How claims work

When something happens (illness, accident, a cancelled trip…), notify the insurer on the claims hotline printed on your policy. For a medical emergency abroad, always call the emergency assistance number on your policy card first. If you are not sure who to call or how long you have to report it, ask Iris or message us through Support: we can point you to the right number, but the notification itself is between you and the insurer.

Required documents differ by insurer and benefit, but usually include: your policy/certificate, original invoices and receipts, medical records (for medical benefits), and any confirmations (for example an airline delay/cancellation letter). Keep originals: many insurers ask for them.

The file goes to the insurer through the channel it requires: you are the one who submits it. If you want, ask us through Support before you send: we can read the file with you and point out what looks missing against the policy wording. A complete first submission usually avoids a round of follow-up document requests.

The insurer assesses under its policy wording and pays you directly. From here the outcome sits entirely with the insurer: we are not part of the assessment and cannot speed it up or change what it decides.

The timeline you are entitled to know: under Article 31 of the Law on Insurance Business (consolidated text 31/VBHN-VPQH of 2026, merging Law 08/2022/QH15 with Law 139/2025/QH15 in force from 1 January 2026), if your contract does not set its own period, the insurer must pay within 15 days of receiving a complete valid claim file, and owes interest if it pays late. Many policies set their own period: check your wording, or ask Iris. Real-world timing still depends on claim complexity and on whether the file was complete.

The insurer should tell you the basis for a refusal or a reduced payment, pointing to the specific clause in the policy wording. Ask for that in writing (email is fine) and keep it. A large share of "refusals" turn out to be a missing document rather than a real decline.

Send us a request through Support with the insurer’s written response. We will read the reason they gave against the policy wording and explain it in plain language: which clause is being relied on, what it actually says, and which document is missing if one genuinely is.

To be clear about our limits: we do not assess claims, we do not act as your representative in a dispute, and we have no power to make an insurer change its decision. The steps below are your rights against the insurer: you are the one who exercises them.

Every insurer has its own complaints channel, named in the policy wording or on its website. Complain in writing, quoting your claim reference, the dates, and the clause you believe applies.

Insurers in Vietnam are licensed and supervised by the Ministry of Finance, and you may raise a complaint with the state insurance regulator. An insurance policy is also a civil contract: you keep your right to bring a claim before the Vietnamese courts. Note the filing window: you have 1 year from the date of the insured event to submit a claim file (Article 30), so do not let a stalled claim sit.

Read your plan's exclusions and waiting periods (ask Iris if anything is unclear), declare fully on the application, and save the insurer's emergency number in your phone.

Report early, photograph and keep every document from the start, and don't discard damaged property or sign third-party paperwork before checking with the insurer.