Can you get life insurance without a blood test in NZ?

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

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.

Yes, you can get life insurance in New Zealand without a blood test. Fully underwritten cover below an insurer's testing amount needs only a form, short-question cover skips the exam, and guaranteed acceptance, such as Momentum's Quick Life ($50,000 to $300,000, ages 18 to 65), asks no health questions at all. The last route excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years.

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See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

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Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

A blood test is a lab test on a sample you give, and an insurer asks for one to check things you might not know about, such as blood sugar, cholesterol and liver function. Whether it asks depends mainly on the total cover you apply for, your age, your build and what you disclose. Chubb Life and Fidelity Life both publish that up to $500,000 they need only an application form or personal statement at every age (Chubb Life underwriting guide, May 2025; Fidelity Life underwriting guide, October 2025). Those are minimums from two insurers; other insurers have their own tables, and a condition you disclose can add requirements.

Three routes that avoid a blood test

They are different products with different trade-offs, and "no blood test" does not mean "no questions".

	Underwritten, under the testing amount	Short health questions	Guaranteed acceptance
Health questions	Yes, on a form or by phone	A short set	None
Blood test or exam	Not required below the insurer's threshold, unless your answers call for one	None	None
Can you be declined for health?	Yes	Yes	No health questions; Momentum's site excludes anyone with a terminal diagnosis
Cover amounts	High; no maximum at some insurers, subject to assessment	Product-specific; for example $10,000 to $250,000 at Golden Insurance	$50,000 to $300,000 for Quick Life; $3,000 to $30,000 for Funeral Insurance
Early limits	Terms set per person	A waiting period may apply	First 2 years (Quick Life) or 24 months (Funeral)

Underwritten below the threshold. This is the route most people mean by "no medical". You answer health questions on a form or in a call, the insurer assesses you, and no test is ordered unless the answers or the amount call for one. See non-guaranteed acceptance for how this process runs, including the phone step.

Short health questions. Some products ask only a few questions and order no tests. Golden Insurance, issued by Hallmark Life, says "there are no medicals or blood tests needed - just some health and lifestyle questions", for residents aged 40 to 80, with $10,000 to $250,000 of cover depending on age and circumstances, and a waiting period that may apply (Golden Insurance). NZ Seniors Life asks eight health questions over the phone and also needs no medicals (NZ Seniors). Our page on simplified issue life insurance sets out these products and their limits.

Guaranteed acceptance. Momentum's Quick Life takes no exam and asks no health questions; premiums are set from age, gender, smoking status and the amount you choose. Momentum's site says it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care. Momentum's Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75, $3,000 to $30,000) also asks no health questions, and pays only for accidental death in the first 24 months, with all premiums refunded for any other death in that time (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording). Total premiums can exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover a whole funeral.

When a blood test can still come up

Two things can bring one back even on the underwritten route. The first is the amount: above $500,000, the age band decides. On both guides, people aged 61 and over need a GP or paramedical exam plus blood tests (HbA1c, lipids and liver tests) from $500,001. The second is build and disclosure. Chubb's guide says a BMI of 37 or above needs a build exam with non-fasting blood tests, and that it reserves the right to ask for updated information where, for example, you have a disclosed pre-existing condition. For the full tables by age and amount, see life insurance medical exams and blood tests and our grid for $1 million of cover.

What skipping underwriting costs

A healthy person can usually get more cover for less with fully underwritten cover through an adviser. Guaranteed acceptance prices in the risk of everyone it accepts, which is the reason for its limits: a lower ceiling on cover, the early period, and stepped premiums that rise each year until 75.

For scale, here are indicative monthly costs for $500,000 of stepped life cover from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, non-smoker, occupation class 1, standard rates with no loadings or exclusions. Each is a range across the insurers that priced it, rounded outward. Your own premium depends on underwriting. See, for example, Fidelity Life's own page.

Age	Man	Woman
30	$30 to $40	$20 to $30
40	$40 to $50	$35 to $40
50	$90 to $120	$80 to $100
60	$300 to $375	$225 to $275

Quick Life starts at up to $300,000, so there is no like-for-like Momentum figure at $500,000, and we publish no exact premium for any insurer. Method and full tables are on QuoteHub's life insurance quotes page. The table shows that a standard-rate applicant can pay modest amounts for a large sum, whereas guaranteed acceptance sets its price without regard to your health.

Who each route suits

Guaranteed acceptance tends to suit someone who has been declined or heavily loaded, who does not want to answer health questions, or who wants a modest amount of cover in place quickly and accepts the first 2 years. It is a weaker fit if you are young and healthy, need more than $300,000, or expect to claim within 2 years. If you are unsure whether you would be accepted on standard terms, ask a licensed adviser for a pre-assessment: Fidelity says its pre-assessments are "not an offer of cover, nor a binding final assessment", only an indication of possible terms. See guaranteed acceptance versus full medical for the side-by-side.

How to apply without a doctor visit

Decide the amount you need. Above about $500,000 an underwritten application may bring tests, depending on age.
Check the product's age and residency rules. Quick Life is open to New Zealand or Australian citizens, permanent resident visa holders, and work visa holders with 6 months or more in New Zealand. Use the eligibility checker.
Answer every question you are asked. IFSO has published cases where insurers reduced or avoided cover over history that was not disclosed (IFSO).
If you replace an existing policy, keep it running until the new one has started (FMA). A new Quick Life policy starts a new 2-year period.

Frequently asked questions

Do all New Zealand insurers ask for a blood test?

No. On the Chubb Life and Fidelity Life guides, cover up to $500,000 needs only a form or personal statement at every age, though a disclosed condition or a BMI of 37 or above can add requirements.

Does Quick Life require a blood test?

No. It takes no medical exam and asks no health questions. Pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for the first 2 years, and the 2-year rule applies again to an increase you apply for.

Is no blood test the same as no health questions?

No. Underwritten cover below the threshold still asks health questions. Only guaranteed acceptance asks none.

How we are paid, and who we are

General information, not advice. 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 and our disclosure. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best financial strength rating is B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026, and Momentum's own table puts B in its "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. A rating is an opinion, not a recommendation. The buttons on this page open Momentum's own online application, which is its product and not a quote for underwritten cover. See the Quick Life page and the guaranteed acceptance hub. Written by the QuoteHub Editorial Team and reviewed by the QuoteHub Adviser Team. Last reviewed 20 October 2026.

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Adviser's view

You can get life insurance without a blood test, and for a healthy person the lower-cost route is usually fully underwritten cover below the insurer's testing amount, not guaranteed acceptance. Guaranteed acceptance is the right tool when health questions would get you declined or loaded, or when you want cover in place without being asked anything. If you are healthy, price the underwritten route first, because skipping underwriting is paid for in premium and in the first two years.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Life Insurance Without a Blood Test NZ. www.quotehub.co.nz/guaranteed-acceptance/life-insurance-without-blood-test-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Free Will.