10-second summary:
Transgender people can get life insurance in Ireland. Insurers focus on medical history and current health, not gender identity. In many cases, standard rates are available, and where timing or treatment is ongoing, there’s usually a clear path forward.
If you’re transgender and looking at life insurance, you’re not asking for special treatment. You’re asking how the system actually works, and whether anything in your situation makes it more complicated than it needs to be.
The short answer is this: being transgender, on its own, is not a problem for life insurance in Ireland.
What matters, as it does for everyone, is health, medical history, and where things stand right now.
How insurers actually look at applications
Life insurance underwriting is not a values judgement. It’s a risk assessment based on medical information.
Insurers don’t make decisions based on gender identity. They follow the same underwriting process for everyone and look at:
- Your current health
- Your past medical history
- Any ongoing treatment, investigations, or planned procedures
That’s true whether someone is transgender or not.
Do insurers ask if you’re transgender?
No. Life insurance application forms in Ireland do not ask whether someone is transgender.
Insurers assess risk based on medical information. The only way gender transition becomes relevant is if it shows up through medical disclosures, such as prescribed hormone treatment, recent or upcoming surgery, or GP records requested as part of underwriting.
In other words, insurers aren’t assessing identity — they’re assessing health, treatment, and timing, the same way they would for any other applicant.
How applications are handled in practice
When we discuss transgender cases with insurers, the approach is usually very practical.
- If treatment is complete and there are no complications, standard rates are often possible.
- If someone is mid-transition or awaiting procedures, insurers may postpone a decision until things are medically settled.
- Each case is assessed individually, based on the full medical picture.
This is about timing and clarity, not identity.
Does gender affect the price?
No.
Life insurance premiums in Ireland are gender-neutral. Any difference in price comes from medical disclosures, not from being transgender.
Applying during or after transition
If you’ve completed transition
If treatment is complete and there are no ongoing medical issues, insurers will usually assess the application like any other.
In many cases, that means standard rates.
If you’re in the process of transitioning
If there’s ongoing hormone treatment, planned surgery, or recovery still ahead, insurers often prefer to wait.
This usually results in a postponement until recovery is complete and follow-ups are finished. Once that point is reached, applications are often reconsidered quickly.
Mental health and life insurance
Mental health support or counselling does not automatically cause problems.
Insurers assess mental health in the same way for everyone: diagnosis, treatment, severity, and stability.
Where things are well managed, it often has little or no impact on cover.
Medical reports and paperwork
In some cases, insurers may ask your GP to complete a Private Medical Attendant’s Report (PMAR).
This is standard and simply helps the insurer understand the medical background properly.
Which insurer should you apply to?
All Irish life insurers can offer cover to transgender applicants.
The difference lies in how sympathetically different insurers assess specific medical histories.
Our role is to match your situation to the insurer most likely to assess it fairly, based on how similar cases have been handled before.
What we actually do for clients
We don’t rush applications.
We’ll often speak to underwriters on a no-names basis first, then guide you through applying for life insurance when timing is right.
Final word
If you’re transgender and looking for life insurance, you’re not outside the system.
You just need the process handled properly.
If you want a clear answer on what’s realistic in your situation, you can complete our short questionnaire and we’ll take a proper look.
Thanks for reading,
Nick
Written by 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.
If you’d like straight answers without the sales pitch, learn more about Nick here.
Editor’s note: First published in 2017. Fully rebuilt in 2026 to reflect current Irish underwriting practice and a more patient-first approach.