Editor’s note: First published April 2013 | Refreshed Jan 2026 with updated insurer limits, Irish product options and links to current underwriting guidance.
10-second summary: Most Irish life-insurance applications don’t require a medical exam. Unless your cover amount or medical history passes certain thresholds, insurers usually assess applications using forms, questionnaires and GP information alone.
Important: If you’ve already been asked to attend a medical exam, this page isn’t the right next step. In many cases, there are better options before you go ahead. That’s explained here →
Quick clarification: In Ireland, you don’t apply for a special “no-medical” life insurance policy. You apply for standard life insurance, and in most cases, no medical exam is required. A medical is only requested in specific circumstances.
Today I took a call from a lady who wanted life insurance — but with one condition.
It had to be without a medical exam.
She made no bones about it. She wanted cover, but she wouldn’t do a medical exam.
Why?
Usually, there are two common reasons people want to avoid medicals:
But this lady had a third reason.
“I just don’t like my GP.”
I asked why she didn’t move practice.
“He’s the family GP — has been for years. I don’t want to offend him.”
Fair enough. Classic small-town Ireland.
Fortunately for her, a medical exam wasn’t needed — and that’s often the case.
In Ireland, there are two main routes to life insurance that usually don’t involve a medical exam at the application stage.
This type of policy skips underwriting altogether.
If you’re over 50, you complete an application and are accepted regardless of health — even with serious medical conditions.
Irish Life no longer offers this product through brokers.
If guaranteed acceptance is essential, An Post Insurance is currently the main provider.
That said, over-50s plans are generally only suitable where regular life insurance isn’t an option — for example, during active cancer treatment.
If you have a medical condition but aren’t uninsurable, standard life insurance is usually a better route.
Applying for a standard term life policy doesn’t automatically trigger a medical exam.
In practice, around 90% of our clients are approved without one.
Underwriters typically assess applications using:
Here’s how life-insurance underwriting works in Ireland →
A nurse screening or medical exam is only requested in a small number of situations:
A non-medical limit is the amount of life insurance you can apply for before an insurer automatically looks for additional medical evidence.
Two factors influence these limits:
Each insurer sets its own non-medical limits.
That’s why one insurer may approve an application based on forms alone, while another may request a nurse screening or GP report for the same person and the same cover.
If a medical has been requested purely because of underwriting limits and you’re otherwise in good health, it’s often worth checking whether a different insurer would assess the application more favourably before proceeding.
If your BMI is 40 or above, most insurers will request a nurse screening to confirm height, weight and basic health readings.
How insurers assess weight for life insurance →
A note on “no-medical” insurers: Some providers (such as Laya) operate a strict accept-or-decline model. If you fall outside their rules, cover is simply refused. We don’t use this approach because most Irish insurers will assess cases more flexibly and often offer cover.
Sometimes.
If your age and cover amount exceed an insurer’s non-medical limits, they may request a PMAR (Private Medical Attendant’s Report) from your GP.
What is a PMAR and why insurers request it →
Most people won’t need a medical exam for life insurance.
Where people run into problems is choosing the wrong insurer at the wrong point in the process.
If your goal is to keep things straightforward, insurer choice — before you apply — makes a real difference.
If you’d like a recommendation based on your age, cover needs and medical background, complete the short questionnaire below and I’ll come back to you personally.
Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, an independent Irish life-insurance and income-protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people get fair, transparent cover for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
Lion.ie specialises in life insurance, mortgage protection, serious illness cover and income protection for people with complex medical or occupational situations.
Learn more →
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