The University of Washington cares about its global travelers, and international emergency assistance is provided in conjunction with the insurance. International SOS is not insurance – learn more about the difference between ISOS and Cigna.
International SOS materials will be deployed within each travel registration. If you are a student participating in a UW study abroad program, accessing your International SOS materials will be part of your study abroad application. You are required to activate and download International SOS.
For all students, your student account will be automatically charged for insurance based on the duration of your program. For faculty and staff, your fees are included as part of your benefits. [/uw_card]
Download an Insurance Fact Sheet
Frequently Asked Questions
A few steps in troubleshooting ISOS technical difficulties:
- Make sure you’re using your UW email. Using a personal email won’t register your account as being with the University and will ask you to put in the membership number (which won’t work).
- Check all junk and spam folders. The ISOS confirmation email often gets flagged as an unknown account. The email may have ended up in a strange folder.
- Reach out to the ISOS IT team if you think something more technical may be going on.
Worst case scenario if you can’t get the app to work:
- Monitor your UW email for travel alerts related to your destination
- Save the direct line to call ISOS: +1 215 942 8226
As soon as possible!
In an emergency situation, you should call the country’s 911-equivalent first. If you need an ambulance, fire department, or police, you will be dependent on local emergency services.
“Call early and call often.” The sooner you can call, even if it might turn out to be nothing, the better.
You can call from your Assistance app or by using their direct number: +1 215 942 8226
You can reach out directly to UW GTS, at travelemergency@uw.edu, with any questions or to report an incident.
For faculty/staff who are otherwise not enrolled in any credit-bearing capacity at UW, International SOS is covered as part of your benefits. You will not be billed or prompted to enter payment information in any way.
For students your student account will be automatically billed for the cost of International SOS and insurance based on the length of your program. You will not be prompted to enter any payment or credit card information but will instead see the charge on your student account statement.
Note: this charge may come the following quarter after your travel.
UW’s international insurance policy is provided by Cigna and provides coverage for:
- Emergency medical, mental health, and security incidents
- Medical and security evacuations
- Hospital visits
- Mental health crises and telehealth appointment support
- Repatriation, including of remains
- Accidental death/dismemberment.
The following items are not covered:
- “Travel insurance” benefits for flight disruption or delay, loss/theft of personal items, or property damage
- Emergency security services when traveling to Department of State Level 4 (Do Not Travel) countries
- Extreme activities, such as skydiving and paragliding
Please review the full policy document for the full list of exclusions.
It is unlikely.
For students requesting to waive out of the cost of global insurance and International SOS, they will be required to demonstrate proof of equivalent medical, mental health, and security coverage. Insurance waivers can be submitted through the travel registration portal.
Insurance waivers are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and the majority are not approved. To see what is covered under the University global insurance policy and check how your international or home country insurance compares, see: UW Global Benefits at a Glance.
Can I use ISOS if…
No. Emergency assistance through ISOS and the insurance coverage itself through Cigna are both for solely ‘official’ UW international business travel. This could include any travel that is funded, sponsored, organized, or administered by UW. It also includes any travel where you are representing UW abroad or traveling in your official capacity as a UW faculty or staff member.
Yes. As of January 1, 2025, emergency assistance and insurance coverage are available for UW students, employees, and their dependents traveling on UW official travel. An example would be a faculty member going abroad to conduct UW research with a spouse or child under 26. Domestic partners are also considered dependents. Dependents do not need to separately register their travel.
If a dependent is experiencing an emergency while traveling internationally with a UW employee on official (not personal) travel, they will need to provide the name of the UW employee they are associated with when calling ISOS.
No. Only currently those currently enrolled or employed by the University are eligible for coverage and emergency assistance through ISOS.
Note that employees traveling as part of their UW employment, who are otherwise enrolled in credit-bearing courses at UW, are required to register their travel as a student.