The physical copy of an insurance policy document is given by the insurer to the customer at the time of buying an insurance policy. The basic contents of this document are the clauses and terms and conditions that have been agreed upon by both parties at the time of buying an insurance policy.

In case of maturity and at the time of claiming money in case of death by the nominee the original copy attached with the other documents needs to be submitted by the purchaser of the insurance policy. For the nominee, valid identity proof and the original document has to be submitted. Hence the document has to be kept intact and submitted by the purchaser to the company.

Steps to be taken  if the document is lost

  • The first thing to be done if the document is lost by the purchaser is to contact the insurance company. If in case the insurance was purchased through an agent, then the agent has to be informed about the situation. If the agent is not reachable immediately then the purchaser should contact the nearest insurer and tell them about the situation. 
  • A duplicate copy of the insurance should be obtained by the insured individual. The process for this step is quite simple and easy and hence a duplicate copy can be arranged easily. The insurer should be provided with certain documents for availing of the duplicate copy.
  • A police complaint can be launched by the insured party that authenticates the fact that the policy document has been lost and in turn speeds up the request for a duplicate copy of the claim.
  • Placing an advertisement is also one method to find the lost policy document. Generally, an advertisement is given in English and a vernacular language and in some circumstances the lost document has been found and delivered to the owners. Placing the advertisement states that the document has genuinely been lost and you are doing everything in your power to find the lost document.
  • An indemnity bond is generally signed in between the insurer and the owner of the lost document on a stamp paper. This is to certify that no misuse of the original document may occur in the process of issuing a duplicate policy document.
  • In case of missing the original document, a bond is provided by the insurance company to the purchaser instead of the original document and it has to be signed by both the parties. The bond should be kept safe and the nominees should be aware of the bond.

How do you claim a policy in the event of losing the original documents?

  • In case of losing the original policy documents, the customer can apply for duplicate documents from the insurer. The insurer provides these documents to the claimant and they can request the company to disburse the claim after receiving these duplicate documents.
  • In case of death, the nominee can request the insurer to sign the bond wherein all the terms and conditions are met and the claim can be processed on this basis.
  • If the documents are lost then the claimant can follow the above steps stating that the plea for original documents is genuine and the claimant is not in possession of the documents.
  • When filing for a claim in case of missing documents the claimant must give a disclaimer that no fraud is involved and no other party is in possession of the original documents.

Also Read: Insurance FAQ

Tips for Finding a lost policy

  • In case of the death of a claimant, all the documents and the record of the deceased person should be checked and validated before applying for a duplicate policy. In most cases, some of the documents are found by the claiming party after the request has been given.
  • Nowadays, emails are also sent regarding the policy sent to the person by the insurance company. In this case, the email can be traced and the request can be given accordingly.
  • Some of the documents, if lost in the event of travel, can be traced via advertisements through proper media channels and agencies.
  • In case an agent is involved in the transaction, the agent can also be holding the documents for senior or super senior citizens.
  • If a police complaint is lodged, the probability of finding the lost documents increases and the intention of fraud can be traced by the department.

Conclusion

The original policy document has to be kept intact and safe as it is the original proof that the policyholder is entitled to get the claim after filing one. If the policy document, if at all in any case is misplaced, then the steps that are explained above should be taken care of and put into use. The policyholder should be aware that the policy is in possession of any other person if at all this case exists. In case the policy documents are lost then the policyholder should obtain a duplicate document from the company so that while filing for claims, there is no confusion as to who will receive the claim and the company can disburse the claim as per the nominee in the documents.

 

FAQS of What to do if you lost your original life insurance policy document?

1:What happens if the original policy document is lost?

If the original document is lost then the policyholder should inform the company at the earliest and get the duplicate documents. If necessary the policyholder should visit the nearest office.

2:How to get a duplicate policy document?

The duplicate policy document can be obtained by writing an application to the company for releasing the duplicate document. The name, the policy number and other details should be clearly mentioned in the application.