Bupa Global expat health insurance: broker profile and positioning
Bupa Global has covered expatriates since 1971, with a reputation for flexibility towards older applicants. The Worldwide Health Options plan is built module by module, from a hospitalisation core to dental and optical cover.
Entity (EU residents)Bupa Global Designated Activity Company, Dublin, since March 2019
Bupa group’s international health activitySince 1971 (Bupa founded in 1947 in the United Kingdom)
Modular planBupa Worldwide Health Options, a hospitalisation core plus optional modules
France supportParis office and ExpaTPA claims handler since February 2025, service in French
Care networkMore than 2 million direct-billing professionals
Bupa, a British group founded in 1947, opened its international health insurance activity as early as 1971; it is this arm, now Bupa Global, that covers expatriates. The group serves several tens of millions of members worldwide, giving it rare hospital negotiating power. For residents of the European Union, including France, contracts have been carried since March 2019 by Bupa Global Designated Activity Company, an Irish entity. Since February 2025, a Paris office and the ExpaTPA provider have handled claims in French.
The product, Bupa Worldwide Health Options, works in modules: a hospitalisation and emergency core, then optional building blocks for outpatient care, medication, wellbeing and dental-optical cover. Three coverage zones are offered, from worldwide to worldwide excluding the United States and Europe.
Bupa Global has a reputation for flexibility in accepting older applicants, a segment other insurers in our panel cover less well. The care network claims more than two million professionals for direct billing, with easier access to leading hospitals. In exchange, maternity only kicks in after 18 months of continuous membership, and pre-existing conditions follow either a permanent exclusion or a two-year symptom-free moratorium, depending on the underwriting route chosen.
Anyone over 50
Better accepted here than the market average, a segment where Bupa Global stands out.
Modular cover
A hospitalisation core topped up item by item: outpatient care, medication, wellbeing, dental and optical.
Direct access to leading hospitals
An extensive network and an included second medical opinion for complex cases.
Anyone wanting service in French
Since the Paris office opened in 2025, claims are handled in French with the ExpaTPA provider.
Worldwide, worldwide excluding the United States, or worldwide excluding the United States and Europe, depending on the plan chosen.
Plans we place- Pre-existing conditions are permanently excluded under full medical underwriting, or covered after a two-year symptom-free moratorium under simplified underwriting.
- Maternity is covered after 18 months of continuous membership.
- Routine dental care after a 6-month waiting period.
- Dangerous sports and motorised two-wheelers are generally excluded or require a specific option.
Your questions about Bupa Global.
Does Bupa Global accept applicants over 60?
It is one of the most flexible insurers in our panel on this point, with acceptance reputed to be better than the market average for older applicants, a point to check precisely at quote stage depending on your health.
When is maternity covered by Bupa Global?
After 18 months of continuous membership, one of the longest waiting periods on the market: a birth plan needs to be anticipated well in advance.
Does Bupa Global offer service in French?
Since February 2025, a Paris office and the ExpaTPA provider have handled claims in French for policyholders based in France.
Page written by Izem Expat based on the policy wording and information documents published by the insurer; it is not binding on the insurer. Exact benefits depend on the plan and the year of subscription.
Reviewed by Mustapha Naït Cherif