Vilnius, Lithuania
One major requirement to have your Schengen visa approve is to submit and purchase a Schengen visa travel insurance. Without this, your application won’t be accepted. As you are looking into How to Apply for a Schengen Visa, there are a lot of things you should consider before jumping blindly on any travel insurance. Because the embassies and the Schengen states are very specific with the requirements when it comes to your travel insurance.
I have applied to three Schengen visas and all of them were approved. Finding the a travel insurance for Schengen visa is pretty easy but it’s also must researched properly to make sure that you meet the requirements.
In this article, I will go through the in-depth discussion of everything you need to know before purchasing your travel insurance for a Schengen visa regardless where you are from.
RELATED POST: How to apply for a Schengen tourist visa with the Danish Embassy
TIP: You may use the table of contents below to navigate faster.
TRAVEL TIPS FOR EUROPE
Here are some travel tips that I highly recommend and I hope you’ll find useful:
- Favourite website to book tours:Get Your Guide
- Another website to book tours:Viator
- To find cheap flights around Europe:Skyscanner
- Wide range of accommodations: Booking.com,HotelsCombined, Agoda, HostelWorld
- Book buses around Europe: Flixbus
SCHENGEN TRAVEL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
The European Union made a very clear and strict guideline for the acceptable travel insurance that an applicant should have. It is a major requirement for the application of the Schengen tourist visa. Here is the coverage that your insurance must have:
- coverage of costs as a result of medical repatriation, emergency and hospital treatment, or death
- coverage must be valid in the entire territory of Schengen area
- it must cover the whole period of your stay in the Schengen area
- coverage must be at least 30,000 euros or equivalent in this amount
REMEMBER: For those applicants who want to apply for the multiple entries, you only need to prove a travel insurance on the first trip. But when you enter on the second or the coming trips, you will be required to show a travel insurance.
WHAT IS THE BEST TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR SCHENGEN STATES
Don’t get the travel insurance just because it meets the need for a Schengen visa, it should also serve other purpose and give you more peace on your mind. Personally, on my two Schengen visa application, I purchased my travel insurance from IMGlobal while the other was AXA. I prefer IMGlobal, they have a clear coverage listed down, they are affordable, and their customer service was better than AXA.
I’ll compare these two below together with Allianz. These 3 companies were approved by the European Union as they meet the general requirement coverage.
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COMPARE SCHENGEN VISA TRAVEL INSURANCE
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Allianz |
AXA |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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30,000 Euro or equivalent |
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coverage of costs as a result of medical repatriation, emergency and hospital treatment, or death |
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cover the entire 26 Schengen states |
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Price |
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$ |
$$$ |
$$ |
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Refund if the visa is denied |
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| Customer service | |||||
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Ease of claim |
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Other coverage |
coverage for Switzerland |
Baggage & personal items, flight delay, trip interruption and cancellation |
IMPORTANT: World Nomads have stopped selling insurance to Brazilian and Canadian citizens at the moment until further notice.
WHY DO YOU NEED A TRAVEL INSURANCE
Travel insurance is more than another expensive requirement for a Schengen visa. Either you are heading to Europe, Southeast Asia or any other parts of the world, you should have a travel insurance. When you are on the road, things are more unpredictable. The people around you may act in a different way that is harmful. Having a travel insurance will help you have a more relaxed mind that if anything happens, you are covered and will be looked after. It is also a very matured thing to do, if you have a travel insurance and something happen to you, your family will not have to worry about medical expenses.
Depending on what travel insurance you will be buying, some of them cover a situation like lost baggage, delayed, missed or cancelled flight.
WHAT IS THE COST OF A SCHENGEN TRAVEL INSURANCE
The price varies depending on what you want to be covered. When I did it with AXA, it was 90 euro for the entire 90 days, while with IMGlobal, I paid US$86 for the same length of stay covering the general requirement for a Schengen visa. While you can always go for one with other coverage like what I mentioned before such as lost or damaged baggage, cancelled, missed, and delayed flight although of course, it will cost more.
RELATED POST: How to maximise your 90-day visa
WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR A SCHENGEN VISA
The cheapest I did was US$86 with IMGlobal. I’m pretty sure that you can find something cheaper, but I bet the claim process will be harder and longer. I haven’t done any claims with IMGlobal, but in case the hospital doesn’t charge IMGlobal directly, you will have to pay the hospital and claim for a reimbursement. Other hospitals across central and north Europe are charging IMGlobal directly.
OTHER COMPANIES THAT COVERS TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR SCHENGEN VISA
If your budget permits, WorldNomads is popular and have a very wide coverage but they are very pricey too. They cover crazy or dangerous travel activities, flight insurance, gadget and electronic insurance, and more.
If you think it’s worth your penny base on the activities you will be doing and other perks you will be receiving from getting a travel insurance for a Schengen visa, go for it.
Another option is Safety Wing, this one is great for long-term travellers, it’s affordable and pretty straightforward.
HOW TO PURCHASE A SCHENGEN TRAVEL INSURANCE WITH IMGLOBAL
DISCLAIMER: A Mary Road is affiliated with IMGlobal, however, it doesn’t mean that I (Mary, owner of this blog), am directly an employee of IMGlobal. Being affiliated with IMGlobal will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you and it gives me a chance to assist you in purchasing travel insurance with them, however, I don’t have full control of their operation. I can always reach out to IMGlobal on your behalf or you can also contact them directly.
1. Head to IMGlobal site
Head to IMGlobal site, and click GET QUOTE on Patriot Travel Medical Insurance
2. Add your basic information
Fill in the basic information such as age or birth date, name, your citizenship and country of residence. In the country of destination, if you are going to multiple destinations, for example, you are going to Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Choose either the following:
- Your point of entry – which country are you entering in Schengen Area?
- The country where you will spend most of your time – which country you will be staying longer? For example, only 2 days in France, 3 days in Italy, 6 days in Spain, and 7 days in Germany, you should choose Germany
- The embassy you will be submitting your application – which embassy will you be lodging your visa application?
3. Choose the price that you want to pay
If you are going to do any extreme activities such as motorbiking across the Schengen area, or car racing, you must tick the adventurous sports rider or add the evacuation plus rider.
Deductible means the amount you are willing to pay for medical services if you needed any medical attention before your insurance company will pay.
What is $0 (zero) deductible? This means that you will not be paying anything for your medical services and your insurance company will foot all the bills. I highly suggest this, it’s easier that way.
On the column of maximum 50,000, tick the one that you want to pay for this travel insurance.
NOTE: In case you had to see a doctor and the hospital doesn’t charge IMGlobal directly, you will need to pay upfront then file a claim with IMGlobal.
4. Fill in the other data that is needed
Fill in all your information as complete as possible. On the delivery method of your insurance kit, chose the first one or whichever suits your preference. Double check everything before hitting continue.
5. Double check all the information and the total price
Make sure that all your information is right and updated, look at the price again if it’s still the same or correct. If everything is good, then hit continue.
6. Select your payment type and enter the details
Choose which payment method you want to do. After adding your card details or payment details, sign below that you understand all the terms and conditions and that all the information you have provided is correct.
7. Check your email
Once the payment is successful, don’t close the window until you receive an email containing all the file, documents, and receipt. At the bottom of the certificate, you will find the visa letter, which you will have to submit together with your application.
Make sure to print all these files and bring it with you when submitting our application to make sure you have everything they ask you to submit.
IS IT REFUNDABLE IF MY VISA WILL BE DENIED
Yes, in case your visa application is denied, contact IMGlobal and inquire what requirements you will need to submit for a refund. Most likely, a copy of the letter from the embassy which states that your application is denied. You have to submit the cancellation or refund request before the date of your departure.
IMGLOBAL REVIEW
I am personally happy that I purchased IMGlobal for my Schengen travel insurance. It’s very affordable and covers just like what I needed and most importantly, they meet the Schengen visa travel insurance requirement.
The process was very easy, I received the travel insurance kit/policy right away together with the certificate thatspecifically mentions Schengen visa and detailed its coverage which I submitted to the embassy.
FOR FILIPINO APPLICANTS: If you are from the Philippines and most likely to be applying from there, I highly recommend you check on the Embassy which travel insurance companies are on their accredited list. Every Embassy operates differently. Double check this to avoid any hassle.
I hope you found this article and my review about IMGlobal helpful. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email or leave a comment below.
DISCLAIMER
All the information are based on my own experience, even if I didn’t had any issues applying for my Schengen visa using this travel insurance, it doesn’t mean that you will have a smooth application. This post is to help all nationalities to decide what travel insurance is best for their application. Embassies from all over the world set their own rules. I highly recommend you check very well the policy of the embassy you are applying for. Some applicants didn’t had any trouble at all while others had. Going forward with this recommendation and whatever outcome it may bring will be your own responsibility.
ARE YOU ON PINTEREST? SAVE THIS FOR LATER READ:
Hi Katie, I do understand the frustration and anger as I’ve had a visa denial before and tried my best and did it the fastest way to fix the problem which cost me so much money, time, and having people around me telling that I’ve made a mistake.
This post is not specifically targeting all Filipino applicants who are applying for Schengen visa, this is for all nationalities. I felt the need to disclose that I’m a Filipino to make sure those who are in my shoes can relate in my situation.
Some embassies in the Philippines have a list of recommended/credited travel insurance company/ies. Other embassies in the other countries might have a different rule, which I cannot highlight all or else the post will be too long and confusing.
Although you are right that I should have placed a disclaimer that the information can be incorrect for some or that even if I didn’t face any issue, they might. For that, I truly thank you for bringing it to my attention, I will surely add it as soon as possible.
The truth is, I never expected this post to be getting a lot of attention
I really hope that you will be able to fix the issue and my apologies for the trouble and again, if you need any help, I’m always just a message away.