Getting life cover with a history of alcohol use in NZ
If you are struggling with alcohol, or worried about someone, call or text 1737 any time to reach a trained counsellor, free (1737 Need to Talk). In immediate danger, call 111.
People with a past alcohol problem can apply for life insurance in New Zealand, but we found no NZ insurer that publishes how long recovery must last or what terms follow. A fully underwritten application is assessed on your records. Momentum's Quick Life asks no health questions, yet it never pays for a death caused by the effects of alcohol, in any year.
In short
- Fully underwritten cover asks about your history and may involve your GP's records and blood tests. We found no published sobriety period, loading or decline rule from any NZ insurer, so none is printed here.
- Quick Life excludes death caused by "the effects of alcohol or drugs" at any time. This is not the 2-year rule.
- Quick Life's 2-year rule is separate: pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for the first 2 years.
- Whatever route you choose, answer every health question fully. Leaving out something you were asked can lead to a reduced payout or an avoided policy.
Two different kinds of cover
Life cover with health questions (fully underwritten) and guaranteed acceptance cover work in opposite ways. Underwritten cover decides at application, from your answers and records. Guaranteed acceptance asks nothing at application and tests the claim instead, with exclusions that apply later.
| Fully underwritten, through an adviser | Quick Life (Momentum) | |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol history asked at application | Yes, as part of health and lifestyle questions | No health questions |
| Decision made | Before cover starts, by the insurer | At claim time |
| Possible outcomes | Standard terms, a higher premium, an exclusion, a stand-down or postponement, or a decline: the insurer's decision | Cover is accepted automatically; exclusions apply to the claim |
| Alcohol-specific rule | None published that we could find | Deaths caused by the effects of alcohol or drugs are never paid |
| First-2-years rule | Check the wording of each policy | Pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded |
What underwriters ask for
Insurers publish how much evidence they want, not how they weigh alcohol. Fidelity Life and Chubb Life both list liver function tests (LFTs) in their higher evidence levels, and Fidelity describes them as "a group of blood tests that show how well the liver is working, including signs of damage" (Fidelity Life underwriting guide). Up to $500,000 they need only an application form (Chubb: a personal statement) at every age; for larger amounts at 61 and over they require a GP medical or paramedical, HbA1c, lipids and LFTs. Those are minimums, and a disclosed condition can trigger more (Chubb Life Essential Underwriting Guide, May 2025).
Asteron says that with an existing condition it can often still offer cover by adding a stand-down period, raising the premium, or excluding the condition permanently or for a set time (Asteron Life). That statement is about health conditions in general. We did not find an NZ insurer that applies a stated formula to alcohol, so we cannot tell you how a given sobriety period would be treated. Fidelity also offers pre-assessments, which it calls "an indication of possible terms only" and not a binding assessment.
Expect an adviser to ask about the length of time since problem use, any treatment or hospital contact, recent liver test results, and what your GP's notes say. We have not found how any insurer weighs these, but an adviser can put the facts to insurers as a pre-assessment, without a formal application.
Quick Life: the alcohol exclusion is not a 2-year rule
Quick Life is Momentum's guaranteed acceptance life cover for ages 18 to 65 and $50,000 to $300,000, issued by Momentum Life Limited. Its wording says Momentum will not pay a benefit for any death or terminal illness caused by "the effects of alcohol or drugs", unless a prescribed drug was taken exactly as instructed by a registered New Zealand doctor (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording, November 2025). The wording says this applies "at any time", so surviving the first 2 years does not remove it. Our page on drug and alcohol deaths and life insurance sets out the clause in more detail.
The wording does not define "effects", so we cannot say how Momentum would apply it to a particular death.
The 2-year rule is a different clause. In the first 2 years Quick Life excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide, attempted suicide or intentional self-harm, and it refunds premiums if death is from a pre-existing condition and no claim is paid. A pre-existing condition is an illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before the policy started, including treatment or advice, even if undiagnosed. An alcohol-related illness that was treated or showed symptoms in that period could fall inside that definition; how Momentum would apply it is its decision. See the Quick Life guide and what guaranteed acceptance is.
For some people, Quick Life is what remains after a decline. The life insurance after a decline page covers that situation. The buttons on this page open Momentum's online quote; read the exclusions first.
Preparing for an underwritten application
- Ask your GP practice for a copy of your records, so you know what an insurer will see. Insurers can ask for them; see can insurers access medical records.
- Gather dates: when problem use began and ended, treatment, any admissions, and recent liver test results.
- Ask a licensed adviser for a pre-assessment before a formal application.
- Answer every question, including ones that seem old. IFSO case notes show insurers reducing a payout or avoiding a policy for non-disclosure, with the Ombudsman not upholding the complaint (IFSO).
- Keep the old policy running, if you have one, until a new one is in force (FMA).
From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 replaces the disclosure duty with a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation (Act, s 13). Until then, disclose everything asked. See non-disclosure in NZ insurance.
Which route suits whom
| Your situation | What to weigh |
|---|---|
| Recovery is well established and records are clear | Ask an adviser for pre-assessments; terms depend on the insurer |
| Recent problem use or recent treatment | Underwritten terms are uncertain; a decline is possible; Quick Life excludes alcohol-caused deaths and recent illness for 2 years |
| Declined elsewhere | Quick Life asks no health questions, with the exclusions above |
| Over 65 | Quick Life is not open; ask an adviser what else exists |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell an insurer about past alcohol problems?
On a fully underwritten application, answer the questions you are asked completely. Leaving out material information can lead to a reduced payout or a policy being avoided.
Does Quick Life ask about alcohol?
No. It asks no health questions. The exclusion applies at claim time.
How long must I be sober for cover?
We found no published period from any NZ insurer, so we cannot give one. Ask a licensed adviser to seek a pre-assessment.
Does Funeral Insurance exclude alcohol?
The wording we read has no alcohol clause; its limit is a 24-month window in which only accidental death is paid. See Funeral Insurance.
About this page
Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Momentum Life Limited has an A.M. Best financial strength rating of B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026 (financial strength page). This is general information, not advice, and says nothing about whether any insurer would accept you. Read the guaranteed acceptance hub for the product rules.
References
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Financial strength, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Fidelity Life: Underwriting guide (October 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Chubb Life: Essential Underwriting Guide (May 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Asteron Life: Insurance options for pre-existing conditions, retrieved 20 October 2026
- IFSO: Non-disclosure case, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Financial Markets Authority: Insurance, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Contracts of Insurance Act 2024, retrieved 20 October 2026
- 1737 Need to Talk, retrieved 20 October 2026
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