How long a life insurance application takes depends mostly on whether the insurer can decide from your answers alone. Some insurers describe an instant or same-day decision on their sites, while Aviva says a fully underwritten policy "typically takes several weeks" from application to approval or denial.

Aviva notes that timelines vary between financial organisations, so the sections below set out what individual insurers say and what tends to add time. It is worth asking what to expect from the insurer you choose: on the form on this page you give contact details only, and the FCA-authorised broker who calls back will not charge you.

Can a life insurance application be decided the same day?

Some insurers describe a route where the decision comes straight after the online questions. For its Plan & Protect cover, quoted online for people aged 18 to 59, Scottish Widows says it will ask a few questions about your health and lifestyle and then "give you an instant decision", and that applying takes about 10 minutes; its page adds that you cannot save an application part-way, so you need enough time before you start. Halifax's life cover page describes a same-day decision with no medical exam, though anyone over 59 has to phone to discuss their options. Aviva describes its quick route as a quote and decision in little over 5 minutes.

Those are the insurers' own descriptions of the route they offer, not a promise about any one applicant. An instant decision is also not a given: Aviva says that if it cannot make one, it refers the application to its underwriters to look at in more detail.

Why do some applications take weeks?

When the answers raise a question, the insurer asks for more evidence, and each request adds a step. Aviva's guide (last updated July 2025) lists four things it may ask for after a referral: further detail from you, a report from your doctor, a short nurse screening, or a full medical examination.

It then gives the overall picture for a fully underwritten policy: "The process from application through approval or denial for a fully-underwritten policy typically takes several weeks." Aviva adds that timelines vary between organisations and that delays in reports from doctors and other parties can slow things further. If it needs more medical information, it says it will move as quickly as it can and update you along the way.

Legal & General puts it more loosely. Its page on medical records (12 August 2026) says each applicant's circumstances differ and that it will say "within a matter of days or weeks" whether it needs additional medical information. That is the time to find out whether more evidence is needed, not the time to a final decision. L&G's own application steps are covered in what happens when you apply to Legal & General.

What makes underwriting slower?

The insurers' own documents point to several things that can add time.

  • The amount of cover and your age. Aviva calls these the key factors in whether you are asked for a medical at all. Zurich says it usually asks for an examination when the cover you want is above its normal limits.
  • Your health and lifestyle answers. Zurich's guide to medical examinations (print reference NPL850082001 07/25) says it also asks when your answers mean it needs a bit extra information. The range of questions is set out in the health questions life insurers ask.
  • A doctor's report. L&G says you are asked to consent to the insurer requesting a report from your GP. If one is requested you are told, and you then have 21 days to arrange to see it first; if you would rather not, your doctor can send it straight on. Waiting for the surgery to answer is one of the "reports from physicians" Aviva says can slow things down.
  • Booking an examination. At Zurich, once the underwriting team decides one is needed, a third-party provider phones the number on your application to fix a time and place. The nurse screening itself generally takes between 30 and 40 minutes, and Zurich asks for at least two working days' notice if you need to rearrange.
  • New information at referral. Aviva says an applicant can be declined at application stage if new information turns up when the application reaches an underwriter, which is why the answers have to be complete the first time. Reasons an insurer might say no are in what to do if you are declined.

How long a particular insurer's doctor's report or nurse screening takes to come back is something the broker can find out for your circumstances when they ring you.

Are you covered while the insurer decides?

Some insurers give free cover while they decide, on conditions in their own documents. Aviva, for example, describes a Protection Promise of up to £500,000 while it considers your application. When such cover starts and stops, and what it leaves out, is set out in free cover while an application is assessed, so do not treat yourself as protected until your insurer confirms it.

How can you keep an application moving?

Only a few steps are in your hands, and the insurers' pages cover most of them.

  • Answer every question correctly and truthfully. Aviva warns that otherwise the policy may be invalidated.
  • Give a phone number you will answer. Zurich's examination provider phones the number on the application to arrange an appointment.
  • Say yes to electronic requests. Aviva says it usually asks for doctors' reports to be sent electronically to speed things up.
  • Have the details to hand: Zurich suggests having your medical history, medication and family history ready if you are asked to attend an examination.

If you want to know whether the health details on your own application are likely to prompt a medical, or whether a policy without one suits you better, read life insurance without a medical and non-medical limits. A broker can also go through it by phone once you have submitted the details here, with no charge.

Frequently asked questions

How long does term life insurance underwriting take?

The timings on this page are for term cover: Aviva's Life Insurance Plan, for example, pays out if you die during the policy term. Aviva puts a fully underwritten application at several weeks; where the answers are enough, Scottish Widows and Halifax describe an instant or same-day decision.

Will the insurer keep me informed while it decides?

Aviva says it will update you along the way if it needs more medical information. Zurich's examination provider contacts you directly to arrange a time, so keep your phone number up to date.

Does the medical itself take long?

Zurich says its nurse screening generally takes between 30 and 40 minutes, although this can vary with the tests needed. Arranging the appointment is a separate step, as described above.

Whenever you want a person to look at your own timetable, the broker who rings after the enquiry form is there to help.

Sources

  • Aviva, Do you need a medical to get life insurance? (last updated 2 July 2025), read 26 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Scottish Widows, Get Life Cover Quote (undated web page), read 1 November 2026. scottishwidows.co.uk
  • Halifax, Life Insurance | Life Cover (undated web page), read 27 October 2026. halifax.co.uk
  • Zurich, Your guide to medical examinations (print reference NPL850082001 07/25), read 22 October 2026. zurich.co.uk
  • Legal & General, How do life insurance companies obtain your medical information? (12 August 2026), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com