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UK Department of Health & Social Care

03/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2026 08:29

Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance

Guidance

Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance

This is an agreement between the government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on the use of genetic test results in underwriting insurance policies.

From: Department of Health and Social Care Published 23 October 2018 Last updated 19 March 2026 - See all updates
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Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance

PDF, 337 KB, 19 pages

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Details

Update March 2026

Following the publication of the 3-year review 2025, we are adding additional wording to the question: 'What is the process for changing the list of relevant predictive genetic tests in Appendix I?' on page 13.

To add further conditions to the list of conditions for which predictive genetic test results may need to be disclosed under the code, relevant research and ethical considerations will need to be included as part of the review of any application. See page 1 of the PDF for full details.

Updates to provide the code in an accessible format will be made in due course.

All members of ABI are signed up to the code, and insurance companies who are not members can also sign up.

The code commits insurance companies to:

  • treat applicants fairly and not require or pressure any applicant to undertake a predictive or diagnostic genetic test
  • not ask for, or take into account the result of a predictive genetic test, except when the life insurance is over £500,000 and the applicant has had a predictive genetic test for Huntington's Disease
  • not ask for, or take into account, the result of any predictive genetic test obtained through scientific research

The code replaces the concordat and moratorium on genetics and insurance. It will be reviewed every 3 years.

Also, see the:

For further information see the FAQs on the ABI website.

Updates to this page

Published 23 October 2018
Last updated 19 March 2026 + show all updates
  1. 19 March 2026

    Additional text has been added on page 13 under 'What is the process for changing the list of relevant predictive genetic tests in Appendix I?. Details are in a box at the top of the page and in the PDF.

  2. 13 December 2022

    Added a link to the 'Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance: 3-year review 2022'.

  3. 23 October 2018

    First published.

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UK Department of Health & Social Care published this content on March 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 19, 2026 at 14:29 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]