Schengen Travel Insurance: Requirements and Quick Guide
Travel insurance is a mandatory part for all Schengen visa applications. When submitting your application, the checklist will ask for documented proof that you have sufficient travel insurance. This post outlines what counts for Schengen travel insurance – how to pick one fast and includes recommendations of some I have successfully used in the past.
I recommend always having travel insurance as it is a small investment but it ends up paying for itself if things unfortunately go wrong. Travel insurance usually covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and surgery, medical repatriation, 24/7 emergency assistance. It can also cover flight delays, lost luggage, cancellations etc.
Thankfully, all Schengen countries have a uniform policy for their travel insurance requirements, making it easy to select one.
Requirements for Schengen Travel Insurance
- Must cover at least 30,000 EUR in medical expenses
- Must be valid throughout the entire Schengen Area
- Must cover the entire duration of your stay
- Must include hospitalisation, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains
How can you show proof of travel medical insurance for Schengen visa application?
Some insurers will provide a ‘visa letter’ . This letter is a summary document showing your name, policy number, coverage amount and date, and countries covered.
Other insurers do not provide a ‘visa letter’ perse. In this case, what I do is to include the relevant pages within the longer policy that show the required information. Do not submit your travel insurance payment receipt!
To make sure you don’t miss anything, here’s a quick checklist to observe before buying health insurance:
Quick Checklist Before Buying
- Coverage of at least €30,000
- Valid in all Schengen countries
- Covers full trip dates
- Includes medical evacuation and repatriation
- Lists your full name, as in the passport and application
- Allows you to provide PDF certificate and visa letter – Check insurer FAQs to be certain
How to Pick Travel Insurance that Works for Schengen Visa Applications, including examples
The visa process is already quite stressful, and I know I have previously spent a lot of time thinking (and overthinking) what insurer to go with. Here are some quick tips to help you pick a Schengen Travel Insurance quickly
- Go with a trusted global or local insurer and confirm that they explicitly mention ‘ Schengen visa’ coverage. You should read real reviews on sites like Trustpilot to get more information.
- Compare offers using a reliable travel insurance aggregator
- If you’re a frequent traveler, then consider buying multi-trip annual coverage. This is what I do – I will buy annual worldwide coverage (excluding the US) and use this for multiple visa applications.
- In some countries, the Schengen visa consulate (through VFS and TLS) will have a list of allowed Schengen visa insurers – if that’s the case for you, make sure to only buy from that list.
- Tip: Buying directly from insurer websites is faster than through agencies , and cheaper.
If you would like to choose fast, here are some Schengen-approved insurers that I have personally used:
Schengen visa in the US: Seven Corners Travel Insurance
Schengen visa in the UK: Coverwise Travel Insurance, Royal Mail Holiday Insurance
Can you use regular health insurance for Schengen visa application?
Mostly no. Most local health insurance plans will only be for single country coverage or lack some inclusions e.g. evacuation, repatriation.
You must purchase specialized travel insurance. You can also consider buying broader insurance that includes travel delays, cancellations etc.
Closing Thoughts: Travel Insurance is an important travel safety net
Travel insurance is one of the easiest Schengen visa requirements to sort out and should not be a cause of worry. Just ensure you know what counts and choose a policy that fulfils all requirements: mentions Schengen coverage, meets €30,000 minimum coverage, covers your full trip and includes evacuation and repatriation.
Do you need more help with other elements of your Schengen visa application? Check out my ultimate guide here for detailed step-by-step tips.
About wandering permit
Hi, I’m Becky – a world traveller who has visited over 40+ countries on my ‘weak’ African passport and successfully applied for multiple visas. I have also studied and worked across the US, Europe (Belgium, France and Denmark) – and currently live in London, UK. On Wandering Permit, I share real tips to help travellers navigate application processes and new destinations with less stress. My goal is to help make travel planning easy!
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