Bupa Global health insurance for expats in Asia
Bupa Global is the international arm of Bupa and sits at the premium end of international private medical insurance (IPMI). IPMIAsia explains the five-plan ladder, the area-of-cover options that include Asia, the waiting periods, how pre-existing conditions are underwritten, and who the range suits.
- The ladder is not ordered by limit: Major Medical carries £2m but is hospital-focused, while Select (£1m) adds day-to-day benefits.
- Routine dental needs Premier or above after a 6-month wait; maternity and fertility need Elite or Ultimate after 18 months.
- Select, Premier and Elite also offer a Europe (including UK) area, which does not include Asia, so for residents of Asia the choice is Worldwide or Worldwide without U.S.
- You declare every condition at application; a pre-existing condition may be covered, loaded, excluded or restricted, and undisclosed conditions are not covered.
- Limits are published in pounds sterling, and the plans and benefits available vary by country of residence.
The five-plan ladder
Bupa Global's individual range is a ladder of five plans, from hospital-focused cover up to an Ultimate plan with no overall annual limit and a dedicated concierge. The exact plans and benefits Bupa offers vary by country of residence, so the figures below are the published 2026 range and you should confirm what applies where you live.
The headline number is the annual limit, which is the most Bupa pays in total per person per policy year. The ladder is not ordered strictly by limit: Major Medical is hospital-focused and carries a higher limit than Select or Premier, which add day-to-day benefits instead.
| Plan | Annual limit | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Major Medical | £2,000,000 | Essential, hospital-focused protection for large medical events |
| Select | £1,000,000 | Adds day-to-day benefits: health screenings, physiotherapy, mental health, complementary therapies |
| Premier | £1,500,000 | Select benefits at higher limits, plus optical and dental |
| Elite | £3,000,000 | Adds maternity cover and assisted fertility treatment |
| Ultimate | Unlimited | No overall limit, Lifecare Concierge Manager, two children to age 16 at no extra cost (subject to underwriting) |
Every plan carries waiting periods, limitations and exclusions. The brochure and your country-specific table of benefits are the authority.
What the range covers
Across the published benefit list, Bupa Global includes:
- In-patient and day-patient care: hospital accommodation in a standard private room, operating room, medicines and dressings, and diagnostic tests in hospital.
- Cancer care: planning and carrying out treatment once diagnosed, including tests, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, imaging, consultations and prescribed medicines, with home chemotherapy where possible.
- Out-patient day-to-day care: consultations and treatment from doctors, specialists and psychologists with no referral required; inclusion and limits depend on the plan.
- Mental health: in-patient and day-patient treatment paid in full on all five plans; out-patient mental health within the out-patient annual limit on Select, Premier and Elite, paid in full on Ultimate, not covered on Major Medical (UK edition: Bupa Global Health Plans brochure, April 2026, pp.13 and 15, read 19 October 2026).
- Physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic and complementary therapies, with limits that vary by plan.
- Optical and dental: accident-related dental from day one; routine and major restorative dental after six months on Premier and above, with limits.
- Maternity and assisted fertility: Elite and Ultimate, after 18 months. Fertility is up to £6,000 a year on Elite and £10,000 on Ultimate.
- Rehabilitation: 45 days on Major Medical, 30 on Select and Premier, 60 on Elite.
- Medical evacuation and repatriation, and 30 days' home nursing after covered hospital treatment.
- Health checks after 10 months (Select £750, Premier £1,250, Elite £1,500 a year) and vaccinations (Select £200, Premier £500, Elite £1,000).
Waiting periods
| Benefit | Waiting period | Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Routine and major restorative dental | 6 months | Premier, Elite, Ultimate |
| Health checks and screening | 10 months | Select and above |
| Maternity, including complications and Caesarean | 18 months on the plan | Elite, Ultimate |
| Assisted fertility treatment | 18 months | Elite, Ultimate |
Eighteen months is at the long end of the market for maternity; Now Health WorldCare Apex, for comparison, uses 12. If starting a family is part of the plan, the waiting period matters more than the headline benefit. See our maternity cover guide.
See Bupa Global against the market
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Underwriting and pre-existing conditions
Underwriting is how an insurer decides what to cover given your medical history. The four terms you will meet across the market are full medical underwriting (declare everything, get certainty upfront), moratorium (no declaration, recent conditions excluded until a symptom-free period has passed), CPME (existing exclusions carried over when you switch insurer) and CTT (transfer onto broadly equivalent terms). Our pre-existing conditions guide explains each in detail.
What Bupa Global publishes about its own approach:
- At application you declare every illness or injury for which you had medication, advice, treatment or symptoms before joining.
- Bupa's medical team reviews the history and sets the terms. A pre-existing condition may be covered, possibly for an extra premium, excluded, or made subject to other restrictions.
- A pre-existing condition that is not disclosed on the application is not covered.
- Children can be added on the same level of cover, subject to underwriting. On Ultimate, two children to age 16 come at no extra cost.
In market terms this is a full-medical-underwriting approach. The upside is certainty about what is covered from day one, and the real possibility that a declared condition is accepted. If you have medical history, the terms offered matter more than the headline price. Nomi flags them, and an experienced adviser confirms the terms before you buy.
Service and digital care
- Network: Bupa cites over 2 million medical practitioners worldwide, with direct access to any recognised private provider in your area of cover and no GP referral needed.
- Blua digital healthcare: Global Virtual Care (virtual GP consultations at any time) and a Second Medical Opinion service from international specialists, at no extra cost on every plan, both delivered by Teladoc Health on Bupa's behalf.
- MembersWorld app: submit and track claims, request and track pre-authorisation, and manage the plan.
- Lifecare Concierge Manager (Ultimate only): one named contact who books appointments, coordinates emergency care and manages claims.
- Direct-access specialists: see a cancer specialist at the first worrying symptom, or a cardiologist, without a referral.
Bupa Global for expats in Asia: area of cover and currency
Every Bupa Global plan offers a choice of geographic area, and it is one of the biggest price levers:
- Worldwide, including the USA.
- Worldwide without U.S., available on every plan.
- Europe (including UK), available on Select, Premier and Elite only.
Area names and plans (Bupa Global Health Plans brochure, April 2026, Bupa Insurance Limited, UK edition, pp.11-12, read 19 October 2026). Cover is the same at home and abroad within the chosen area. For someone based in Asia the choice is between the two worldwide options, because the Europe area does not include Asia. Leaving out the USA is usually the single largest saving. Our guide to regional versus worldwide cover helps you decide which way to go.
Bupa Global publishes its limits in pounds sterling, so when you compare it with a plan priced in US or Singapore dollars, line up the limits in one currency. Remember too that Bupa's plans and benefits vary by country of residence, so the range available to you in Thailand may differ from the range in Hong Kong. IPMIAsia's comparison through Nomi shows the version that applies to your residence. Note that Bupa's Hong Kong VHIS products are a separate, local range: see our Bupa VHIS page.
Relevant country pages: Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
Who Bupa Global suits
A strong fit if you want a premium plan with very high or unlimited annual limits, no-referral access to specialists, strong cancer and mental-health cover and a large global network, and you value digital GP access and, at the top of the range, a concierge-style service.
Worth comparing alternatives if price is the main driver (a premium position usually carries a premium price), you need maternity or dental sooner than the 18-month and 6-month waits allow, you would prefer a moratorium underwriting option, or you only need cover in one region. Browse all insurers or start with the cost guide for Asia.
Frequently asked questions
What are Bupa Global's plan levels?
What areas of cover does Bupa Global offer for Asia?
Does Bupa Global cover pre-existing conditions?
Does Bupa Global cover maternity?
Do I need a GP referral to see a specialist?
Is Bupa Global expensive compared with the rest of the market in Asia?
Bupa against the whole market
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This page is general information, not personal or medical advice, and is based on Bupa Global's published 2026 plan comparison and FAQs; plans, benefits and limits vary by country of residence, and exact terms and underwriting are confirmed by the insurer at quote. Prices are indicative. Area of cover from Bupa Global's Global Health Plans brochure, April 2026 (Bupa Insurance Limited, UK edition), pp.11-12, read 19 October 2026: https://www.bupaglobal.com/-/media/BupaGlobal/PDFs/2026/Products/BGHP/BINS/BINS-Bupa-Global-Health-Plans-Sales-Brochure-EN-APR26-0065255.pdf. Mental health from the same brochure, pp.13 and 15. Bupa and Bupa Global are trademarks of the Bupa group.