl03); New India Assurance, Arogya Sanjeevani Policy wording (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425), clause 6.2(d); New India Assurance, Arogya Sanjeevani Policy wording (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425), clause 6.2(c); New India Assurance, Arogya Sanjeevani Policy wording (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425), clause 10.21 'Change of Sum Insured'
4. The New India Assurance Co. Ltd.
Customer Information Sheet - Arogya Sanjeevani Policy (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425)Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: New India Assurance, Arogya Sanjeevani Customer Information Sheet (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425), row 7 'Waiting period'; New India Assurance, Arogya Sanjeevani Customer Information Sheet (UIN NIAHLIP25044V022425), row 7 'Waiting period', Specific Waiting Period (Code- Excl02)
5. Gazette of India (Extraordinary, Part III Sec 4), hosted by Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance
IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024, F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024, Hyderabad, 20 March 2024Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 (Gazette notification F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024), Schedule III, clause 1.7; IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 (Gazette notification F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024), Schedule III, clause 1.6; IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 (Gazette notification F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024), Schedule III, clause 1.6(b); IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 (Gazette notification F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024), Schedule III, clause 7; IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 (Gazette notification F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024), Schedule III, clause 1.5 (definition of 'Portability'); IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 (Gazette notification F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024), Schedule III, clause 1.4 (definition of 'Migration')
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Read next
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- What does 'continuous coverage' mean in health insurance, and how do I prove it?What counts as a break in a health policy, which waiting periods depend on unbroken cover, and how to prove continuous cover with your schedules and receipts.
- Claim rejected because of the waiting period — which waiting period applies to me?Initial, specific or PED waiting period? Tell which one the insurer used, check your policy's list, count continuous cover and use the accident exception.
- How does waiting-period credit work when I port my health policy, and what if a claim is rejected after porting?How waiting-period and moratorium credit carries over when you port a health policy in India, and what to check if a claim is rejected after porting.