This website is designed to give you information on the products and services offered by William Russell, with content written by people—not AI. If you are unsure whether these products and services are suitable for you, please speak to a financial or insurance adviser. We work hard to ensure the information we provide is accurate and up-to-date, but mistakes are possible. The T&Cs that apply to your policy are those found in your plan agreement. William Russell Europe SRL is registered at Place Marcel Broodthaers 8, B-1060 Saint-Gilles, Brussels and is registered in Belgium with the Financial Services & Markets Authority (no. 0731.975.658 RPM) as a limited liability company with share capital of €30,000. William Russell Europe SRL is a mandated underwriter for AWP Health & Life SA. The UK branch of William Russell Europe SRL is registered at William Russell House, The Square, Lightwater, Surrey, GU18 5SS, UK. The UK branch is authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), reference no. 973067. William Russell Ltd is authorised & regulated in the UK by the FCA, reference number 309314, and is registered in England & Wales under company number 02687939 at William Russell House, The Square, Lightwater, Surrey, GU18 5SS.
This website is designed to give you information on the products and services offered by William Russell, with content written by people—not AI. If you are unsure whether these products and services are suitable for you, please speak to a financial or insurance adviser. We work hard to ensure the information we provide is accurate and up-to-date, but mistakes are possible. The T&Cs that apply to your policy are those found in your plan agreement. William Russell Europe SRL is registered at Place Marcel Broodthaers 8, B-1060 Saint-Gilles, Brussels and is registered in Belgium with the Financial Services & Markets Authority (no. 0731.975.658 RPM) as a limited liability company with share capital of €30,000. William Russell Europe SRL is a mandated underwriter for AWP Health & Life SA. The UK branch of William Russell Europe SRL is registered at William Russell House, The Square, Lightwater, Surrey, GU18 5SS, UK. The UK branch is authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), reference no. 973067. William Russell Ltd is authorised & regulated in the UK by the FCA, reference number 309314, and is registered in England & Wales under company number 02687939 at William Russell House, The Square, Lightwater, Surrey, GU18 5SS.
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But it's not all about customer service.
True, we're one of the smaller expat insurance providers. But we've been in business for 33 years. Our policies are insured by Allianz, one of the largest financial service companies in the world. We're regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom and FSMA in Belgium, and we adhere to strict data protection protocols (ISO 27001 certified).
Q. I've not heard of William Russell. Should I trust you?
Q. Do you insure people of all nationalities?
Yes. We can provide insurance to people of any nationality in pretty much any country in the world.
Q. Is your health insurance expensive?
We're not the cheapest provider on the market, but we're far from the most expensive. A lot of providers offer cheaper premiums in your first and second years, before hiking up your premium in your third year. We prefer a more consistent approach, and we have a reputation for fair premium increases each year.
Q. What happens if I want to cancel?
If you don't like your policy or you change your mind about us for whatever reason, you can can cancel your policy in the first 30 days and we'll give you a full refund.
Q. What do you mean 'no call centres'?
It means we don't outsource our customer service to
a call centre in India or the Philippines. Our customer service teams are in-house, and they work from our office just outside London and our office in Brussels.
Join thousands of expats
24hr emergency
medical assistance.
What happens if you need medical treatment on a desert island? What happens if you suffer a medical emergency in the middle of the night? We have a 24-hour helpline that's available 365 days of the year. Wherever or whenever you need help, you'll get it from us.
Clear information about your cover.
We publish comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about what is and what isn't covered on our website. When you buy a policy, we send you a membership guide that explains how everything works. And if you have questions, just drop us a message. We train our teams to help you out, not catch you out.
Thank you so much - you have put our minds at rest. I very much appreciate the personal touch to your service - this is very rare with insurers and is exactly why we deal with William Russell.
A.K.,
Member with William Russell
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you personally for the good work you and your team have carried out in handling our claims. We have found your personal intervention to be of great assistance and would like to commend your company.
R.F.
Member with William Russell
Our experience with William Russell has been top-notch. In over 10 years with your company, we’ve always been pleasantly surprised with the service we receive, so thanks once again.
L.B.
Member with William Russell
My spouse and daughters have been with William Russell for decades. I switched my medical insurance to William Russell because I saw differences between these two companies. Susan Kelly and Donna Ayres have been accommodating and efficient.
E.B.,
Member with William Russell
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you personally for the good work you and your team have carried out in handling our claims. We have found your personal intervention to be of great assistance and would like to commend your company.
R.F.
Member with William Russell
Thank you so much - you have put our minds at rest. I very much appreciate the personal touch to your service - this is very rare with insurers and is exactly why we deal with William Russell.
A.K.,
Member with William Russell
Our experience with William Russell has been top-notch. In over 10 years with your company, we’ve always been pleasantly surprised with the service we receive, so thanks once again.
L.B.
Member with William Russell
My spouse and daughters have been with William Russell for decades. I switched my medical insurance to William Russell because I saw differences between these two companies. Susan Kelly and Donna Ayres have been accommodating and efficient.
E.B.,
Member with William Russell
Thank you so much - you have put our minds at rest. I very much appreciate the personal touch to your service - this is very rare with insurers and is exactly why we deal with William Russell.
A.K.,
Member with William Russell
My spouse and daughters have been with William Russell for decades. I switched my medical insurance to William Russell because I saw differences between these two companies. Susan Kelly and Donna Ayres have been accommodating and efficient.
E.B.,
Member with William Russell
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you personally for the good work you and your team have carried out in handling our claims. We have found your personal intervention to be of great assistance and would like to commend your company.
R.F.
Member with William Russell
Our experience with William Russell has been top-notch. In over 10 years with your company, we’ve always been pleasantly surprised with the service we receive, so thanks once again.
L.B.
Member with William Russell
Cover up to US$5m
With the Gold plan, members can claim up to US$5,000,000 per year in medical treatment. More than enough to cover the most serious illnesses.
With over 40,000 hospitals & clinics in our global network, you'll get the best medical care from great doctors wherever you live.
Great hospitals & doctors
Hospital costs included
On all our plans, you have full cover for hospital treatment. That includes accommodation, fees for doctors, surgeons & anaesthetists, nursing care, diagnostic tests, and physiotherapy.
Accident & emergency cover
If you suffer an accident, we cover you for emergency room treatment. We'll also pay for an air or road ambulance to get you to hospital.
We cover cancer treatment in full, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, genome testing, and post-diagnosis counselling.
Full cover for cancer care
On the Silver and Gold plans, you have full cover for visits to the doctor, specialist consultations, and physiotherapy.
Doctor visits
When you're admitted for hospital treatment, we sort out everything (including bills) with the hospital. You won't be out-of-pocket for expensive medical treatment.
We settle your bills with the hospital
Emergency medical evacuation
If the urgent treatment you need for a life- or limb-threatening condition isn't available locally, we'll evacuate you to a suitable location where you can receive medical attention.
Our health policies are designed to be international. You're covered for living, working, and travelling abroad.
International cover
Thank you so much - you have put our minds at rest. I very much appreciate the personal touch to your service - this is very rare with insurers and is exactly why we deal with William Russell.
A.K.,
Member with William Russell
My spouse and daughters have been with William Russell for decades. I switched my medical insurance to William Russell because I saw differences between these two companies. Susan Kelly and Donna Ayres have been accommodating and efficient.
E.B.,
Member with William Russell
Our experience with William Russell has been top-notch. In over 10 years with your company, we’ve always been pleasantly surprised with the service we receive, so thanks once again.
L.B.
Member with William Russell
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you personally for the good work you and your team have carried out in handling our claims. We have found your personal intervention to be of great assistance and would like to commend your company.
R.F.
Member with William Russell
So, why do they like us so much?
Get your own dedicated adviser.
It doesn't matter if your premium is US$30 or US$3,000. Each one of our customers gets a named, dedicated adviser to help them with their plan. That's because we employ more advisers per customer than any other expat insurance provider.
Real people to help you. Not robots.
We don't hide our phone numbers and email addresses on our website. We don't outsource to call centres. And when you call us, you'll get straight through to a real person who can help you with your insurance plan.
24-hour emergency
helpline.
What happens if you need medical treatment on a desert island? What happens if I have a medical emergency in the middle of the night? We have a 24-hour helpline that's available 365 days of the year. Wherever or whenever you need help, you'll get it from us.
John Smith
Director at Medlife Insurance in Malawi
John mainly works with South African and Zimbabwean expats living and working in Malawi. He's had his health insurance policy with William Russell since 2020. He insures himself, his wife, and his two children with William Russell.
John Smith
Director at Medlife Insurance in Malawi
John mainly works with South African and Zimbabwean expats living and working in Malawi. He's had his health insurance policy with William Russell since 2020. He insures himself, his wife, and his two children with William Russell.
John Smith
Director at Medlife Insurance in Malawi
John mainly works with South African and Zimbabwean expats living and working in Malawi. He's had his health insurance policy with William Russell since 2020. He insures himself, his wife, and his two children with William Russell.
Real people to help you. Not call centre staff.
When you call us, you'll get straight through to a real person who can help you with your insurance policy or medical treatment. We don't use call centres, we don't have frustrating telephone menus, and we don't keep you on hold for hours.
Here's a few brokers we count among our customers
Here are a few health insurance brokers we count
among our members...
In 1998 I arrived in Asia as a financial adviser and took out a William Russell policy the following year and have remained a policy holder along with my family until now. Our family claims have ranged from emergency caesarean, ankle reconstruction, Bronchial Pneumonia, Broken wrist, a serious spine operation and unfortunately quite a few others. The support I received during and before treatment has been nothing but first-class. One time when admitting my son in an emergency, William Russell got one of their medical team to call me and talk me through my son's condition, treatment and recovery. He was 6 at the time and it was his first visit to the hospital, it put my mind at rest and took a lot of the parental worry away. I cannot recommend William Russell enough!
Gary Cane
Managing Director of Three Sixty Financial Inc in Malaysia
In 2006, I left my IFA Practice in London for a new role in Bangkok. My new company recommended William Russell for health insurance, which proved invaluable. They covered emergency surgery for severe back pain including my choice of surgeon and hospital in 2008, and subsequent health issues over the years, including a life-threatening case of diverticulitis in 2018. If I had not gone to the hospital that day, I was told I possibly would not have woken up the next day, however, knowing I had excellent health cover removed any hesitation, that could have been lethal. In 2023, when diagnosed with prostate cancer, William Russell once again excelled, covering all treatment without financial strain. Throughout my career spanning nearly 30 years in insurance, William Russell's exceptional service sets the standard for performance and service.
Technical Director of South East Asia Capital LLC in Thailand
Billy Popham
As the founder of the Astra Group I have been working with William Russell for around 30 years. William Russell has been the medical insurance provider who we have used for our clients for around three decades. Their administration and professionalism during these past decades has set them apart from the competition and has given us the confidence to insure our key people and staff with them as well as clients. William Russell have for the past three decades grasped the need to use technology and expand their product offering and range as the International market has adapted. At Astra we are proud to have been part of the success story of William Russell and continue to use their services for both our staff and customers.
Founder of the Astra Group in the Philippines
James Hartland
So, why do insurance brokers like us so much?
Get your own
dedicated adviser.
It doesn't matter whether your insurance premium is US$30 or US$3,000. Each one of our members gets a named, dedicated adviser to help them with their policy. That's because we employ more advisers per member than any other expat insurance provider.
Our health insurance comes with great benefits
Here's what our members say about us
Frequently asked questions
Researching expat health insurance?
Start with the company where insurance brokers buy their own policies
Choosing the right health insurance company is hard
If you need expat health insurance, there are lots of insurance providers to choose from. Some providers are big, multinational companies and household names (e.g., Cigna, Allianz, BUPA). You’ve probably come across them already.
But plenty of insurance brokers, who advise their clients everyday on expat health insurance, entrust us—William Russell—with their private healthcare needs and those of their family. And professional insurance brokers know a thing or two about insurance.
What's the main problem with insurance? You just don't know if your insurance company will pay up when you make a claim.
With big insurance companies, what happens if you fall through the cracks? Sometimes a company has too many customers. They don't have the time to give an individual customer the time they need.
But with a small insurance company, how can you be sure that they have resources to pay your claim if something really bad happens?
This dilemma is why I founded William Russell, 33 years ago. I wanted to build a medium-sized company that hired good people and focused on customer service, but with the financial security of a respected insurer behind the policies.
That's William Russell today: a company with wonderful customer service and insurance policies backed by Allianz.
In the past 33 years, we've provided insurance to expats in 160+ countries and I'd love to help you too. Give us a try and, if you don't like us for any reason, you can cancel for a full refund within 30 days.
Message from our founder
Inez Cooper
Founder & Managing Director
Where to go next?
Check out our content!
Start with the company that insurance brokers buy their health insurance from.
Enjoy health insurance with delightful customer service
Here's what our customers say about us
If you need expat health insurance, there are lots of insurance providers to choose from. Some providers are big, multinational companies with household names (e.g., Cigna, Allianz, BUPA).
You’ve probably come across them already.
But plenty of insurance brokers—people who advise their clients on expat health insurance every day—entrust William Russell with their private healthcare needs and those of their family. And professional insurance brokers know a thing or two about insurance.
Here are a few health insurance brokers we count among our members
Get your own
dedicated adviser.
Real people to help you. Not call centre staff.
24hr emergency
medical assistance.
Clear information about your cover.
It doesn't matter whether your insurance premium is US$30 or US$3,000. Each one of our members gets a named, dedicated adviser to help them with their policy. That's because we employ more advisers per member than any other expat insurance provider.
When you call us, you'll get straight through to a real person who can help you with your insurance policy or medical treatment. We don't use call centres, we don't have frustrating telephone menus, and we don't keep you on hold for hours.
What happens if you need medical treatment on
a desert island? What happens if you suffer a medical emergency in the middle of the night?
We have a 24-hour helpline that's available 365 days of the year. Wherever or whenever you need help, you'll get it from us.
We publish comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about what is and what isn't covered
on our website. When you buy a policy, we send you a membership guide that explains how everything works. And if you have questions, just drop us a message. We train our teams to help you out, not catch you out.
