Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	Ivy Funds Variable Insurance Portfolios
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Apr. 30, 2013
Ivy Funds VIP Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Ivy Funds VIP Value
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	To seek to provide capital appreciation.
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 67% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	67.00%
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 Value seeks to achieve its objective by investing in the common stocks of primarily large capitalization companies that Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company (WRIMCO), the Portfolio's investment manager, believes are undervalued, trading at a significant discount relative to the intrinsic value of the company as estimated by WRIMCO and/or are out of favor in the financial markets but have a favorable outlook for capital appreciation. Although the Portfolio primarily invests in securities issued by large capitalization companies (typically, companies with market capitalizations of at least $10 billion at the time of acquisition), it may invest in securities issued by companies of any size. The Portfolio seeks to be diversified across economic sectors in an effort to manage risk, and to limit excess volatility. To identify securities for the Portfolio, WRIMCO primarily utilizes fundamental, bottom-up research while considering a top-down (assess the market environment) and quantitative analysis. The estimated intrinsic value of companies is primarily determined by WRIMCO based on cash flow generation, but other valuation factors are also considered, such as price to earnings and price to book value. WRIMCO also considers a company's asset growth, changes in share count, and changes in working capital. The Portfolio emphasizes companies which may have a clearly identifiable catalyst that WRIMCO believes will help the company achieve its estimated intrinsic value. The Portfolio typically holds a limited number of stocks (generally 35 to 45). 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 will typically sell a stock when, in WRIMCO's opinion, it reaches an acceptable price, its fundamental characteristics have changed or it has performed below WRIMCO's expectations. WRIMCO also may sell a security to reduce the Portfolio's holding in that security, to take advantage of what it believes to be 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. The Portfolio is not intended as a complete investment program. A variety of factors can affect the investment performance of the Portfolio and prevent it from achieving its objective. These include: Catalyst Risk. Investing in companies in anticipation of a catalyst carries the risk that certain of such catalysts may not happen or the market may react differently than expected to such catalysts, in which case the Portfolio may experience losses. 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 Exposure Risk. The securities of many companies may have significant exposure to foreign markets as a result of the company’s products or services in those foreign markets. As a result, a company’s domicile and/or the markets in which the company’s securities trade may not be fully 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. Holdings Risk. The Portfolio typically holds a limited number of stocks (generally 35 to 45). As a result, the appreciation or depreciation of any one security held by the Portfolio will have a greater impact on the Portfolio’s net asset value (NAV) than it would if the Portfolio invested in a larger number of securities. Large Company Risk. Large capitalization companies may go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. 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. Although the securities of larger companies may be less volatile than those of companies with smaller market capitalizations, returns on investments in securities of large capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller companies. 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 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 in turn 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. Value Stock Risk. Value stocks are stocks of companies that may have experienced adverse business or industry developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of WRIMCO, undervalued. The value of a security believed by WRIMCO to be undervalued may never reach what is believed to be its full value, or such security’s value may decrease.
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 a broad-based securities market 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. 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. Prior to April 30, 2012, the Portfolio’s investment objective was to seek long-term capital appreciation. Effective as of April 30, 2012, the Portfolio changed its investment objective to seeking to provide capital appreciation. 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 a broad-based securities market 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 Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]	rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads	The performance results do not reflect any Policy-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	In the period shown in the chart, the highest quarterly return was 20.05% (the third quarter of 2009) and the lowest quarterly return was -20.08 % (the third quarter of 2011).
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2012
Ivy Funds VIP Value | Ivy Funds VIP Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)	rr_ShareholderFeeOther
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.07%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.02%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	104
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	325
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	563
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,248
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	104
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	325
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	563
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	1,248
2003	rr_AnnualReturn2003	25.11%
2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	14.70%
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	4.42%
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	16.88%
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	1.90%
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(33.81%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	26.64%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	18.71%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(7.32%)
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	18.88%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest quarterly return
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	20.05%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest quarterly return
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(20.08%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	18.88%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.86%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.94%
Ivy Funds VIP Value | Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	17.51%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.59%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	7.38%
Ivy Funds VIP Value | Lipper Variable Annuity Large-Cap Value Funds Universe Average (net of fees and expenses)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	15.71%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.35%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.54%