Schengen travel health insurance is a mandatory travel insurance policy that you must purchase if you are applying for a Schengen visa.
As stipulated by Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 July 2009, which entered into force on April 5, 2010, all foreign nationals who apply for a Schengen visa must submit proof of purchased travel insurance.
Requirements
The Schengen visa travel insurance is different from “traditional” travel insurance because it must meet these requirements:
- The policy must be valid in all of the 29 Schengen countries and cover the entire period of stay in the Schengen Area
- Cover all emergency medical expenses that may occur during your visit to the Schengen Area and transportation back to your country of origin if necessary.
- Cover a minimum of €30,000 in medical expenses (approx. $32,842).
Discover the Best Schengen Travel Medical Insurance Options at SchengenInsuranceInfo – Fully EU-Compliant and Designed to Meet Your Visa Requirements.
What is the Best Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa?
Here are the best Schengen health insurance plans along with their respective costs for trips lasting from 7 to 30 days for one person:
| Insurer – Plan | 7-day trip | 15 days trip | 30 days trip |
| Europ Assistance – basic Schengen plan | €18 | €30 | €46 |
| Mondial Care – basic Schengen plan | €17 | €29 | €34 |
| World Nomads – basic Schengen plan | €46 | €130 | €187 |
| Allianz – basic Schengen plan | €49 | €105 | €217 |
| AXA – low-cost Schengen | €22 | €44 | €62 |
Please note that the plans listed above are only a selection of basic plans from a limited number of insurance providers. It’s important to remember that numerous policies and insurance providers are available for Schengen medical insurance, offering a range of coverage options and prices.
The table provided serves as a starting point to give you an idea of the different price ranges you may encounter. We encourage you to explore and compare various policies and providers to find the one that best suits your specific needs and preferences.
The price of insurance is not fixed; in contrast, it’s heavily dependent on several factors such as the chosen provider, how many days you’re spending in the Schengen Area, how many people are insured, what kind of benefits you’re including, your deductible, and so on.
How Does the Cost Depend on Different Factors?
The Provider
Because there are so many insurance providers and companies selling Schengen visa-compliant health insurance, there are so many variations in costs. One easy way to check differences between prices among companies is to use comparison websites, but these only include international companies. For local providers in your country— which tend to have cheaper prices — you should check customer reviews or verify the prices yourself.
Trip Duration
The longer you plan on staying in the Schengen Area the more the price of your insurance increases.
For example, AXA’s low-cost plan costs €22 for one person for a 7-day trip. The same plan costs €44 for 15 days and €62 for one month.
Additional Benefits
The more benefits your insurance plan has the more its cost increases. That’s why you’ll notice that most insurance providers offer you a basic plan which is cheaper, and then maybe two or more plans with additional coverage, which are more expensive.
Policyholder’s Age
Travel insurance prices tend to increase with the policyholder’s age. Most insurance providers increase the price for individuals over 55, but of course, this can also vary depending on the provider.
Deductible Amount
A common misconception about medical insurance for Schengen visa is that people may have is “having a zero-deductible policy is a requirement”. However, the Schengen Visa Code does not state such a requirement, nor do the Schengen embassies stipulate such a condition.
Still, you can find Schengen visa-compliant insurance with zero deductible; in fact, they’re fairly common. But you have to remember that if you have a deductible, and the higher you set your deductible, the cost of your insurance decreases.
Why is this? The higher your deductible, the more you will have to pay out of pocket before your insurance starts to cover your expenses.
Expert tips:
You should buy insurance with either a zero or low deductible. We say this because Schengen insurance tends to be affordable from the start, so it’s not worth it to have a high deductible so you can lower the price of an already inexpensive plan.
What Not to Do When Choosing Your Schengen Medical Insurance Policy?
- Do not wait to buy your insurance until the last minute; buy it at least two weeks before you plan on applying for your Schengen visa.
- Do not lie to your insurance provider about your health condition; it’s important you disclose any health issues so you can be properly covered while traveling in the Schengen Area.
- Do not neglect to read the details of your policy carefully. You are in charge of selecting and buying your policy, so please read it carefully before making a final decision.
- Do not overlook the insurance provider’s reputation. Customer reviews, rating pages, insurance brokers, and online forums are the best options in this case to find out what kind of insurance provider you’re working with.
Schengen Visa Travel Insurance Evaluation Checklist
Consider the following list of questions to aid in your evaluation and decision-making:
| Evaluation Questions | Yes | No |
| Does the policy include the mandatory Schengen coverage requirements? | ||
| Is the insurance sold by a pre-approved or expert provider? | ||
| Have I researched the insurance provider’s reputation through customer reviews or ratings? | ||
| Will the insurance policy cover all the countries I plan to visit within the Schengen area? | ||
| Does the policy offer additional benefits I need during my Schengen trip? | ||
| Is the premium cost for the coverage provided affordable and reasonable? | ||
| Does the policy offer additional benefits such as 24/7 emergency assistance or travel concierge services? | ||
| Does the insurance policy provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions? | ||
| Is the claims process clearly outlined and easy to understand? | ||
| Have I carefully read and understood the policy fine print, including terms and conditions? | ||
| Is my policy within my budget? | ||
| Is customer support readily available for inquiries or assistance? | ||
| Is my trip duration within the insurance policy’s coverage period? |
Get the downloadable checklist here.
If you’ve answered most of these questions and statements with YES, you are headed towards buying a suitable Schengen medical travel insurance. If you answered NO to most of these questions, you might want to review your policy again and look into another option before making your final purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Get Insurance from a Travel Agency?
If you book your Schengen trip via a travel agency, you can buy your insurance at that agency. Typically, travel agencies are aware of which insurance policies are accepted by Schengen embassies, so they work with the providers who sell those policies.
What Is the €30,000 Requirement?
The €30,000 requirement is the minimum amount your insurance needs to cover for medical expenses to be valid as stipulated in the Schengen Visa Code:
“The insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person’s intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000”
Why Isn’t It Less than €30,000 or More?
The €30,000 wasn’t chosen at random; Schengen authorities consider it enough to cover any medical services someone may need during their trip, as well as medical transportation and repatriation of remains.
On average, repatriation and transportation costs can range between €5,000 and €10,000, depending on the destination and the mode of transport. So, €30,000 is designed to cover these costs plus medical services; this way, travelers in the Schengen Area have adequate coverage.
What if I Don’t Have €30,000 Medical Coverage?
Your Schengen visa will be denied if you have insurance with medical coverage of less than €30,000.
For example, let’s say you want to travel to France for your friend’s birthday. But you need to apply for a Schengen visa. So, you prepare your documents carefully so everything will be ready when you submit your application.
However, you didn’t buy a medical insurance policy. Why? You found out that your employer’s insurance also includes a travel insurance plan. Your coworker assured you that it would be enough for a Schengen visa, as they used it last year and received a visa without any issues, so you didn’t question it.
Unfortunately, the travel health insurance provided by your employment had two problems; it had a medical coverage of €15,000 and did not cover all the Schengen countries.
Your management recently changed the insurance policy, and you didn’t check to see if it was valid before applying. Now, because your insurance did not meet Schengen guidelines, your visa was denied, and you can’t travel to France in time to celebrate with your friend.
What if I Have Insurance With More than €30,000 Coverage?
If your insurance covers an amount starting from €30,000 and above, you can still apply for your Schengen visa since the insurance guidelines only stipulate the minimum amount required.
€30,000 Requirement VS Insurance Cost
The difference between the two is that the cost of insurance refers to the overall price you pay for your insurance plan, and within that plan, you’ll have the €30,000 minimum amount for medical services.
Example:
You want to buy a Schengen health insurance plan from Europ Assistance. They have a basic plan with a minimum requirement of €30,000 that will cost you €18 for a 7-day trip. But you also notice they have another plan, Schengen Plus, which costs €28 for the same trip but offers medical coverage of €60,000.
That being said, these two are correlated. You’ll notice how Schengen medical insurance costs change, and within that change, the amount of medical coverage also differs. The higher the amount of coverage, the higher the cost, and vice-versa.
When should I buy my insurance policy?
You should buy your Schengen travel insurance as early as two weeks before you submit your Schengen application. While there is no set timeline for when to buy your insurance, you must do it before you apply for your visa.
Money-Saving Tips?
Here are a few tips to keep in mind to help you save money on your travel insurance for Schengen Area:
- Buy your policy for only the days you are traveling. For example, don’t buy an annual Schengen health insurance policy or multi-trip if you plan on traveling only once.
- Go for a more basic coverage. Do not include additional benefits you know you don’t need, including sports or adventure activities when you don’t plan on doing such activities.
- Look for various options. Shop around and get price quotes from different companies and brokers to compare what kind of prices they offer, where they differ, and find which one is more affordable.
- Buy a Schengen policy that covers only the Schengen countries. For example, if you’re only visiting countries within the Schengen Area, such as Germany, France and Lithuania, limit your travel insurance plan to only include countries within the Schengen Area since it will cost you more.
Don’t look to save money on deductibles! For example, if you come across a very low cost Schengen visa health insurance policy but have a high deductible, you might end up spending more than you saved if you had purchased a policy with a lower deductible. Say you break your leg, and you need to visit the emergency room. Your deductible is 30%. In this case, if the total cost of the treatment is 1,000 EUR you will end up paying 300 EUR for your medical services out of your own pocket.
Can I buy insurance if I’m already traveling?
No, you need to buy your insurance before traveling so you can submit proof of insurance with your visa application.
If you don’t need a visa, then you can buy your insurance after you arrive or at the airport, but you are not covered for the time you traveled without insurance.
How long does it take to get my insurance after I finish payment?
It takes a few minutes after you finish your payment to get your insurance certificate. If you buy your insurance in person you’ll receive the certificate immediately at the insurance company. If you buy your insurance online, you will receive an email containing the insurance certificate.
How do I use my insurance in Europe?
Let’s say you get food poisoning while you’re in the Schengen Area, so you visit an emergency room. Once you’re there, you’re admitted for urgent treatment, and you spend a night in the hospital and receive treatment.
You pay for the medical services and the medicine you need, and you provide your insurance details to the clinic. Meanwhile, you save all the important documents, such as hospital records, admissions, and receipts. Then, immediately after you’re feeling better, you call your insurance provider to file a claim on your insurance.
Once your claim is processed, you will receive a reimbursment from your provider for the services you paid.
I already bought my insurance, but I want to cancel it. Can I do that?
Yes, you can. With most insurance providers, if you cancel within a specific timeframe after buying your insurance, for example, after 10 days, you will receive a refund for your insurance. The same will happen if your visa is denied.
Of course, you need to discuss this option with your insurance provider before you buy your insurance, as some providers won’t give you a full refund or don’t have cancellation timelines.
Do I need to buy another insurance policy for a Schengen visa if I already have travel insurance?
No, you can use your current travel insurance as long as it’s valid and meets the Schengen travel visa insurance guidelines.
But, you must make sure that the embassy of the Schengen country you’re submitting your application for accepts your current insurance.
I’m traveling with my friends. Can I buy a group insurance policy?
Yes, if you’re traveling with your friends or family members, you can get a group insurance policy.
But it’s very important to keep in mind that all of your friends and/or family members need a separate insurance certificate so they can submit it with their visa application.
Are there any age restrictions?
There are usually no age restrictions for Schengen health insurance, as all visa applicants must possess valid insurance regardless of age.
However, some insurance companies may be more hesitant to cover senior citizens. In this case, you need to find an insurance policy that offers specific coverage for seniors.
Can I get travel insurance if I have a pre-existing condition?
Yes, in fact, you have no choice but to buy a Schengen travel insurance policy for your visa application, regardless of whether you have a pre-existing condition. In this case, however, you need to find a policy that also covers your pre-existing condition.
Expert tip:
Travel health insurance plans— whether Schengen insurance or not— rarely cover pre-existing conditions, but they may cover you for the “acute onset of a pre-existing condition.” What this means is that if you have an unexpected medical episode while traveling in the Schengen Area due to your pre-existing condition, your travel insurance will cover the medical costs you need for your treatment. It is important to mention that this kind of coverage can increase the overall cost of your insurance.
What happens to my insurance payment if my visa application is denied?
If your Schengen visa application is denied, most insurance companies will refund you for the travel insurance. You will also need to provide proof to your insurance provider that your visa was denied.
Of course, a refund option may not be available with all companies—you need to discuss this possibility with your insurance provider before you buy your insurance.