The Insurance Ombudsman adjudicates disputes between policyholders and insurers, free of charge. It is run by the Council for Insurance Ombudsmen (cioins.co.in).
What it can do
- Hear complaints about claim rejection, partial settlement, delay, premium disputes, mis-selling, and policy servicing.
- Since the Insurance Ombudsman (Amendment) Rules, 2023 (notified 9 November 2023), its remit also covers insurance brokers and intermediaries.
- Pass an award that is binding on the insurer.
- Entertain monetary complaints up to ₹50 lakh (raised from ₹30 lakh by the 2023 amendment).
Eligibility and time limits
- First raise a written grievance with the insurer.
- You can approach the Ombudsman after the insurer rejects the complaint, does not reply within one month, or gives an unsatisfactory reply.
- File within one year of the insurer's rejection or final reply.
- The same dispute must not already be pending in a court, consumer forum, or arbitration.
How to file
File in writing to the Ombudsman office for your jurisdiction, or online at cioins.co.in (online filing was enabled by the 2023 amendment). The official form is Annexure VI-A (Form P-II), which includes an a–e declaration; Annexure VI-B is the consent-to-mediation letter.
The 17 offices and what they broadly cover
Ahmedabad — Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu. Bengaluru — Karnataka. Bhopal — Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh. Bhubaneswar — Odisha. Chandigarh — Punjab, Haryana (parts), Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Ladakh, Chandigarh. Chennai — Tamil Nadu, Puducherry (parts), Andaman & Nicobar. Delhi — Delhi and parts of Haryana (Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat, Bahadurgarh). Guwahati — Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura. Hyderabad — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, parts of Puducherry. Jaipur — Rajasthan. Kochi — Kerala, Lakshadweep, Mahe. Kolkata — West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar (parts). Lucknow — parts of Uttar Pradesh (eastern/central districts). Mumbai — Maharashtra (Mumbai region), Goa. Noida — parts of Uttar Pradesh (western districts) and Uttarakhand. Patna — Bihar, Jharkhand. Pune — Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai region).
Exact territorial splits and current addresses/emails should be confirmed at cioins.co.in.
Source: Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017, as amended by the Insurance Ombudsman (Amendment) Rules, 2023; cioins.co.in. Last reviewed 2026-07-05.