As insurance penetration expands across India, policyholders need to be aware of the regulatory mechanism available to resolve complaints related to claims, delays, mis-selling and other service issues. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has highlighted the established grievance redressal framework, under which customers can first approach their insurer and, if necessary, escalate the matter to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
The mechanism is designed to provide policyholders with a time-bound route for raising and tracking complaints.
Start with the insurer
The first point of contact for a policyholder is the insurer’s Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO). Every office of an insurance company is required to designate an official as GRO to deal with policyholder grievances.
Insurers also have a Board-level Policyholder Protection, Grievance Redressal and Claims Monitoring Committee to oversee the effectiveness of their grievance redressal systems.
Complaints received through digital channels, correspondence or call centres are required to be registered in the insurer’s Complaints Management System (CMS). The CMS of insurers is integrated with IRDAI’s Bima Bharosa portal.
Once a complaint is received, the insurer is required to acknowledge it immediately and provide a resolution within 14 days.
For policyholders, this makes the insurer-level grievance mechanism the first and most important step before approaching the regulator.
Bima Bharosa provides the next level of escalation
If a policyholder does not receive a response from the insurer within a reasonable period, or is dissatisfied with the insurer’s response, the complaint can be escalated to IRDAI.
IRDAI’s Bima Bharosa is an integrated portal for monitoring policyholder grievances across the insurance industry. It allows complainants to register their grievances and track their status.
Policyholders can access the official portal at IRDAI Bima Bharosa Portal.
However, IRDAI has made it clear that policyholders should first approach the grievance redressal cell of the concerned insurer before escalating the matter to the regulator.
Multiple channels available to policyholders
Apart from the online portal, complaints can be lodged with IRDAI through its toll-free numbers 155255 and 1800-4254-732, or through email at complaints@irdai.gov.in.
Complaints received through physical letters and emails are also registered in the Bima Bharosa system. IRDAI’s call centre provides multilingual support and operates in 12 languages, making the mechanism more accessible to policyholders across the country.
What policyholders should remember
The grievance mechanism effectively follows a two-stage escalation process: insurer first, IRDAI next.
Policyholders facing claim rejection, delays, mis-selling or other service-related problems should maintain copies of policy documents, claim-related correspondence and complaint acknowledgements. This documentation can be useful if the grievance has to be escalated.
The integration of insurers’ complaint management systems with Bima Bharosa is also aimed at improving monitoring and ensuring greater accountability in grievance resolution.
The bigger picture
With insurance products becoming increasingly important to household financial planning, an accessible grievance redressal system is critical for maintaining policyholder confidence. The 14-day resolution requirement at the insurer level, coupled with regulatory oversight through Bima Bharosa, gives customers a defined escalation route rather than leaving them to navigate individual insurers without recourse.
For policyholders, the key takeaway is simple: raise the complaint with the insurer, track the response, and escalate to IRDAI through Bima Bharosa if the issue remains unresolved or the response is unsatisfactory.