Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	Ivy Funds Variable Insurance Portfolios
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Apr. 30, 2012
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	To seek to provide total return.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table below does not reflect any fees and expenses imposed under the variable life insurance policies and variable annuity contracts (collectively, Policies) through which this Portfolio is offered. See the Policy prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 57% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	57.00%
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other portfolios. This example does not reflect any fees and expenses imposed under the Policies. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the shares of the Portfolio for the time periods indicated. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. The costs are the same for each time period if you continue to hold your shares or if you redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy seeks to achieve its objective by allocating its assets primarily among stocks, bonds and short-term instruments of issuers in markets around the globe, as well as investments in precious metals and investments with exposure to various foreign currencies. The Portfolio may invest its assets in any market that Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company (WRIMCO), the Portfolio’s investment manager, believes can offer a high probability of return or, alternatively, can provide a high degree of safety in uncertain times. Dependent on its outlook for the U.S. and global economies, WRIMCO identifies growth themes and then focuses its strategy on allocating the Portfolio’s assets among stocks, bonds, cash, precious metals, currency and derivative instruments, including derivatives traded over-the-counter and on exchanges. After determining these allocations, WRIMCO seeks attractive opportunities within each market by focusing on issuers in countries, sectors and companies with strong cash flow and low balance sheet leverage. “Stocks” include equity securities of all types, although WRIMCO typically emphasizes growth potential in selecting stocks by focusing on what it believes are steady-growth companies that fit WRIMCO’s criteria for sustainable competitive advantage and that WRIMCO believes are positioned to benefit from continued global rebalancing and the globally emerging middle class. Growth stocks are those whose earnings WRIMCO believes are likely to grow faster than the economy. The Portfolio may invest in securities issued by companies of any size, but primarily focuses on securities issued by large cap companies. “Bonds” include all varieties of fixed-income instruments, such as corporate debt securities or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (U.S. government securities), with remaining maturities of more than one year. This investment type may include a significant amount, up to 35% of the Portfolio’s total assets, of high-yield/high-risk bonds, or junk bonds, which include bonds rated BB+ or below by Standard & Poor’s, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) or, if unrated, determined by WRIMCO to be of comparable quality. “Short-term instruments” include all types of short-term securities with remaining maturities of one year or less, including higher-quality money market instruments. Within each of these investment types, the Portfolio may invest in U.S. and foreign securities; the Portfolio may invest up to 100% of its total assets in foreign securities, including issuers located in and/or generating revenue from emerging markets. Many U.S. companies have diverse operations, with products or services in foreign markets. Therefore, the Portfolio will have an indirect exposure to foreign markets through investments in these companies. WRIMCO may allocate the Portfolio’s investments among these different types of securities in different proportions at different times, including up to 100% in stocks, bonds, or short-term instruments, respectively. WRIMCO may exercise a flexible strategy in the selection of securities, and the Portfolio is not required to allocate its investments among stocks and bonds in any fixed proportion, nor is it limited by investment style or by the issuer’s location, size, market capitalization or industry sector. The Portfolio may have none, some or all of its assets invested in each asset class in relative proportions that change over time based upon market and economic conditions. Subject to diversification limits, the Fund also may invest up to 25% of its total assets in precious metals. Generally, in determining whether to sell a security, WRIMCO considers many factors, which may include a deterioration in a company’s fundamentals caused by global-specific factors such as geo-political landscape changes, regulatory or currency changes, or increased competition, as well as company-specific factors, such as reduced pricing power, diminished market opportunity, or increased competition. WRIMCO also may sell a security if the price of the security reaches what WRIMCO believes is fair value, to reduce the Portfolio’s holding in that security, to take advantage of more attractive investment opportunities or to raise cash. WRIMCO may, when consistent with the Portfolio’s investment objective, seek to hedge market risk on various securities, increase exposure to various companies, sectors or markets, manage exposure to various foreign currencies, precious metals and various markets, and seek to hedge certain event risks on positions held by the Portfolio. In an effort to achieve the Portfolio’s objective of hedging market risk and increasing exposure to companies, sectors or equity markets, WRIMCO may utilize various instruments including, but not limited to, the following: futures contracts, both long and short positions, total return swaps, credit default swaps and options contracts, both written and purchased, on foreign and U.S. equity indices and/or on individual equity securities. In seeking to manage foreign currency exposure, WRIMCO may utilize forward contracts and option contracts, both written and purchased, either to increase or decrease exposure to a given currency. In seeking to manage the Portfolio’s exposure to precious metals, WRIMCO may utilize futures contracts, both long and short positions as well as options contracts, both written and purchased, on precious metals. In seeking to manage the Portfolio’s event risks, WRIMCO may utilize futures contracts, both long and short positions on foreign and U.S. equity indices and options contracts, both written and purchased, on individual equity securities the Portfolio owns and on foreign and U.S. equity indices. WRIMCO may reduce the Portfolio’s net equity exposure by selling, among other instruments, combined futures and option positions, and may effect short sales of individual securities and/or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or take long positions in inverse ETFs.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Investment Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	As with any mutual fund, the value of the Portfolio’s shares will change, and you could lose money on your investment. A variety of factors can affect the investment performance of the Portfolio and prevent it from achieving its objective. These include: Commodities Risk. Commodity trading is generally considered speculative because of the significant potential for investment loss. Among the factors that could affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments in commodities are cyclical economic conditions, sudden political events and adverse international monetary policies. Markets for commodities are likely to be volatile and there may be sharp price fluctuations even during periods when prices overall are rising. Also, the Portfolio may pay more to store and accurately value its commodity holdings than it does with its other portfolio investments. Moreover, under the federal tax law, the Portfolio may not earn more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from selling commodities (and other non-qualifying income). Accordingly, the Portfolio may be required to hold its commodities or to sell them at a loss, or to sell portfolio securities at a gain, when for investment reasons it would not otherwise do so. Company Risk. A company may perform worse than the overall market due to specific factors, such as adverse changes to its business or investor perceptions about the company. Credit Risk. An issuer of a fixed-income obligation may not make payments on the obligation when due or may default on its obligation. Derivatives Risk. The use of derivatives presents several risks, including the risk that these instruments may be regulated in a manner which adversely affects the value of the Portfolio’s investments and the risk that fluctuations in the value of the derivatives may not correlate with securities markets or the underlying asset from which the derivative’s value is derived. Moreover, some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than others. To the extent the judgment of WRIMCO as to certain movements is incorrect, the risk of loss is greater than if the derivative technique(s) had not been used. Derivatives also may be subject to counterparty risk, which includes the risk that a loss may be sustained by a Portfolio as a result of the insolvency or bankruptcy of, or other non-compliance by, another party to the transaction. Emerging Market Risk. Investments in countries with emerging economies or securities markets may carry greater risk than investments in more developed countries. Political and economic structures in many such countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and such countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Foreign Currency Risk. Foreign securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. The value of the Portfolio’s investments, as measured in U.S. dollars, may be unfavorably affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations. Foreign Market Risk. The securities of many companies may have significant exposure to foreign markets as a result of the company’s products or services in foreign markets so that its domicile and/or the markets in which its securities trade may not be reflective of its sources of revenue. Such securities would be subject to some of the same risks as an investment in foreign securities, including the risk that political and economic events unique to a country or region will adversely affect those markets in which the company’s products or services are sold. Foreign Securities Risk. Investing in foreign securities involves a number of economic, financial and political considerations that may not be associated with the U.S. markets and that could affect the Portfolio’s performance unfavorably, depending upon the prevailing conditions at any given time. Among these potential risks are: greater price volatility; comparatively weak supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers and issuers; higher brokerage costs; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and related conversion costs; adverse foreign tax consequences; and settlement delays. Growth Stock Risk. Prices of growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other stocks. Growth stocks may not perform as well as value stocks or the stock market in general. Interest Rate Risk. A rise in interest rates may cause a decline in the value of the Portfolio’s securities, especially bonds with longer maturities. A decline in interest rates may cause the Portfolio to experience a decline in its income. Investment Company Securities Risk. As a shareholder in an investment company, the Portfolio would bear its pro rata share of that investment company’s expenses, which could result in duplication of certain fees, including management and administrative fees. Large Company Risk. Large capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion. Low-rated Securities Risk. In general, low-rated debt securities (commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds) offer higher yields due to the increased risk that the issuer will be unable to meet its obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by the debt instrument. For this reason, these bonds are considered speculative and could significantly weaken the Portfolio’s returns. In adverse economic or other circumstances, issuers of these low-rated securities and obligations are more likely to have difficulty making principal and interest payments than issuers of higher-rated securities and obligations. Management Risk. Portfolio performance is primarily dependent on WRIMCO’s skill in evaluating and managing the Portfolio’s holdings and the Portfolio may not perform as well as other similar mutual funds. Market Risk. Adverse market conditions, sometimes in response to general economic or industry news, may cause the prices of the Portfolio’s holdings to fall as part of a broad market decline. The financial crisis in the U.S. and foreign economies over the past several years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, has resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both U.S. and foreign, and in the net asset values (NAVs) of many mutual funds, including to some extent the Portfolio. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region may adversely affect issuers in another country or region, which may adversely affect securities held by the Portfolio. These circumstances have also decreased liquidity in some markets and may continue to do so. In addition, certain unanticipated events, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war, and other geopolitical events, can have a dramatic adverse effect on securities held by the Portfolio.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	As with any mutual fund, the value of the Portfolio’s shares will change, and you could lose money on your investment.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The chart shows how performance has varied from year to year for the Portfolio. The table shows the average annual total returns for the Portfolio and also compares the performance with those of various indexes and a Lipper peer group (a universe of mutual funds with investment objectives similar to that of the Portfolio). The performance results do not reflect any Policy-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results. Performance results include the effect of expense reduction arrangements for some or all of the periods shown. If those arrangements had not been in place, the performance results for those periods would have been lower. During the periods for which performance is shown, the Portfolio’s investment objective was to seek high total return over the long term. Effective as of the date of this Prospectus, the Portfolio changed its investment objective to seeking to provide total return. The Portfolio’s past performance does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Current performance may be lower or higher. Please call 888.WADDELL for the Portfolio’s updated performance.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The chart shows how performance has varied from year to year for the Portfolio. The table shows the average annual total returns for the Portfolio and also compares the performance with those of various indexes and a Lipper peer group (a universe of mutual funds with investment objectives similar to that of the Portfolio).
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	888.WADDELL
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Portfolio’s past performance does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Chart of Year-by-Year Returns as of December 31 each year
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	In the period shown in the chart, the highest quarterly return was 15.83% (the third quarter of 2005) and the lowest quarterly return was -18.90% (the third quarter of 2011).
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2011
Performance Table Market Index Changed	rr_PerformanceTableMarketIndexChanged	The Portfolio's benchmark changed from Citigroup Broad Investment-Grade Index, effective March 2012. WRIMCO believes that the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index provides a better benchmark for the Portfolio in light of the types of securities in which the Portfolio invests. Both indexes will be presented in this year's prospectus for comparison purposes. The Portfolio's benchmark changed from Citigroup Short-Term Index for 1 Month Certificates of Deposit, effective March 2012. WRIMCO believes that the Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Bills: 1-3 Month Index provides a better benchmark for the Portfolio in light of the types of securities in which the Portfolio invests. Both indexes will be presented in this year's prospectus for comparison purposes.
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)	rr_MaximumAccountFee
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.69%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.06%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.00%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	102
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	318
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	552
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,225
2002	rr_AnnualReturn2002	3.28%
2003	rr_AnnualReturn2003	11.47%
2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	13.30%
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	24.27%
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	20.15%
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	44.11%
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(25.79%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	25.04%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	8.68%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(7.21%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest quarterly return
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2005
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	15.83%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest quarterly return
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(18.90%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(7.21%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.16%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.14%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	2.11%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.25%)
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.92%
Citigroup Broad Investment-Grade Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	7.85%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.68%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	5.89%
Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	7.84%	[1]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.50%	[1]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	5.78%	[1]
Citigroup Short-Term Index for 1 Month Certificates of Deposit (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.21%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.82%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.19%
Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Bills: 1-3 Month Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.07%	[2]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.36%	[2]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	1.85%	[2]
Lipper Variable Annuity Global Flexible Portfolio Funds Universe Average (net of fees and expenses) | Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.58%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	2.14%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.44%

[1] (The Portfolio's benchmark changed from Citigroup Broad Investment-Grade Index, effective March 2012. WRIMCO believes that the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index provides a better benchmark for the Portfolio in light of the types of securities in which the Portfolio invests. Both indexes will be presented in this year's prospectus for comparison purposes.)

[2] (The Portfolio's benchmark changed from Citigroup Short-Term Index for 1 Month Certificates of Deposit, effective March 2012. WRIMCO believes that the Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Bills: 1-3 Month Index provides a better benchmark for the Portfolio in light of the types of securities in which the Portfolio invests. Both indexes will be presented in this year's prospectus for comparison purposes.)