What is Schengen Visa Travel Insurance and who needs it?

What is Schengen Visa Travel Insurance and who needs it?

Traveling to Europe is a dream for many. Now, if you’re planning to tick this off from your bucket list, you should be considering getting Schengen visa travel insurance. An unexpected illness or accident can cost you a huge sum, and not being able to handle those expenses will just ruin your trip.

Whenever visiting the Schengen countries, travelers should be able to handle financial expenses and be covered in case of medical emergencies.

What is Schengen?

Schengen is the EU passport-free area, covering most of the European countries. Honestly, it is the largest travel area on the globe where tourists can roam free.

Schengen constitutes of 26 countries- Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

What is Schengen Travel Visa?

A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows tourists to travel to any part of the Schengen Area. People can stay up to 90 days for business or leisure purposes. This is the most common visa for Europe that enables travelers to enter and travel freely within the Schengen zone. Plus, there are no border controls within the Schengen countries.

Who needs Schengen Visa Travel Insurance?

There are nationals of countries who are privileged with entering and roaming Schengen countries visa-free, while there are other nationals who have to go through different requirements and processes in order to get a visa that permits them free entry and travel.

Is travel insurance mandatory?

If you wish to travel to Europe, then you will have to get travel insurance because it is a mandatory part of the visa application process. Without a valid insurance policy, the Embassy will reject your request for a visa inevitably. If you don’t need a visa to travel to the Schengen countries, it is not mandatory to be insured, though it is highly recommended!

What are the Schengen Visa requirements?

The Schengen visa travel insurance plan must meet these requirements:

• Must cover at least €30,000 for medical expenses and emergency evacuation.
• Must be valid in all 26 countries in the Schengen Zone.
• Must be valid for the entire duration of time intended to stay in the Schengen zone.
• Must cover emergency medical expenses and repatriation.
• Must cover the expenses which might arise as a result of the individual’s death.

Because it is needed at Embassies for the visa application, many insurance providers offer plans designed to meet these requirements.

What should the plan cover?

Cost of medical treatment that includes the following:

• In-patient and out-patient medical treatment
• Doctor visits
• Hospitalization
• Surgery
• Prescription medication
• Emergency dental care

Cost of repatriation or evacuation:

 Evacuation: This benefit involves rescuing you from the place of the incident and taking you to the nearest qualified medically-equipped facility. In that case, the travel insurance plan can make arrangements for you to be picked from the location to the hospital where appropriate treatment can be provided.  

Repatriation: In the event of death, the plan can provide coverage of sending mortal remains back to the country.

However, some insurance companies also offer comprehensive coverage, such as trip cancellation, flight delays, loss or theft of baggage, assistance, personal liability, and more. At Visitor Guard®, you can find different plans at different rates with extra coverage.

How exactly does travel insurance work?

Travel health insurance protects you from financial losses resulting from medical emergencies while you are visiting Europe. If you have a valid insurance policy during your trip, you seek medical attention during emergencies, and the insurance company will take over the costs.

Either the hospitals will send the bills to your insurance provider, or you can submit the claims and bills for reimbursement. To know more check How does Travel Medical Insurance work and Why It Is Essential?

How to buy Schengen Visa Travel Insurance?

You can simply buy a Schengen Visa Travel Insurance plan from an insurance company’s website. As most companies operate online (we do, too), you need to check the plan and get a quote. To complete the application form, you will need to fill in the details like name, age, nationality, days of the trip, and more. Once you select a plan, make the payment.  The insurance certificate and Visa letter can be emailed to your email address. You will need to present this Visa Letter at the Embassy.

Without much hesitation, call us so that we can help you get a Schengen Visa Travel Insurance policy, and you can enjoy your dream vacation.