Portability and migration both change a health-insurance product, but portability generally moves the insured to another insurer while migration moves within the same insurer. Continuity credit can travel; product design does not. The customer should therefore compare carried waiting-period credit separately from fresh premium, room-rent limits, co-pay, exclusions, network and underwriting terms.
At a glance
Decide whether the need is migration or portability.
Cancelling the old policy before the new insurer has completed portability underwriting.
Existing policy schedule and original inception date
Rules
| Control |
|---|
| Portability generally refers to moving an individual/family policy from one insurer to another, while migration is movement between products with the same insurer under the regulatory framework. |
| Eligible continuity credits for waiting periods are intended to travel subject to IRDAI rules and underwriting/product terms. |
| Porting does not guarantee identical coverage, premium or sub-limits in the new product. |
| Apply sufficiently before renewal and disclose health history accurately rather than allowing the old policy to lapse first. |
IRDAI distinguishes portability from migration and provides continuity protection for eligible credits under the health-insurance framework.
Waiting-period credit is valuable, but it does not force the new product to copy the old sum insured, co-pay, room-rent structure or optional benefits.
For increased sum insured, continuity can apply differently to the old covered amount and the newly added layer; the extra cover may face its own waiting-period treatment.
Porting is anchored around renewal timing. Starting the request early helps the acquiring insurer obtain data from the existing insurer without creating a lapse.
The existing insurer must transfer prescribed policy/claim information within the regulatory timeline, and the acquiring insurer has a decision timeline after receiving information.
Health declarations must remain accurate. Portability is not a route to conceal a condition that arose under the old policy.
Compare the final issued policy wording, not the sales illustration, before allowing the old cover to expire.
Portability and migration preserve continuity in different directions
Portability is the route used when an individual/family-floater health policy moves from one insurer to another. Migration is generally a move to another health product with the same insurer. Both concepts are designed to preserve continuity benefits, but the underwriting process, product features and administration differ. The policyholder should first decide whether the problem is with the insurer itself or only with the current product.
Continuity credit is the valuable asset. IRDAI’s current health framework requires credit for time already served toward waiting periods and other continuity-linked benefits, subject to the applicable product and sum-insured rules. Porting does not mean every feature is cloned. Room eligibility, co-payment, sub-limits, network hospitals, restoration wording and optional riders can change materially in the new policy.
Timing matters. IRDAI’s published service standards provide 72 hours for the existing insurer to supply information after the portability request and five days for the acquiring insurer to decide after receiving the data. A customer should initiate the process in the prescribed renewal window rather than cancel the old policy first and hope the new cover will be issued later.
The moratorium and waiting-period record should be documented before moving. IRDAI currently states a 60-month moratorium and waiting periods up to 36 months in the standard framework. The customer should obtain a continuity statement showing original inception date, breaks if any, claims history and the credit being carried to the new policy.
| Situation | How to handle it |
|---|---|
| Happy with insurer but current plan has poor features | Consider migration within the same insurer and compare continuity plus new product terms. |
| Service/network problem requires changing insurer | Use portability and confirm the acquiring insurer’s underwriting decision before old cover lapses. |
| Higher sum insured requested during the move | Confirm how continuity credit applies to the existing amount and what waiting period applies to the enhanced portion. |
Worked example 1
A family has ₹10 lakh cover and has completed three continuous years. They port to another insurer and request ₹15 lakh cover. The useful calculation is not a generic deductible example: ₹10 lakh represents the existing continuity base, while the additional ₹5 lakh must be checked under the new insurer’s waiting-period rules for enhanced cover. The family also compares the new co-pay, room category and exclusions before renewal rather than assuming “continuity transferred” means the two policies are economically identical.
Worked example 2
A family has held ₹10 lakh cover for six continuous years and wants ₹20 lakh from another insurer. The new insurer may carry continuity credit for the existing ₹10 lakh while applying fresh conditions to the enhanced ₹10 lakh depending on the product rules. The family should compare the continuity certificate, waiting periods, room-rent terms and co-pay before accepting the port; the correct question is not simply “does my six-year history transfer?”
Mistakes
- Cancelling the old policy before the new insurer has completed portability underwriting.
- Assuming every benefit and sub-limit transfers unchanged.
- Ignoring how an increased sum insured is treated for waiting-period credit.
- Submitting incomplete claim/history information and creating an underwriting dispute later.
Action steps
- Decide whether the need is migration or portability.
- Start the request within the prescribed renewal process.
- Verify continuity credit and treatment of any enhanced sum insured.
- Compare room rent, co-pay, sub-limits, restoration and network hospitals.
- Keep the old cover alive until the new decision is documented.
- Retain the continuity and underwriting trail with the new policy.
Documents
- Existing policy schedule and original inception date
- Continuity/portability data exchanged between insurers
- Claims history and medical underwriting disclosures
- New-policy schedule showing waiting periods, room limits and co-pay
FAQs
What is the basic difference between portability and migration?
Portability generally changes the insurer; migration changes the health product with the same insurer.
Does portability erase waiting periods already served?
The framework is intended to preserve eligible continuity credit, but the exact credit and enhanced-cover treatment must be checked in the new policy.
How quickly should insurers exchange portability information?
IRDAI’s published service standards state 72 hours for the existing insurer to provide information and five days for the acquiring insurer to decide after receiving it.
Does the entire new sum insured get old continuity credit?
Not automatically. Enhanced cover can have separate waiting-period treatment, so the schedule and underwriting decision must be read carefully.
Sources
Educational reference. Verify current official sources and facts.