The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India on 13th September 2021 has extended the exemptions granted to insurers from the requirement of issuing the electronic policy as well as dispensing with physical documents and wet signature upto the period 31st March 2022.
The exemption for the issue of electronic policies is granted subject to the following:
- Insurers shall send the policy document and a copy of the proposal form through digital/electronic mode. The documents shall be sent to the registered e-mail id or mobile number provided by the customer only on the specific consent provided by the policyholder.
- Simultaneously the policyholders shall be informed through SMS that policy document /copy of the proposal form have been sent to their e-mail id or any other digital / electronic mode (as may be the case).
- Insurers shall put in place proper mechanism to ensure that the documents are delivered to the designated e-mail Id / mobile number of the policyholder and an acknowledgement is appropriately obtained / auto-collected on delivery.
- When documents are forwarded by electronic means, the record of policyholder having received the document or the electronic platform having delivered the documents shall be maintained systematically. It shall be clearly informed to the policyholder that the date of delivery of the document is reckoned for the purpose of examining free-look requests, wherever applicable.
- Policyholders shall be also informed that printing of physical policy document and dispatch of the same along with the copy of proposal form may be delayed due to operational difficulties in the wake of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation.
- Wherever it is not possible to send the policy documents through electronic means due to any reason, insurers shall necessarily forward the physical documents to the policyholders.
