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Life insurers in Ireland cannot ask for or use the results of genetic testing. But they can still assess your family history, symptoms, existing medical conditions and ongoing investigations. And importantly, having a genetic condition is not the same thing as having a genetic test result.
Editor’s note: This guide was updated in September 2026 to reflect the current rules on genetic testing and life insurance in Ireland and how genetic conditions are treated in practice.
One of the big questions people have is whether genetic testing can affect their life insurance.
Logically, you’d think it would.
If a genetic test shows you’re at higher risk of something like cancer or a hereditary condition, it feels like the insurer should be allowed to factor that into its decision.
But in Ireland, that’s not how it works.
Your genetic test results cannot be used by a life insurer when assessing your application.
The Disability Act 2005 prohibits the processing of genetic data in relation to a policy of insurance or life assurance.
Insurance Ireland’s guidance is also very clear on how this should work in practice:
And that applies whether the result is good or bad.
If genetic testing suggests you have a higher risk of developing a disease, the insurer cannot increase your premium because of that result.
Equally, if the genetic result suggests you have a lower risk, the insurer cannot use it to give you better terms.
No.
In fact, when completing an insurance application, you should be specifically warned not to disclose genetic test results.
But this is where an important distinction comes in.
The genetic test result may be off-limits, but other medical information surrounding it may not be.
When you apply for insurance, you have to answer the insurer’s health questions honestly and with reasonable care.
So, depending on the questions you’re asked, the insurer may still need to know about:
The important point is that the genetic test doesn’t make all the other medical information around it disappear.
This is where things get a little more nuanced.
Having a genetic condition is not necessarily the same thing as having genetic data derived from genetic testing.
The question to consider is:
Was the condition diagnosed through genetic testing, or was it diagnosed following symptoms and ordinary clinical investigations?
Part 4, Section 41 of the Disability Act defines genetic data as:
“data relating to a living person derived from genetic testing of the person”
The Act defines genetic testing as the examination of samples from a living person to analyse their DNA or RNA for purposes including:
Section 42 then prohibits the processing of that genetic data in relation to insurance and life assurance.
So the distinction isn’t simply:
“Is this a genetic condition?”
It’s:
“Is this information derived from genetic testing?”
A person might have symptoms or an abnormal blood test. Those findings lead to further ordinary clinical investigations and, ultimately, the person is diagnosed with an inherited genetic condition.
If the diagnosis was established without genetic testing, the fact that the condition itself has a genetic cause doesn’t make the diagnosis a genetic test result.
The condition can therefore be considered as part of the person’s existing medical history and underwritten in the normal way.
The insurer can assess the diagnosed condition, the clinical findings and the future health risks associated with that condition.
The Disability Act doesn’t prevent insurers from underwriting medical conditions simply because those conditions have a genetic cause. It prevents them from processing genetic data derived from genetic testing.
This is where it’s important to separate the different pieces of medical information.
Suppose you have:
symptoms or abnormal results → further investigations → genetic testing
The fact that genetic testing subsequently takes place doesn’t turn the earlier symptoms, abnormal results or other ordinary clinical findings into protected genetic data.
Those clinical findings can still be relevant if the insurer asks about them.
But the genetic test result itself cannot be used by the insurer.
For example, if an insurer receives a medical report containing both ordinary clinical findings and a genetic test result, the genetic result must be ignored.
The other relevant medical information doesn’t have to be ignored simply because genetic testing also took place.
This is the scenario where you need to be particularly careful.
Imagine someone has no symptoms and no abnormal clinical findings, but predictive genetic testing identifies an increased risk of developing a particular condition in the future.
The insurer cannot use that genetic test result when underwriting the application.
You shouldn’t disclose the result, and the insurer shouldn’t ask you for it.
But the protection isn’t limited to predictive genetic testing.
The Disability Act’s definition of genetic testing also includes genetic testing used to confirm the nature of an existing symptomatic disease.
So it isn’t correct to assume that a genetic test becomes usable by an insurer simply because it was carried out after symptoms developed.
Instead, the insurer assesses the medical information it is legally entitled to use, such as the symptoms and ordinary clinical findings, without using the genetic test result.
Genetic test results being off-limits doesn’t mean an insurer has no information on which to assess your application.
Depending on the questions on the application, an insurer can still assess things such as:
So if your sister had breast cancer, the insurer may ask about your family history.
If you’ve developed symptoms and have been referred to a consultant, the referral may need to be disclosed.
And if you’re waiting on scans or results, the insurer may postpone making a decision until those investigations are complete.
These factors can all affect underwriting, which is why the insurer you approach can make a big difference.
This is probably where we see the most problems in practice.
You might know that the genetic test result itself can’t be used and assume that means the investigation won’t affect your application.
Unfortunately, it isn’t always that straightforward.
If you’ve developed symptoms, had abnormal results, been referred to a specialist or are waiting for further investigations, an insurer may not be willing to make a final decision until the medical picture is clearer.
It’s rarely the genetic test itself causing the problem.
It’s the unresolved medical investigation surrounding it.
Timing can make a big difference.
If you’re completely well and have had predictive genetic testing, the genetic test result itself cannot be used by the insurer.
If you’ve developed symptoms or abnormal results and are currently being investigated, applying while those investigations are still open may lead to the application being postponed.
And if you’ve already been diagnosed with a medical condition through ordinary clinical investigations, that condition can be assessed in the normal way.
There isn’t one insurer that’s always best in these situations.
Different insurers can take different views of the same medical history, so it’s worth establishing how your case is likely to be treated before making a formal application.
Yes.
The same rules around genetic data apply when you’re applying for mortgage protection.
Your genetic test result cannot be used by the insurer.
But symptoms, existing medical conditions diagnosed independently of genetic testing, abnormal clinical findings and ongoing investigations can still affect the application.
That’s particularly important if you’re buying a house and getting close to drawdown.
If an insurer decides it needs further medical information or wants to wait until an investigation has been completed, getting cover can take considerably longer than expected.
There are a few common misunderstandings:
That last point is particularly important.
Don’t conceal information the insurer has asked for.
But don’t volunteer genetic test results that you’re specifically told not to disclose either.
If you’ve had genetic testing, have been diagnosed with a genetic condition, or you’re currently undergoing investigations, it’s worth understanding exactly what information the insurers can assess before you apply.
Sometimes the distinction is straightforward.
Sometimes, particularly where a diagnosis and genetic testing are closely intertwined, it can be more nuanced.
We can approach the insurers anonymously first, explain the medical information they are entitled to consider and establish how they’re likely to treat the application without you making a formal application to the wrong insurer.
If you’d prefer to talk it through, you can book a call here.
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, a multi-agency Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people secure fair, transparent cover for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you’d like straight answers without the sales pitch, learn more about Nick here.
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