How to choose your travel insurance to Europe & Schengen
For many, a trip to Europe is once in a lifetime experience. Or at least a very special one that will generate many memories to cherish for the rest of their lives. Preparing for such a trip requires a big investment in planning time as well as money. So the more you’ve prepared for a trip and the more you have invested on it, the more worried you’ll be about things going wrong at some point. How can you minimize the risks and made problems that arise become less an inconvenience? The answer is getting travel insurance.
In this post we help you getting a clearer idea of what type of coverage you’ll need depending on your needs, and more importantly, your worries and level of risk acceptance, and figure out what company works best for you and this particular trip you are planning. Be it medical coverage, or specific countries you’ll be visiting (and its visa requirements), trip costs, luggage protection or other factors, this post will give you food for thought… and answers!
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Do I need travel insurance for Europe?
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Travel insurance for Schengen visa
If you’ll be visiting the Schengen area and you need a visa to enter it, obtaining a travel insurance for this trip is one of the compulsory requirements. And not any travel insurance works, the travel insurance required to obtain a Schengen visa need to include the following coverage:
- Costs of repatriation due to death or medical issues.
- Emergency care and hospitalization
- At least €30.000 coverage (or its equivalent in local currency)
- The insurance will cover the entire duration of your stay, and be valid for the entire Schengen area.
- When requesting a multiple-entrance visa, the travel insurance will be valid for the first trip, and the applicant will commit to book another insurance for the following trips.
Because of its basic coverage and mandatory nature, many companies offer specialized packages that are quite affordable – at just some euros per day. The exact price will depend on the insurance company, your age and health state, and if other perks are included in the coverage. After purchase you’ll receive a certificate including your personal details, insurance company and coverage, that you’ll have to submit with your visa application to a Schengen embassy either in person, online or by post.
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Why it's a always a good idea, even if you don't need a visa
Unexpected things can happen: flights are cancelled, people get sick, luggage is lost, wallets are stolen… Why carry the entire burden by yourself? Of course, not everyone has the same level of risk acceptance. And for the same person it can vary depending on each particular trip and destination. So in order to assert if booking a travel insurance is worth for you (and how much coverage you’ll need to feel safe), consider the following points:
- Are you in reasonably good shape? Are you likely to require medical assistance due to known conditions or are you prone to get sick?
- What are your chances to have to cancel your trip unexpectedly? For health reasons, because of the death or illness of a loved one, for other reasons?
- How much of your trip is refundable and for what reasons? Flights, hotels, tours and activities, other reservations…
- Will you be traveling with expensive items such as designer cloths or jewelry, or maybe with big amounts of cash?
- How strong is your financial situation, should you have to pay for unexpected emergency costs while you are abroad?
- How long is your trip? Are you going to travel more than once in a year?
- How many countries are you visiting? Do you speak the language? Have you been there before?
- All in all, what are your chances of facing problems that would benefit from having a travel insurance?
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US citizens
US travelers spending less than 90 days in Europe for tourism or business over a 180-day period don’t need a visa, therefore, a travel insurance is not mandatory. However, the US health plans such as Medicare and Medicaid don’t provide international coverage. Because of that, it’s always a good idea to get travel insurance to avoid having to pay for elevated medical costs should something happen during their trip. And because a trip to Europe from the US is usually not a short trip, and mishaps can happen, it’s even better to purchase an insurance that covers not just medical issues but also other travel-related problems. It is even possible to get some with multi-language 24/7 assistance, which comes really handy when you don’t speak the language.
IMPORTANT: Due to local regulations, some policies and premiums might not be available for New York (NY), Maryland (MD) and Washington (WA) residents, or people being physically there at the time of purchase. Make sure to check if that applies to your case.
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UK citizens
Before Brexit, UK citizens were entitled to EHIC, the European Health Insurance Card, with which the card holder can receive medical treatement in EU public hospitals at the same rate paid by the local citizens (so it it’s free for a resident, it’s free for the card holder as well). UK citizens still in possession of an EHIC card can still use it until it expires, but it cannot be renewed with a few exceptions (British pensioners or UK students that moved to an EU or EFTA country before 2021, or EU and EFTA citizens that moved to the UK before 2021).
Currently, though, UK citizens can apply to the GHIC, the Global Health Insurance Card, that entitles card holders to receive “necessary healthcare” in the public EU hospitals at the same rate of the country nationals. That applies to emergencies, maternity care, routine treatments for pre-existing conditions and anything that can’t wait until return to the UK.
Of course the perks of EHIC and GHIC are nice, but they won’t cover treatment in private clinics, repatriation to the UK, emergency rescues nor healthcare in non-EU countries. They don’t cover other travel-related issues, either. Because of that, getting travel insurance with better coverage is recommended.
Understanding your travel insurance coverage
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Countries
The Schengen area includes 25 EU countries and 4 EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries. These are the countries that belong to Schengen at the moment when this post is written (for an updated list, click here):
- EU Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark (except the Feroe islands and Greenland), Estonia, Finland, France (except their overseas territories), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands (except their overseas territories), Poland, Portugal (including the Açores and Madeira islands), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (including the Canary Islands), Sweden
- EFTA Countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (except Svalbard), Switzerland
So a Schengen travel insurance will be covering you for all the countries listed above. But what about other European areas that aren’t within Schengen? Let’s review them together (displayed alphabetically):
- Albania. Despite being in Europe, Albania is not an EU nor Schengen country and may require a different travel insurance.
- Andorra. As a micro-country completely surrounded by Schengen countries (Spain and France), you’ll need a double entry visa because you’ll be exiting a Schengen country and entering it again. Double check that the visa you are booking covers you for this country.
- Belarus. Despite being located in the Old Continent, Belarus is not an EU or Schengen member. You’ll need a specific visa and travel insurance for this country.
- Cyprus. Despite being a EU member, Cyprus is not yet a Schengen country although they could become one soon. If you are visiting Cyprus, make sure your travel insurance also covers you there.
- Gibraltar. Despite being surrounded by Spain, Gibraltar belongs to the UK and does not belong to Schengen. You’ll need a UK visa, and a travel insurance that covers you while you are there.
- Ireland. Despite being a EU member, Ireland has opted out of becoming a Schengen country and they have their own visa policy. If you are visiting Ireland besides the Schengen area you’ll need a separate visa for Ireland, with different requirements. Make sure that your travel insurance also covers you there.
- Monaco. As a micro-country completely surrounded by a Schengen country (France), you’ll need a double entry visa because you’ll be exiting a Schengen country and entering it again. Double check that the visa you are booking covers you for this country.
- Montenegro. Despite being in Europe, it isn’t an EU nor Schengen country and may require a different travel insurance.
- Morocco. Despite being in the Mediterranean coast, Morocco is not a EU member. You’ll need a separate visa, and a travel insurance that covers you there if your trip takes you to Morocco as well as to Schengen countries.
- Russia. Russia is not an EU or Schengen member. You’ll need a specific visa and travel insurance for this country.
- San Marino. As a micro-country completely surrounded by a Schengen country (Italy), you’ll need a double entry visa because you’ll be exiting a Schengen country and entering it again. Double check that the visa you are booking covers you for this country.
- Turkey. Turkey is not a EU member yet. You’ll need a separate visa, and a travel insurance that covers you while in Turkey.
- UK. As of 2020 the UK is not an EU member anymore, and even when they were, they had opted-out of Schengen. Because of that, you’ll need a separate visa, and a travel insurance that covers you while in Turkey.
- Ukraine. Despite being located in the Old Continent, Ukraine is not an EU or Schengen member. You’ll need a specific visa and travel insurance for this country.
- Vatican City. As a micro-country completely surrounded by a Schengen country (Italy), you’ll need a double entry visa because you’ll be exiting a Schengen country and entering it again. Double check that the visa you are booking covers you for this country.
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Medical and health insurance
Such upgrades can include access to private hospitals, or taking care of accommodation for your travel mates if necessary. Be aware that in most cases you may have to pay upfront, only to be reimbursed when you are back home, unless you require hospitalization – in which case the hospital will deal directly with your insurer.
Repatriation insurance (either of a sick person or a body) is another point to take into account and that often is disclosed separatedly from medical expenses. Make sure to understand in what cases it would apply, and do consider it if you’ll be visiting off the beaten path European areas.
Pre-existent conditions need to be declared when purchasing travel insurance: most of them are covered, but each case needs to be assess independently. Age is also a factor to take into account, as the older the person, the more expensive the health insurance is likely to be.
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Trip cancellation, interruption and delay protection
- Sickness that prevents you from traveling
- Losing your job
- Death of a travel partner or family member (make sure to read the fine print and understand how your insurance company defines each role)
- Airline or tour operator going out of business
- Missing a flight or ship for reasons out of your control affecting your ability to travel (weather, accidents, strikes…).
CANCELLATION AND INTERRUPTION CONDITIONS WORTH CHECKING:
- Natural disasters before leaving or during your trip (both at home and in destination)
- Terrorist attacks and acts of war
- Pandemics
CANCEL FOR ANY REASON?
Sometimes insurance companies can offer you to upgrade your policy to allow you to “Cancel For Any Reason”. Such policies give you the ultimate peace of mind, but they also come at high costs (50-75% of your entire trip). Consider them when you HAVE TO go on a trip but almost expect to have to cancel it last minute.8
Protecting your belongings
LUGGAGE INSURANCE
What happens when your luggage is lost, damaged or arrives later than you do? While airlines must have a certain luggage liability, it has a limit that certainly won’t cover valuable items such as the cost of electronics and expensive jewelry. And even if your possessions are theoretically covered with your home insurance even when you are abroad, such policies also come with limits. If you are worried about your belongings, do enquire about additional baggage insurance for excess valuation.
THEFT INSURANCE
Unfortunately many European cities are known for the refined abilities of their pickpockets… If you are traveling with expensive items, check first if your home insurance includes theft world-wide – a lot of them do. If it does, ask if there’s deductibles on it, and what’d be the best way to protect your valuables. Sometimes it’ll be worthwhile to add an upgrade to your home insurance, while others you’ll need a specific travel insurance with theft coverage. In any case, if you need to use it make sure to get a police report to claim compensation. BTW, theft insurance an often also include assistance if your passport is lost.
IMPORTANT: In both cases we recommend that before you leave you make an inventory of the belongings you want to protect including descriptions, models, serial numbers and pictures of them, and figure out their approximate cost or even their original invoices.
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Premium addons
The following situation may require additional insurance in the form of premium addons or upgrades. Take them into account:
- Adventure and winter sports. Medical emergencies generated when practicing aventure sports need special insurance. That includes common travel activities such as scuba diving, skiing but also rock climbing, bungee jumping, etc.
- Rental cars. If you are planning to rent a car, additional insurance is likely to be required. Your own car insurance from home is not likely to cover you if you have a crash while driving a rental car.
- Pet coverage. If you are traveling with your pet, it’s always a good idea to have it included in your policy.
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Exclusions
The following situations are usually not covered by a travel insurance:
- Dental coverage (unless the intervention is due to a medical emergency or accident)
- Problems resulting from drugs or alcohol abuse
- Medical tourism (traveling to a destination specifically to receive a certain treatment)
- Normal pregnancy checks, birth and newborn care
- Mental disorders
- Change of mind and last-minute changes
When to book it
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Why book it ASAP?
Or think of your flight being cancelled: the airplane is broken, or there’s a snow storm that forces the airport to shut down, or a vulcano erupts in Iceland and the entire European airspace is closed due to bad visibility conditions (yes, it’s happened!). Even if the airline might be forced to provide you with food and accommodation, knowing that your travel insurance will compensate you for any costs associated to this bad start of the trip will be one headache less.
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Can you book it once your trip has started?
Well, technically yes, you can purchase travel insurance at any moment during your trip (except if you need it for visa purposes, as your application will be denied if you don’t have an insurance when you apply). However, the cost of the insurance is likely to be higher if you are already travelling, and it won’t cover any issues that you have already encountered. It’ll only cover NEW issues that may appear after booking it. So don’t wait: get is ASAP, ideally as soon as you make your first booking for your trip – be it flight or hotel stay.
Which travel insurance to book
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Credit cards and bank accounts
More of then than not, the protection offered won’t be as strong as that of a dedicated travel insurance or the conditions to apply it might be more restrictive.
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Insurance companies you are already working with
And don’t forget the insurance companies that you are already using for other purposes. A domestic health insurance may have some additional coverage abroad, so you only need to purchase a travel insurance that complements it. Same goes for a home or rental insurance, or the life insurance you were forced to get to obtain your mortgage. The more you understand what you already have, the better you’ll understand what your travel insurance needs to include. And that will therefore help reducing the costs of it.
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Specialized travel insurance companies
Visitors Coverage
Our favorite insurer offers a wide variety of policies for all your different travel needs.
Their Europe Travel Plus plan is Schengen visa requirements compliant and it’s perfect if you’ll only be visiting Schengen countries. It provides you with a visa letter for your application, and offers not just the necessary medical and repatriation coverage, but also trip interruption and luggage protection. Trip delays and missed connections are not included, but you should be fine with the compensations required by the EU laws.
Their Atlas International Plans are also Schengen compliant and will also work if you are visiting other non-Schengen countries, for instance if you’ll be on a cruise or if you are visiting the UK, Ireland, Cyprus or a micro-state. There’s an Essential version that covers a smaller (but still quite sufficient) repatriation cost and a smaller (maybe tight) return of mortal remains. But the most important thing to take into account is that it does not cover acute onsets of pre-existing conditions, and it offers no other additional travel coverage.
The Standard and Premium Atlas do cover acute pre-existing conditions, and also offer travel protection such as trip interruption and delay (but not missed connections), lost luggage and personal liability. The main difference is that the Premium Atlas is much more generous in the economical compensations.
The Patriot International Plans are also Schengen compliant and cover Schengen and non-Schengen countries. Compared to Atlas, even the Lite Patriot includes acute onsets of pre-existent conditions. However, the Patriot copay percentage is higher than that of the Atlas. The Lite Patriot the covers the same amount for repatriation than the Standard and Premium Atlas, whereas Platinum Patriot will cover 100% no matter how much it is. Both Patriots cover 100% of the return of mortal remains.
Instead, trip delays and interruptions are not covered unless you purchase an addon, and the lost luggage protection is less generous than the Atlas Standard and Premium (although you can purchase an addon to protect your phone). The Patriot personal liability coverage is also weaker than Atlas Standard and Premium. However, Patriot allows you to include an addon for adventure and winter sports.
EKTA
Is another well known travel insurance company that you should consider. They provide one-country, Europe and world-wide coverage. However, their concept of “Europe” for insurance purposes is quite peculiar, and it includes:
- All the Schengen countries, including the 4 EFTA countries
- The 4 micro-states within Schengen (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City)
- Ireland and the UK (but not Cyprus, despite being an EU country)
- The following areas in the Balcans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
- The following ex-soviet republics: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
- Plus the following countries on the Mediterranean coast: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia and Turkey.
EKTA offers three levels of protection: Start, Gold and Max+. The Start Level is a very basic insurance with less coverage than the basic plans by Visitors Coverage. I’d only recommend it for travelers needing the bare minimum to obtain a Schengen visa. Their Gold plan is a bit more complete on the medical aspects, covering for instance acute onsets of pre-existent conditions, but since it does not cover dental emergency, trip interruption nor delay it’s weaker than the Standard Atlas. It does however include midwifery care until the 27th week. It also explicitly covers accidents on the water (pool, sea or ocean) and won’t check on alcohol levels to entitle you to treatment.Extreme sports are available as an addon.
Finally, the Max+ plan policy is a very complete travel insurance that will even cover the taxi to the hospital, and it does include dental emergency. It also includes other perks such as baggage loss, flight delay, third party liability, car crash accidents, force majeure and much more.
TRAVELEX
Travelex does not seem to provide Schengen visa letters, but if you don’t need a visa you may want to consider them. Their policies all the European and Mediterranean locations except for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel and Palestina. They offer three levels of protection: Essential, Advantage and Ultimate, the main difference being the amount of money assigned to each coverage category. Travelex is specially good to protect you from cancellation, delays and trip interruptions, all their plans can be upgraded to include extreme sports. Plus their Ultimate policy includes pre-existing conditions (under certain conditions). They also have cancel for any reason, pet insurance and rental car addons.
AXA TRAVEL INSURANCE
This well-known insurance company has its own dedicated travel department. They offer three different plans that are Schengen visa compliant: Schengen Essential, Schengen Advantage and Schengen Annual. They are however very basic in which they only offer the basic coverage necessary to comply with the visa requirements, the Advantage plan obviously giving you more money than the Essential one. The Essential also includes luggage delay, whereas the Advantage one includes a small coverage for trip interruption. Two pros are that both include dental emergencies and that there is no age limitations to book them. The Annual plan is similar to the Schengen Advantage, but it’s valid for multiple trips as long as they don’t exceed 180 days in total.
If you don’t need a visa and prefer to cover more aspects than just the medical part, Axa offers 3 different plans (Silver, Gold and Platinum), and they are probably the best for trip cancellation, interruption and delay protection: all three plans cover them generously. They also cover luggage and personal items. Also, if you’ll be renting a car, the Gold and Platinum policies have rental car coverage. The Platinum rate can also be upgraded to a Cancel For Any Reason plan. And sport people will love to know that the Platinum rate compensates you for lost skier days, lost golf rounds and damage to sport equipment rental.
CLEMENS HEYMONDO
Clements Heymondo is a specialized travel insurance that gets you covered in most aspects of your trip, except that it does not provide the letter necessary for the Schengen Visa. It provides a decent coverage for emergency expenses (including dental ones), as well as evacuation and repatriation of remains – plus it also compensates your or your heirs economically in case of accidental death or loss of a limb.
It also covers baggage loss and delay (including some amount for specialty items), as well as trip delay, miss connections, cancellation and interruption. A big pro is that adventure sports are included, and it specifically states that cruise travel is included – which is not mentioned in other travel insurance we’ve compared. And we love that they have a phone app that allows you to get 24/7 assistance on the road and to manage your insurance from your phone. The only downside is that it does not protect legal coverage of any kind. They also offer an annual multi-trip insurance.
SEVEN CORNERS
This famous American travel insurance company offers a variety of products that fit different needs. First there is the basic Trip Protection that includes trip cancellation and interruption (with Cancel or Interrupt For Any Reason as an upgrade), plus medical and evacuation expenses (including dental emergencies) as well as luggage protection. Then they have a specific Medical Insurance that complies with the Schengen visa requisites, and it also includes trip interruption (but not cancellation pre-trip!) and luggage protection. But our favorite is their special Cruise Insurance (only available for US residents). It comes of course with medical coverage and luggage protection, but it also gets you covered for trip cancellation, interruption or delay, PLUS it compensates you for missed tours and cruise connections, itinerary changes and diversions as well as cruise disablements.
INSUBUY
Insubuy is a dedicate Travel Insurance company that makes booking your travel insurance easy peasy – it’ll take you just a few minutes. They have a compliant Schengen Insurance that provides an instantly downloadable letter to obtain your visa. And if you are only visiting one European country they also provide policies for specific Schengen countries that are worth checking. But what we love about them is that they have insurance products to cover very specific needs: Multi-Trip Insurance for frequent travelers, Cruise Insurance, and active travelers will be delighted to hear that they offer specific protection for extreme sports. They also have a variety of products for study-abroad programs, if you want to make sure your kid will be safe while studying in Europe.
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Which Europe travel insurance should you book if...?
What is the best travel insurance if you need a Schengen visa?
From all the options available, Europe Travel Plus by Visitors Coverage is our favorite travel insurance if you only need it for visa purposes because it also includes trip interruption and luggage protection for a cheap fee.
What is the best travel insurance for pregnant ladies?
The Gold Plan by Ekta includes midwifery care up to the 27th week.
What is the best travel insurance if you have pre-existing conditions?
The Travelex Ultimate plan covers treatment for pre-existing conditions, not just in case of an acute onset.
What is the best travel insurance for seniors?
If you don’t have serious pre-existing conditions, the Axa Schengen plans don’t have an age limitation to book them.
What is the best travel insurance for cruise passengers?
If you are a US resident, the best option is the Seven Corners Cruise Insurance. Otherwise, Heymondo is the only travel insurance that specifically states to be valid for cruise trips.
Which travel insurance is the best for kids on a study abroad program?
Inusubuy has a variety of travel insurances that are perfect to keep your child studying abroad safe.
Which travel insurance covers dental emergencies?
Heymondo, Ekta Max+ and Axa Schengen (both Essential and Advantage) cover dental emergencies.
What is the best travel insurance for golfers?
The Axa Platinum plan covers lost golf rounds and damage to sport equipment rental.
What is the best travel insurance for a ski trip?
The Axa Platinum plan covers lost ski days and damage to sport equipment rental.
Which travel insurance gives you the best legal coverage?
EKTA Max+ offers the best legal assistance and liability to third parties.
Which travel insurance won't check if I was drunk in case of accident?
EKTA doesn’t check alcohol levels if you booked their Gold or Max+ plan.
Which travel insurance offers Cancel For Any Reason?
Travelex and Axa Platinum offer Cancel for Any Reason as an addon.
Which travel insurance will insure my pet?
Travelex offers pet travel insurance as an addon.
Which travel insurance includes adventure sports?
Heymondo offers coverage for adventure sports by default. The rest only include it as an addon.
Which travel insurance for Europe travel & Schengen are you going to choose?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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