Exclusions differ from one insurer to another, and checking them is part of our work before we recommend a policy to you.
The embassy asks for a policy valid for the whole period of stay and for every country in the Schengen area, with a prescribed minimum sum insured. The policy has to be issued before the application is submitted and made out in the name shown in the passport. We issue the document in the format embassies accept and make sure the dates match the planned stay.
A fall on a slope in Austria ends in a fracture and a rescue off the mountain. A standard tourist policy can decline that cost because skiing counts as an increased risk, while a policy with the winter sports extension covers both the rescue and the hospital treatment. The difference in premium is small, the difference in the bill is not.
You take a seasonal job and get injured during working hours. A policy arranged for a holiday does not cover injuries sustained doing manual work, so a work or study version is needed. Whenever someone enquires we ask what the purpose of the stay is, because it changes both the cover and the price.
The examples are illustrative and show how the cover works in practice.
Yes, travel health insurance is one of the required documents in a Schengen visa application. The policy has to be valid for every country in the Schengen area, cover the whole period of stay and carry the minimum sum insured set by the visa rules. For visa free travel a policy is not mandatory, but without one any treatment abroad is entirely at your own expense.
As a rule it does not cover treatment of conditions that existed and were known before departure. Some insurers offer cover for an acute deterioration of a chronic condition, but under special terms and with tighter limits. If you have a diagnosis that is monitored regularly, tell us at the start, because it changes which insurer we approach.
First call the assistance number shown on the policy, before going to a facility if the situation allows it. Assistance directs you to a facility the insurer works with and settles the bill directly, instead of you paying and then claiming a refund. If you do pay yourself, keep the medical records and the receipts, because without them a refund is not possible.
Not automatically. A standard tourist policy covers a stay for leisure, and an injury or illness connected with work is declined. For work, internships and studies there are separate versions with longer durations and different cover, so it matters that you declare the purpose of the trip when the policy is arranged.
A policy can be arranged the same day, but it has to be in force by the day you cross the border at the latest. If you need it for a visa, arrange it before you submit the application. Our usual response time is one working day, and you receive the policy electronically.
Send us a short enquiry. We collect offers from every insurer that covers this risk and explain the differences before you sign anything.
