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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Document Type dei_DocumentType Other
Document Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate Mar. 30, 2012
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName JOHN HANCOCK VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST
Central Index Key dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0000756913
Amendment Flag dei_AmendmentFlag false
Document Creation Date dei_DocumentCreationDate Mar. 30, 2012
Document Effective Date dei_DocumentEffectiveDate Mar. 30, 2012
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Mar. 26, 2012
Strategic Equity Allocation Trust | Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading STRATEGIC EQUITY ALLOCATION TRUST
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock To seek capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses jhvit756913_FundFeesAndExpensesAbstract  
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 fund.. They are based on estimated expenses for the current fiscal year. The fees and expenses do not reflect fees and expenses for the variable insurance contracts and would be higher if they did. For more information on the fees of the variable insurance contracts see the contract prospectus.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_OperatingExpensesAbstract  
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text] rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates "Other Expenses" are estimated for the fund’s first 12 months of operations.
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination March 26, 2013
Examples rr_ExpenseExampleAbstract  
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Examples.
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock The examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examples assume that $10,000 is invested in the fund for the periods indicated and then all shares are redeemed at the end of those periods. The examples also assume that the investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect fees and expenses of any separate account that may use the fund as its underlying investment medium and expenses would be higher if they did. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Portfolio Turnover jhvit756913_PortfolioTurnoverAltAbstract  
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The fund 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 fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. While the fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, it is anticipated that the fund’s portfolio turnover rate will typically exceed 100%.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 100.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing under normal market conditions at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. and foreign equity securities of any market capitalization, including futures on indexes of equity securities. The fund’s allocation to various markets and types of securities will be actively managed.

The fund may invest in both developed and emerging markets. The fund’s investment in equity securities will vary both with respect to types of securities and markets in response to changing market and economic trends. The precise mix of securities will depend on the subadviser’s outlook for the markets and generally reflect the subadviser’s strategic asset allocation analysis and its assessment of the relative attractiveness of a particular asset class. When determining whether to invest in a particular market, the subadviser considers various factors, including economic and political conditions, potential for economic growth and possible changes in currency exchange rates.

The fund also may invest in exchange-traded funds and fixed-income securities, including, but not limited to:

  • U.S. Treasury and agency securities as well as notes backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
  • U.S. Treasury futures contracts,
  • Mortgage-backed securities, including mortgage pass-through securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) and collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”),
  • U.S. and foreign corporate bonds,
  • Foreign government and agency securities, and
  • Lower Rated Fixed Income Securities and High Yield Securities (also known as “junk bonds”).

The foreign securities in which the fund invests may be denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currency. The fund may actively manage its exposure to foreign currencies through the use of foreign currency forward contracts and other currency derivatives. The fund may own foreign cash equivalents and foreign bank deposits as part of its investment strategy. The fund may invest in non-U.S. currencies for hedging and speculative purposes.

The fund will engage in derivatives transactions, including but not limited to, futures and options contracts, foreign currency forward contracts and swaps including credit default swaps and total return swaps. for hedging and nonhedging purposes including, without limitation, the following purposes:

  • to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held or to be purchased by the fund resulting from securities markets or currency exchange rate fluctuations,
  • to protect the fund’s unrealized gains in the value of its securities,
  • to facilitate the sale of the fund’s securities for investment purposes,
  • to manage the effective maturity or duration of the fund’s securities,
  • to establish a position in the derivatives markets as a method of gaining exposure to a particular security or market,
  • to facilitate the repatriation of foreign currency and the settlement of purchases of foreign securities, and
  • to increase or decrease exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The fund is subject to risks, and you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in the fund include:

Active management risk The subadviser’s investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Credit and counterparty risk The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, spot transactions, currency forwards, currency options or other over-the-counter derivatives contracts, or a borrower of a fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund’s share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Equity securities risk The value of a company’s equity securities is subject to changes in the company’s financial condition, and overall market and economic conditions.
 
Growth Investing Risk. The securities of growth companies are subject to greater price fluctuations than other types of stocks because their market prices tend to place greater emphasis on future earnings expectations.
 
Value Investing Risk. The securities of value companies are subject to the risk that the companies may not overcome the adverse business developments or other factors causing their securities to be underpriced or that the market may never come to recognize their fundamental value.

Exchange-traded funds risk Owning an ETF generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities it is designed to track.

Fixed-income securities risk Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk As compared to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign companies. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments. Investments in emerging-market countries are subject to greater levels of foreign investment risk.

Hedging, derivatives and other strategic transactions risk Hedging and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions in which the fund intends to invest and the main risks associated with each of them:
 
Foreign currency forward contracts Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.
 
Futures contracts Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions) and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.
 
Options Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions) and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.
 
Swaps Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, settlement risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving swaps.

High portfolio turnover risk Actively trading securities can increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance).

Issuer risk An issuer of a security may perform poorly and, therefore, the value of its stocks and bonds may decline. An issuer of securities held by the fund could default or have its credit rating downgraded.

Liquidity risk Exposure exists when trading volume, lack of a market maker or legal restrictions impair the ability to sell particular securities or close derivative positions at an advantageous price.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed income securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to advser issuer, political, regulatory, market or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Medium and smaller company risk The prices of medium and smaller company stocks can change more frequently and dramatically than those of large company stocks. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, the market capitalization of a company is based on its market capitalization at the time the fund purchases the company’s securities. Market capitalization of companies changes over time.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate and/or other market risks.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney The fund is subject to risks, and you could lose money by investing in the fund.
Performance jhvit756913_FundPastPerformanceAbstract  
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Past Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock This section normally shows how a fund’s total return has varied from year to year, along with a broad-based securities market index for reference. Because the fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, there is no past performance to report.
Performance One Year or Less [Text] rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess Because the fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, there is no past performance to report.
Strategic Equity Allocation Trust | Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares | Series I
  
Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_OperatingExpensesAbstract  
Operating Expenses Column [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesColumnName Series I
Management Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.05%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03% [1]
Total Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.73%
Contractual expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.18%) [2]
Net Operating Expenses rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.55%
Examples rr_ExpenseExampleAbstract  
Expense Example, By Year, Column [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearColumnName Series I
Year 1 rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 56
Year 3 rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 215
Strategic Equity Allocation Trust | Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares | Series II
  
Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_OperatingExpensesAbstract  
Operating Expenses Column [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesColumnName Series II
Management Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03% [1]
Total Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.93%
Contractual expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.18%) [2]
Net Operating Expenses rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.75%
Examples rr_ExpenseExampleAbstract  
Expense Example, By Year, Column [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearColumnName Series II
Year 1 rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 77
Year 3 rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 286
Strategic Equity Allocation Trust | Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares | Series NAV
  
Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_OperatingExpensesAbstract  
Operating Expenses Column [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesColumnName Series NAV
Management Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03% [1]
Total Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.68%
Contractual expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.18%) [2]
Net Operating Expenses rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.50%
Examples rr_ExpenseExampleAbstract  
Expense Example, By Year, Column [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearColumnName Series NAV
Year 1 rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 51
Year 3 rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 199
[1] "Other Expenses" are estimated for the fund's first 12 months of operations.
[2] The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the maximum annual rate of management fee to 0.47% of the fund's average daily net assets. This expense limitation expires on March 26, 2013, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the adviser based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.