Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Apr. 30, 2012
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	Ivy Funds Variable Insurance Portfolios
Ivy Funds VIP Dividend Opportunities
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Ivy Funds VIP Dividend Opportunities
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 45% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	45.00%
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 Dividend Opportunities seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in large cap companies that are often market leaders in their industry, with established operating records that Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company (WRIMCO), the Portfolio’s investment manager, believes are high-quality companies that may accelerate or grow their dividend payout ratio and that also demonstrate favorable prospects for total return. Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its net assets in dividend-paying equity securities. For this purpose, such securities consist primarily of dividend-paying common stocks. Although the Portfolio invests primarily in securities issued by large cap companies (typically, companies with capitalizations of at least $10 billion), it may invest in securities issued by companies of any size. The Portfolio primarily focuses on companies that have one or more of the following characteristics: high dividend yields that are, in the opinion of WRIMCO, relatively safe; above-average market yield that WRIMCO expects will continue to maintain and/or grow dividends; small dividends that WRIMCO expects could grow over the next few years; and no dividends but WRIMCO expects the company to initiate payment of dividends. WRIMCO also considers other factors, which may include the company’s: established operating history; competitive dividend yields; growth and profitability opportunities; history of improving sales and profits; status as a market leader in its industry; and stock price value. 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. Generally, in determining whether to sell a security, WRIMCO considers many factors, including: changes in economic or market factors in general or with respect to a particular industry, changes in the market trends or other factors affecting an individual security, and changes in the relative market performance or appreciation possibilities offered by individual securities. WRIMCO also may sell a security to reduce the Portfolio’s holding in that security, to take advantage of more attractive investment opportunities or to raise cash.
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: 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Sector Risk. At times, the Portfolio may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of companies conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within an economic sector. Companies in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the Portfolio more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.
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 an index 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. Effective July 31, 2008, the Portfolio changed its investment objective from seeking to provide income and long-term capital growth to seeking to provide total return. 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. 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 an index 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 14.04% (the fourth quarter of 2011) and the lowest quarterly return was -21.43% (the fourth quarter of 2008).
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2011
Ivy Funds VIP Dividend Opportunities | Ivy Funds VIP Dividend Opportunities
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)	rr_MaximumAccountFee
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.05%
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
Annual Return 2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	9.96%
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	13.03%
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	15.91%
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	16.72%
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(35.91%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	17.88%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	16.37%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(4.69%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest quarterly return
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2011
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	14.04%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest quarterly return
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(21.43%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(4.69%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.44%)
Life of Portfolio	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	4.38%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 30, 2003
Russell 1000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (Index comparison begins on December 31, 2003.) | Ivy Funds VIP Dividend Opportunities
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	1.50%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(0.02%)
Life of Portfolio	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	3.97%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 31, 2003
Lipper Variable Annuity Equity Income Funds Universe Average (net of fees and expenses) (Index comparison begins on December 31, 2003.) | Ivy Funds VIP Dividend Opportunities
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	1.23%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	(1.32%)
Life of Portfolio	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	3.86%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 31, 2003