Schengen Visa Travel and Insurance Guide

Get Covered with Schengen Visa Travel Insurance

You may experience unanticipated expenses while taking a trip to Europe or other countries, and that’s why it is important to have the right type of travel insurance. Regardless of your reason to travel to Europe —to study abroad, conduct business or some other occasion—you may need to consider the right travel medical insurance like Schengen Visa Insurance.

As of April 2010, the European Parliament and the Council of July 13, 2009, established Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 to acknowledge the authenticity and acceptance of Schengen Visa Insurance for travelers to European countries:

“… Applicants for a uniform visa for one or two entries shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States. The insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of the Schengen Area Member States and cover the entire period of the person’s intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000” (…)

Travel Health Insurance 101

If a traveler were to become ill or get hurt while traveling, travel insurance would cover the expenses. However, your decision to get travel health insurance should be based on where you’re planning to travel to as well as your ability to cover your own health expenses out-of-pocket should something happen while you’re overseas.

There are other benefits besides health coverage when having Schengen Visa Insurance. For instance, if you have a last-minute flight cancellation or lose your luggage, you could use your insurance to get a full or partial reimbursement. Also, if the travel agency or lodging place you were using has gone out of business (or suddenly bankrupted), you can recover some or all your losses with your travel insurance.

If you are visiting just one destination for a specified duration or visiting multiple European countries within the same duration, your travel insurance provider should have designed policies that will have your needs covered. These will be separate packages, so select a policy specifically for a single trip, or a policy that covers multiple trips within a year’s time. However it is always advisable to check your policy to make sure you are covered for the whole duration. SafeTrip pricing is calculated according to age, duration and options selected. You can buy your Schengen Visa Insurance policy from us here.

Do I Really Need Schengen Medical Travel Insurance for Europe?

If you are unsure about whether to get travel insurance, then think about potential circumstances that may require some sort of treatment while traveling. For instance, if traveling with children, traveling with the elderly, traveling with people with existing medical issues, traveling to an underdeveloped country or traveling to a place that is subject to visa requirements, then you need to have travel health insurance. In other words, it is recommended that all traveling parties—whether vacationers, business personnel, students or interest groups—have the correct traveling insurance.

How Can I Get Schengen Travel Insurance?

As already stated, you can buy Schengen Travel Insurance online through us. However, if you have an existing health insurance policy through your job, you might have international medical coverage, but be aware that certain policy services may be restricted or prohibited while you are overseas. It's best that you check your coverage and compare your policy with ours.

One thing to note if you don’t buy your policy from us, is to make sure that the policy you do buy is valid for travel to Schengen countries. If not, the international policy may not be accepted in the Schengen region. If you’re looking for a starting point, and are still unsure, feel free to call us on 1.800.732.5309

Helpful tips about Schengen Travel Insurance

As previously stated, prior to making your trip, you may want to check if your existing health insurance already provides international coverage, to avoid purchasing a policy with duplicate coverage. If there are no limitations that make your existing coverage restrictive in its use, then your policy should be adequate to cover your trip.

Some people have a hard time getting accustomed to new climates, or are exposed to new microbes while staying in foreign countries and, as a result, may become ill. Make sure you have access to a copy of your medical file from your regular doctor and enough medications to last the duration of your stay.

If you take medication, make sure you have a copy of your latest prescription and your doctor's details in case of an emergency. If you are covered by SafeTrip, keep our contact details handy too.

Worldwide Assistance Services include:

• Medical and dental referrals
• Medication and vaccine transfers
• Replacement of lost or stolen travel documents
• Legal referrals
• Language services
• Pre-travel destination health and security reports

What conditions may I have to get covered with additional insurance?

Depending on the inclusions of your specific travel insurance company, you may have to get extra coverage for the following conditions – if insuring with us, feel free to call us to discuss on: 1.800.732.5309

• Pre-existing conditions (like high blood pressure, asthma, etc.). SafeTrip covers controlled pre-existing conditions that have had no change in the past 180 days (added to SafeTrip’s coverages, see above).
• Sports that require the participant to take risks (like scuba diving, mountain climbing, or skiing). See SafeTrip’s sports coverage option, above.

What conditions are not covered under Schengen Visa insurance?

• Durations outside your stay in the Schengen Region: Safe Trip covers the period of time purchased. An incident that occurs while you are still abroad, but beyond the time frame purchased, is not covered. Travelling in multiple countries is covered as long as it is within the purchased duration.
• Pre-existing Conditions: As stated earlier, pre-existing conditions are not covered under your Schengen Visa Insurance. The only way you can get issues arising from your pre-existing condition covered while in the Schengen region is if your doctor declared you fit for travel prior to taking your trip. SafeTrip covers controlled pre-existing, managed with medication and without change for the past 180 days.
• Sports: Sports that are considered extreme and requiring high-risk maneuvers (like skiing, skydiving and scuba diving) are not included in your Schengen coverage. Participating in a professional sporting event is also not covered. SafeTrip has an optional Extreme Sports Coverage.
• Substance Abuse (of any kind): medical issues arising from drug and alcohol abuse will not be covered under your insurance policy. Alcohol intoxication is not covered by SafeTrip, neither is being under the influence of substances – unless they have been prescribed by a doctor.
• War-Related Injuries: Your injuries from residing in a war zone will not be covered by your Schengen Visa insurance.
• Mental or nervous conditions: unless hospitalized for that condition.