THE SHORT ANSWER
Cancellation cover can reimburse what you paid for a trip if you have to cancel before departure. According to Konsumenternas, it is usually included in more comprehensive home insurance and in card insurance, and it can also be bought separately. Whether your own home insurance includes it is stated in the terms.
The cover applies to listed events, such as acute illness or death, and not to a change of mind. If instead the organiser cancels a package holiday, you have rights under the Package Travel Act, independent of any insurance. This guide goes through both. [1][5][7]
Keep these points in mind
- Not every home insurance policy includes cancellation cover. The terms show whether yours does.
- The cover applies to listed reasons, such as acute illness or death, not to changed plans.
- If the organiser cancels a package holiday, the law says you get your money back within 14 days.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
Find out where your cancellation cover sits
Look in the home insurance terms for the section on cancellation, often under extended travel cover. With one insurer, cancellation cover is not part of the two lower levels of home insurance, but it is part of the most comprehensive level and of an add-on that can be bought. According to Konsumenternas, if cancellation cover is missing you can often add it to the travel cover for an extra premium.
Then check the card you paid with. According to Konsumenternas, some cards require only 50 percent of the price of the trip to be paid by card, while others require at least 75 percent. Payment normally has to be made before departure, and payment through an intermediary is generally not covered.
[5][1]Read which reasons and people are covered
According to Konsumenternas, all cancellation cover can pay costs if you have to cancel because of acute illness, an accident or a death affecting you, a close relative, a travel companion or a person you were going to visit. This also applies to extensive damage to your home. Separate cancellation cover may include more reasons, such as a travel warning from the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs or a resit exam.
Read how the terms define a close relative. In one insurer's terms from December 2025, the list includes spouses, cohabiting partners, children, siblings, parents, grandchildren, grandparents and parents-in-law. According to Konsumenternas, home insurance cover applies to you and the people you share a household with. If you travel with a friend, each of you needs to check your own cover.
[1][4][2]Check when the cover has to be in place
Read when the cover must be in place. Konsumenternas writes that some cancellation cover has to be taken out within a certain time after you book or pay for the trip. In the terms from December 2025, the cover does not apply to travel arrangements fully paid before the policy started.
Nor does the cover apply if you were ill when you booked. According to Konsumenternas, some insurers pay for an acute worsening you had no reason to expect. A go-ahead from your own doctor is not enough: only the insurer can give an advance answer on whether a cancellation because of your illness can be paid.
[2][4][3]Cancel promptly and collect the certificates
Cancel as soon as you know you cannot travel. According to Konsumenternas, costs caused by waiting to cancel are not paid. Costs that the travel company or transport company can refund are not paid either; you claim those from the company yourself.
For acute illness or an accident, a medical certificate is needed. According to Konsumenternas, it must state the diagnosis, when you were examined or treated and why the doctor has told you not to travel. For a serious event at home, such as a fire or a burglary, a police report or a certificate from the insurer is needed. Keep the booking and the organiser's statement of what is refunded, so you can show which cost remains.
[3]
When the organiser cancels: the Package Travel Act
If you bought a package holiday, the Package Travel Act applies. The organiser may cancel the trip if fewer people than a minimum number stated in the contract have booked it. This must then happen no later than 20 days before departure for a trip of more than six days, with shorter deadlines for shorter trips. The organiser may also cancel because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. When the organiser cancels, what you have paid must be refunded without undue delay and within 14 days at the latest.
According to the EU's website for citizens, you are normally entitled to a refund and compensation if the organiser cancels the trip before it starts. In the event of, for example, a natural disaster at the destination, you are entitled to a full refund but not to further compensation. According to the EU's website, these rights are independent of any cancellation cover.
You may also cancel a package holiday yourself before it starts. The organiser may then charge a reasonable cancellation fee if the contract gives that right. No fee may be charged if the trip is significantly affected by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at or near the destination.
[6][7]If a close relative falls ill or dies
Before departure, cancellation cover applies. According to Konsumenternas, all cancellation cover includes acute illness, accidents and death affecting a close relative. Read how your terms define a close relative and which documents the insurer needs.
During the trip, travel cover applies. In the terms from December 2025, travel cover applies if you have to cut the trip short because a close relative has died or become seriously ill or injured. Ask the insurer which costs can be paid before you rebook the journey home.
[1][4]See which cancellation cover your documents show
Keep the home insurance terms, the card's insurance terms and any separate policy documents in My Forsio. You then have the documents in one place, and each detail shows the passage it came from. If the card terms are missing, the card's cancellation cover is Not verified, not confirmed as missing.
Forsio does not decide whether a reason for cancelling is accepted, whether a certificate is enough or whether the organiser must refund you. The insurer or the organiser decides that. Forsio is not an insurance intermediary and does not provide insurance advice.
Fictional example
Ill two days before departure.
Omar has an acute infection and reads which cancellation cover exists for the family's trip.
- Cancellation cover in the home insurance
- Included at his level
- The card's cancellation cover
- Not verifiedThe card terms are not in the documents.
- Price of the trip and the maximum amount
- The trip costs more than the maximumPotential gapSeveral covers can complement each other.
The home insurance has cancellation cover, but it does not cover the full price. The card terms and a medical certificate are needed before Omar knows what can be paid, and the insurers decide that.
Common questions
Is cancellation cover included in home insurance?
Not always. According to Konsumenternas, it is usually included in more comprehensive home insurance. With one insurer, it is not part of the two lower levels, but it is part of the most comprehensive level and of an add-on. Read the section on cancellation in your terms, or ask the insurer. [1][5]
Does cancellation cover apply if I change my mind?
No. The cover applies to the reasons listed in the terms, such as acute illness, accidents and death. One insurer writes that the cover does not apply if the reason is that you no longer want to travel. Separate cancellation cover may include more reasons, provided you could not have foreseen or prevented the event. [5][1]
Does travel insurance apply if a close relative dies?
Before departure, cancellation cover can pay the cost. According to Konsumenternas, all cancellation cover includes the death of a close relative. During the trip, travel cover may apply if you have to cut the trip short. In the terms from December 2025, this applies if a close relative has died or become seriously ill or injured. [1][4]
Which certificates are needed if I cancel because of illness?
According to Konsumenternas, you need a medical certificate stating the diagnosis, when you were examined or treated and why the doctor has told you not to travel. In the terms from December 2025, the doctor must be impartial, and the instruction not to travel must have been given before the planned departure date. [3][4]
What applies if the tour operator cancels the trip?
For a package holiday, the Package Travel Act says the organiser must refund what you paid without undue delay and within 14 days at the latest. According to the EU's website, you are normally also entitled to compensation, but not in the case of, for example, a natural disaster at the destination. These rights apply regardless of any cancellation cover. [6][7]
Does travel insurance pay for a cancelled flight?
According to Konsumenternas, you are entitled to help and support from the airline when a flight is cancelled. If you fly from an EU country or with an airline registered in the EU, you may be entitled to 250 to 600 euros per person. Home insurance travel cover can pay 500 to 6 000 kr if the outbound flight is cancelled, depending on the insurer and how comprehensive the policy is. [8]
MY FORSIO
See which cancellation cover you have.
Keep your home insurance, card terms and any separate policy documents in My Forsio. Read reasons, amounts and details that need confirmation, with the passage each detail came from. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- Konsumenternas: cancellation cover in home insurance, cards and separate policies
- Konsumenternas: which cancellation cover to choose
- Konsumenternas: cancelling a trip, compensation and certificates
- An insurer's home insurance terms, December 2025
- An insurer's website: cancellation cover across home insurance levels
- Swedish Parliament: Package Travel Act (2018:1217), Chapter 3, Sections 1, 8 and 9
- The EU's website for citizens: package travel, cancellation and cancelled trips
- Konsumenternas: claiming compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight