How long it takes to surrender depends on the specific types of insurance. Because the insurance contract only clearly stipulates that the insurance company will refund the cash value of the insurance contract within 30 days from the date of receiving the application for termination of the contract, how long it takes to surrender depends on how long the insurance company has to deal with it. If you handle it quickly, you can usually get the money in a week or so. If you slow down, you can get the money 30 days ago.