Life insurance without a medical exam in NZ
Life insurance with no medical exam is not the same as life insurance with no health questions. At the two New Zealand insurers whose underwriting guides we read, life cover can be applied for on a form, with an examination and blood tests ordered only above set cover amounts or when your answers call for them. Only guaranteed acceptance cover asks no health questions, and it holds back some claims for the first two years: Momentum Life's Quick Life excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for 2 years, and funeral cover pays only for accidents for 24 months.
In short
- "No exam" and "no health questions" are different things. An insurer can skip the exam and still ask for a full health declaration, then ask your GP for notes if an answer needs checking.
- At the two underwriting guides we read, an application form alone is enough up to $500,000 at every age band. From $500,001 at 61 and over, tests start (Fidelity; Chubb). These are minimums, and disclosed conditions trigger more.
- Guaranteed acceptance life cover (Quick Life, ages 18 to 65, $50,000 to $300,000) asks no health questions, but pre-existing conditions are outside cover for 2 years.
- A healthy person can usually get more cover for less with fully underwritten cover through an adviser.
Searches for "no medical" tend to blur four different products into one. This page separates them, shows what each one asks and holds back, and says plainly when skipping underwriting costs more than it saves.
Does "no medical exam" mean "no health questions"?
No. A medical exam is a physical check, blood tests or a GP medical. Health questions are the written or phone declaration you make about your history. Most New Zealand insurers have moved the exam from "always" to "only when needed", and kept the declaration.
The published thresholds show how far the exam has moved. Fidelity Life's underwriting guide (October 2025) needs only an application form for life cover up to $500,000 at every age band, and a GP medical or paramedical exam plus HbA1c, lipid and liver tests from $500,001 at age 61 and over. Chubb Life's guide (May 2025) needs only a personal statement up to $500,000 at every age band, with the same step at 61 and over. Both treat a body mass index (BMI) of 37 or more as a trigger for an exam and tests. Those are minimum requirements: a condition you disclose, or an answer the insurer wants checked, can still lead to GP records or extra tests.
Two cautions. Fidelity's guide is marked for adviser use, so read it as a description of process, not a promise of how your application will go. And Fidelity says a pre-assessment "is not an offer of cover, nor a binding final assessment", and that tele-underwriting calls are recorded and form part of the application. A phone interview is underwriting, not guaranteed acceptance.
Four kinds of "no medical" cover
| Kind | Health questions | Exam or tests | What it holds back | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Underwritten, form only | Yes, a full declaration | Not at lower cover amounts (see thresholds above) | Terms are set by the underwriter: standard, loaded, excluded, postponed or declined | Fidelity Life, Chubb Life, others, through an adviser |
| 2. Limited questions | A short set | No | Not guaranteed acceptance; you can be declined | NZ Seniors Life: eight health questions by phone, ages 45 to 79, $10,000 to $200,000 |
| 3. Guaranteed acceptance life | None | No | First 2 years: pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded | Momentum Life Quick Life; Greenwich QuickCover Life |
| 4. Guaranteed acceptance funeral | None | No | First 24 months: accidental death only; otherwise premiums refunded | Momentum Funeral Insurance; AA Life; Chubb Life funeral cover |
Sources: the Fidelity and Chubb guides above; NZ Seniors: Life insurance (retrieved 17 October 2026); Greenwich Life: QuickCover and the Momentum wordings listed in the references. Only kinds 3 and 4 are guaranteed acceptance. Kind 4 sits at the lower end of the cover range, so it is a funeral product, not a family-protection one.
What guaranteed acceptance asks, and what it holds back
Guaranteed acceptance means the insurer asks no health questions and has agreed to accept you if you meet the product's entry rules. To manage that risk it limits the cover (typically $30,000 or less on funeral-style products, and $300,000 on Momentum Life's Quick Life), prices it for people who may be unwell, and restricts claims early.
Quick Life. This is Momentum Life's product. Quick Life takes people aged 18 to 65, with cover of $50,000 to $300,000 per life. The wording describes automatic acceptance with no health questions or medical exams. Cover grows 3% each policy anniversary until 75 or a $500,000 cap per life, whichever comes first, and you can opt out of an increase. Premiums are stepped, so they rise each year with age until 75 and are then fixed. The policy pays on accidental death, on death from any cause after the first 2 years, and on terminal illness (death expected within 12 months). Momentum's own site adds that it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care.
The catch is the first 2 years. Accidental death and conditions that start after your cover begins are covered. Pre-existing conditions, and suicide or intentional self-harm, are excluded. The wording defines a pre-existing condition as an illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before the policy started, including symptoms you never had diagnosed, and names very high blood pressure, cholesterol over 7.0, a BMI over 40 and complications related to diabetes. If you die from a pre-existing condition in the first 24 months and no claim is payable, your premiums are refunded. After 2 years, pre-existing conditions are covered, except any specific conditions listed as permanently excluded in your policy schedule.
Some exclusions apply at any time, and they are not asked about at application: alcohol or drug effects, war, terrorism, criminal activity and listed dangerous jobs or pastimes, such as handling explosives, working 40 metres underwater, driving or riding faster than 130 km/h outside commercial flights, professional sport and active armed-forces duty. Cancelling and re-applying restarts the 2 years. The policy has a 30-day free look from the start date.
Funeral-style cover. Momentum's Funeral Insurance takes ages 40 to 75 with a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000, and pays three times the benefit for accidental death where death follows within 90 days of the accident. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death. Any other death in that window pays no benefit, and all premiums for that person are refunded. After 24 months it pays for death from any cause. Premiums are level until the 89th birthday, then stop, and cover continues for life. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral: the Funeral Directors Association's 2026 report gives an average of $11,700 for a cremation funeral with 50 guests and $14,300 with a burial (FDANZ). See funeral insurance for the full comparison.
Momentum Life Limited holds an A.M. Best rating of B (Fair), and Momentum's own table lists B in its "Vulnerable" range. Its financial strength page shows a solvency ratio of 107% at 30 June 2026. Look at that before you commit to any long-term policy, and read how the other guaranteed acceptance options compare on our guaranteed acceptance hub and in guaranteed acceptance versus full medical underwriting.
What do cover and cost look like?
QuoteHub's Premium Index gives indicative monthly cost from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026: stepped premiums, non-smoker, occupation class 1, standard rates with no loadings or exclusions. It is not a quote, and your own premium depends on underwriting; Fidelity Life's own page explains its stepped and level structures.
| Cover and person | Indicative monthly range across the insurers priced |
|---|---|
| $500,000, man aged 40 | $40 to $50 |
| $500,000, woman aged 40 | $35 to $40 |
| $500,000, man aged 50 | $90 to $120 |
| $500,000, woman aged 50 | $80 to $100 |
| $250,000, man aged 40 | $25 to $70 |
| $250,000, woman aged 40 | $20 to $60 |
The $250,000 ranges are wide because the panel at that amount includes guaranteed acceptance Quick Life, which is priced without health questions. We do not rank insurers on these figures. The practical point is that guaranteed acceptance cannot be compared on price alone: $300,000 is its starting maximum, and a healthy applicant may be able to get more cover, with no 2-year exclusion, on underwritten terms. We found no sourced figure for how much dearer simplified products are, so we publish none.
What skipping underwriting costs you
| Guaranteed acceptance | Underwritten on a form | |
|---|---|---|
| Health questions | None | Yes, a full declaration |
| Typical max cover | $30,000 (funeral-style) to $300,000 (Quick Life) | Not capped by the product; tests start above set cover amounts |
| What it holds back | First 2 years on Quick Life, first 24 months on funeral-style products | Terms set by the underwriter on your history |
- Cover size. Quick Life starts at up to $300,000 per life and indexes to $500,000. A family with a mortgage often needs more; see how much life insurance costs at higher amounts.
- A claim risk in year one and two. If you take guaranteed acceptance because you already have a condition, that condition is what the first 2 years exclude. The refund of premiums is not a payout. On funeral-style products death from illness is not covered for the first 24 months, but on Quick Life only conditions you already have are held back, along with suicide and intentional self-harm; conditions that first start after cover begins are covered from day one.
- Terms you could have avoided. Underwriting can end in standard terms, a loading, an exclusion, a postponement or a decline. Asteron says that when someone has 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). The result varies by insurer and condition, and we publish no outcome for any named diagnosis. See life insurance with pre-existing conditions.
- Not a shortcut on honesty. Fewer questions do not lower the duty to answer them completely. In an IFSO case published in July 2025, an insurer applied 50% loadings retrospectively and paid a reduced stroke claim after non-disclosure was found, and the complaint was not upheld (IFSO). From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 replaces the current disclosure duty with a duty to take reasonable care.
Who each option suits
Guaranteed acceptance life suits people who have been declined, heavily loaded or excluded elsewhere, or who want cover in place without answering health questions and accept the 2-year exclusion and the $300,000 starting maximum. Quick Life is closed to anyone over 65, and a true age over 65 at the start voids the policy with premiums refunded. For older readers, see life insurance over 65.
Underwritten cover on a form suits healthy applicants, and many applicants with a managed condition, who want more than $300,000 or want to avoid a 2-year exclusion. If it takes longer, that is the price of terms set on your own history. Our guide to instant life insurance covers online applications that decide quickly.
An adviser can help with a pre-assessment against more than one insurer before you formally apply, which gives an indication of how an insurer may view your history, though it is not an offer of cover. Do not cancel an existing policy until a replacement is in force, as the FMA advises (FMA). If you use Quick Life as a stop-gap, remember that cancelling after the 30-day free look returns no premiums, and re-applying restarts the 2 years.
How to apply for no-exam cover in NZ
- Decide the amount first. Add up debts and the years of income your family would need. The life insurance calculator gives a starting figure.
- Check which kind you need. If you can answer health questions honestly, ask for an underwritten quote first.
- Gather your history. Dates of diagnoses, medicines and any symptoms in the last two years, because symptoms count for Quick Life even if undiagnosed.
- Compare like for like. Match the amount, premium structure and the first-two-years rules, as set out in how to compare insurance quotes.
- Use the buttons on this page to see Momentum's online quote, or talk to a licensed adviser.
QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Momentum Life, named above, is on QuoteHub's advice panel through an online-application partnership, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Momentum Life if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid and our disclosure page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get life insurance in NZ with no health questions at all?
Yes, through guaranteed acceptance. Quick Life takes ages 18 to 65 for $50,000 to $300,000, and funeral cover takes older ages for smaller amounts. In return, Quick Life excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years, and funeral cover pays only for accidents for the first 24 months.
Is a phone interview a medical exam?
No, but it is underwriting. Fidelity says tele-underwriting calls are recorded and form part of the application, so answers on the call count in the same way as written answers.
Can I be declined for life insurance without a medical exam?
Yes, if the cover is underwritten or limited-question. Guaranteed acceptance products ask no health questions, though Momentum notes on its site that Quick Life is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care.
Does Quick Life cover me from day one?
For accidents, and for conditions that start after cover begins, yes. Pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for 2 years, and the refund of premiums in that window is not a benefit.
Is guaranteed acceptance cover worth it if I am healthy?
Usually not as a first choice. A healthy person can often get more cover for less with underwriting. Test underwriting first, then compare it against guaranteed acceptance with the eligibility checker.
References
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (17 August 2023), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Quick Life, retrieved 20 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, July 2025, retrieved 20 October 2026
- NZ Seniors: Life insurance, retrieved 17 October 2026
- Greenwich Life: QuickCover Life, retrieved 20 October 2026
- FDANZ: 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report (PDF), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Financial Markets Authority: Insurance, retrieved 20 October 2026
This article is general information, not personalised financial advice. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
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