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Travel insurance for Europe protects you from unexpected medical expenses and other travel disruptions that may happen during your trip, like medical emergencies, evacuations, and cancellations.
Looking for travel medical insurance for a Schengen Visa? Learn more about the required insurance you need to meet the mandatory Schengen requirements.
Comprehensive travel insurance, also sometimes known as trip insurance, offers protection against medical emergencies and evacuations combined with trip protection for the money you've already spent on the trip itself: flights, hotels, tours, and other prepaid, non-refundable costs.
Travel insurance offers several benefits when traveling to Europe. It can cover:
Plus, if you want extra flexibility, many travel insurance plans offer Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance, which allows you to cancel for any reason that a standard policy wouldn't normally cover. CFAR typically reimburses a portion of your trip cost, usually 50 to 75%, if you purchased your travel insurance within 14-21 days of your first trip payment and added CFAR to your insurance plan.
IMPORTANT: A travel insurance plan is available only to U.S. residents. For travelers outside the United States, an international travel medical insurance plan is highly recommended instead.
Common exclusions in travel insurance can be:
Whether travel insurance is required depends on where you are traveling in Europe and your nationality. Travelers who need a Schengen Visa must acquire Schengen travel insurance that meets the requirements.
For travelers who do not need a Schengen Visa, including citizens from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, it is still highly recommended to secure travel insurance since many domestic health insurance policies do not cover medical expenses abroad. While travel insurance may not be legally required, it is still strongly advised to avoid hefty medical bills and travel-related financial losses.
For a trip to Europe, our Customer Success Team recommends the following plans:
See our full comparison of the best travel insurance plans for a trip to Europe for pricing and which one fits your trip best. Traveling as a senior or managing a pre-existing condition? See the best plans for seniors to Europe. Staying longer than 90 days? Here's what we recommend for long-term travelers to Europe.
Being prepared for emergencies is crucial for any international trip. Before you go on your trip to Europe, follow these steps:
If you have a medical emergency while you're traveling, here's what we suggest you do, depending on the severity of the situation:
Call the local emergency number (112 in most European countries) or go directly to the nearest hospital emergency department.
Contact your insurance provider's 24/7 assistance line provided on your ID card or in your policy document first. They can:
IMPORTANT: VisitorsCoverage does not process any claims. However, if you run into any issues during the claims process, our licensed insurance experts are available to guide you.
Between multi-country itineraries, concerns around medical evacuations in a remote European country, and figuring out what your domestic health plan actually covers abroad, planning a Europe trip already comes with enough to think about. VisitorsCoverage takes the guesswork out of the insurance part. We offer a wide range of travel insurance plans built for those exact concerns.
With our quote tool, just enter your destination, travel dates, ages, trip deposit date, and trip cost to compare top-rated plans side by side. You can filter by the features that matter most for your trip, whether that is medical coverage, Cancel For Any Reason, pre-existing conditions, or higher medical evacuation limits, so you're not stuck reading fine print. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our licensed insurance experts, who can help you find the best travel insurance plan for your trip to Europe.
Travel insurance is not legally required for U.S. citizens to Europe, but it is strongly recommended. Travel insurance provides crucial financial protection against medical emergencies and trip disruptions.
It's also important to know that many hotels, tour groups, cruise lines, etc. are now making travel insurance a requirement for their guests and customers. So it's good to explore your options, regardless of whether or not it's required for the countries you are traveling to. If you need any further assistance or want to understand how to find the best plan for you, our Customer Success Team is available to help you out.
No. Most U.S. health insurance plans offer limited or no coverage outside the United States. Medicare specifically does not cover overseas medical care. Even if your domestic plan offers some international coverage, it typically won't include crucial benefits like medical evacuation, which can cost $50,000 or more. Always verify coverage with your insurance provider before traveling abroad.
Without travel insurance, an unexpected illness or medical emergency during your trip to Europe can lead to substantial financial burdens. You would be held responsible for paying the costs of emergency medical services, including doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription medications, and emergency evacuation.
Yes, you can include your spouse and dependent children on your travel insurance policy. In the online application, click on the "Add Traveler" button to include your immediate family members.
Many credit card travel insurance benefits are often limited compared to standalone travel insurance policies. Credit card coverage typically has lower benefit limits, particularly for medical expenses and evacuation. Additionally, this coverage usually only applies to travel expenses charged to that specific card. It is important to review your credit card's coverage details carefully before making a decision.
Yes, travel insurance can cover your rental car in Europe with an optional add-on to your policy. Some policies may already cover rental cars without it being an add-on, but it is important to check your coverage and whether your rental car can be covered.
You can select any one of your planned destinations while purchasing a trip insurance plan. It is recommended to select the one you'll spend the most time in. For example, if you spend two weeks in Italy and then one week in France, you should select Italy as your main destination for your trip insurance, and then France. Regardless, the policy will cover your prepaid, non-refundable expenses for both countries during your trip dates.
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Website was easy to navigate, and contained a lot of information so I could make an informed decision. Also I thought the rates were very reasonable considering the peace of mind the policy will give me.
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Yes, if you cancel the policy before the start date, the premium should be fully refunded. If cancelled after the start date, the premium may be refunded on a prorated basis with a cancellation fee, but only if no claims have been submitted.
Medical insurance for a Schengen visa must meet the following criteria:
• Minimum Coverage: At least 30,000 EUR in medical costs.
• Coverage Area: Must cover all member states of the Schengen Area.
• Emergency Coverage: Includes expenses related to repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment, or death.
It’s recommended to check with the embassy where you’re applying for your visa to confirm if any additional requirements are needed. If you need any further assistance or want to understand how to find the best plan for you, contact us at support@visitorscoverage.com or call 1-866-384-9104.
You will get a visa letter and ID card emailed to the email address inputted at the time of purchase. You can print these documents to be used as proof of insurance.
Yes, you can include your spouse and dependent children who are U.S. citizens on your Schengen travel insurance policy. In the online application, click on the “Add Traveler” button to include your immediate family members.
If your travel insurance policy is active during your trip, you will be covered for any unforeseen medical emergencies in all Schengen Area countries. To ensure full coverage, it’s important that your insurance dates align with the entire duration of your travels within the Schengen zone.
If you still have any questions about Schengen travels and travel insurance requirements, feel free to contact us at support@visitorscoverage.com or call 1-866-384-9104.
The Schengen travel insurance plans include an emergency medical evacuation benefit that can provide coverage for life-threatening medical emergencies. It provides coverage for medical evacuations for sudden and unexpected medical illnesses and injuries that are life-threatening, and where hospitalization is medically necessary. The emergency medical evacuation benefit will transport the policyholder to the nearest medical facility equipped to care for the policyholder.
A traveler should input the destination as the country in which they will be receiving their visa approval from. Coverage will be provided in all Schengen territories so long as the plan is active during the entire duration of travel.
At VisitorsCoverage, you can easily compare Schengen Visa Insurance plans and buy them online, quickly and without excessive paperwork. Schengen Visa Insurance plans can help protect you from unforeseen circumstances and let you travel with peace of mind.
Disclaimer
Plan features listed here are high level, provided for your convenience and information purpose only. Please review the Evidence of Coverage and Plan Contract (Policy) for a detailed description of Coverage Benefits, Limitations and Exclusions. Must read the Policy Brochure and Plan Details for complete and accurate details. Only the Terms and Conditions of Coverage Benefits listed in the policy are binding.
