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Buying travel insurance for Europe is one of the main requirements to get a Schengen visa, whether you’re traveling, studying, or doing business on the European continent.
However, if you don’t need a Schengen Visa, you may be asking yourself: Do I need medical travel insurance for Europe? Even if you’re not applying for a Schengen visa, buying travel insurance to Europe is a good idea. As I mentioned in my article on the best international travel insurance companies, if you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re protected in any unforeseen circ*mstances, you should buy EU travel insurance.
Best Europe travel insurance for Schengen visa of 2024
Not everyone needs the same kind of coverage, so in this article, we’ll reveal the best Europe travel insurance, as well as the best Schengen visa insurance that meets all Schengen visa insurance requirements.
- Schengen visa insurance requirements
- Best Schengen visa insurance
- Travel insurance to Europe coverage
Not to spoil the surprise, but Heymondo is both the best European travel insurance and the best Schengen insurance since it offers comprehensive coverage for an affordable price. Not only that, but it’s one of the top COVID travel insurance options and was the first company to offer coronavirus coverage. Heymondo is also the only Europe travel insurance that pays your medical expenses upfront for you instead of requiring you to file a claim to get reimbursed.
Schengen visa insurance requirements
To obtain a Schengen visa, you must have Schengen visa travel insurance. Schengen visa insurance requirements are as follows:
- A minimum coverage of €30,000 for medical emergencies and accidents: European medical expenses aren’t cheap, which is why emergency medical coverage is a Schengen visa insurance requirement. No matter where you travel in the Schengen Area, if you catch an infection or suffer from an injury, your medical fees will be covered.
- Coverage of repatriation fees in case of medical incidents or death: You may fall gravely ill in a remote area or require further medical attention for a serious injury. In that case, you will need to be transported back to your home country, which can be expensive. Coverage for repatriation means that you won’t have to shell out tons of money just to get back home for treatment; your insurance will cover the transportation fees for you.
- Coverage of all 26 Schengen Area countries that lasts the entire length of your trip: Even if you’re not planning to visit all 26 countries (which would be incredibly ambitious!), you need to be covered in all of them. Many Schengen visa insurance companies allow you to select “Europe” as your coverage area, which will give you the coverage that you need. Make sure to check the fine print of your insurance policy to ensure you don’t have any problems when you apply for your visa.
What countries are in the Schengen Area?
The 26 countries that make up the Schengen Area are:
- 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
- Switzerland
Of those countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are the only countries that don’t also belong to the European Union.
How much is travel insurance to Europe?
The cost of travel insurance to Europe depends on several factors, including your age, your destination, your home country/state (if you live in the US), the length of your trip, and the cost of your trip. Your travel insurance for Schengen visa cost will be based on similar considerations. However, no matter the cost, you want travel insurance even for the cheapest places to visit in Europe.
Compare travel insurance for Schengen visa
For this Schengen travel insurance comparison, I am using the example of a 30-year-old American male citizen who is from Pennsylvania and is traveling to Spain for two weeks, with a trip cost of $2,500.
In terms of Schengen visa insurance requirements, all five Schengen visa insurance companies offer more than €30,000 worth of medical coverage as well as coverage for repatriation and coverage in the Schengen Area/Europe.
Price | $70.75 | $77.78 | $77 | $105 | $84 |
Medical Expenses Paid Upfront | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
COVID Coverage | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Coverage in Europe/Schengen Area | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Emergency Medical | $250,000 | $100,000 | $150,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Evacuation and Repatriation | $500,000 | $300,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
Trip Cancellation | $3,500 | $2,500 | 100% of $2,500* | 100% of $2,500* | 100% of $2,500* |
Baggage Loss | $1,700 | $1,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
BEST EUROPE TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR SCHENGEN VISA | |||||
Best Schengen visa insurance
As you can see from the Schengen travel insurance comparison above, Heymondo is by far the best travel insurance for Europe and the best Schengen insurance.
It is the only travel insurance for Europe that pays customers’ medical expenses upfront instead of having them pay the expenses and then, file a claim to get reimbursed. Of the five Schengen visa insurance companies we compared, it is the most affordable while matching or even exceeding most other plans’ coverage.
Of course, all five of these travel insurance for Europe plans have their own advantages, so below you’ll find more information on what makes these plans the best European travel insurance.
1. Heymondo, the best Europe travel insurance
If you’re looking for the best travel insurance for Europe, look no further than Heymondo. Their Top plan is the only Europe travel insurance plan that pays your medical expenses for you instead of requiring you to file a claim to get reimbursed after you pay yourself.
Heymondo offers the highest amount of coverage for emergency medical expenses, trip cancellation, and baggage loss, while its repatriation coverage matches or exceeds that of all other companies besides World Trips.
The Top plan is also the cheapest travel insurance for Schengen visasince it meets all of the Schengen visa insurance requirements (way more than €30,000 worth of emergency medical coverage, coverage for evacuation and repatriation, and coverage throughout the entire Schengen Area) while still being the most affordable.
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We have been using it for all our trips during the last two years and their traveler assistance service is superb. If you want to get Heymondo travel insurance to Europe for an even more affordable price, you can save 5% with the Heymondo discount link below.
2. World Nomads, a cheap insurance for European travel
Another cheap Schengen travel insurance is World Nomads.
Their Standard plan is affordably priced and meets the Schengen visa insurance requirements of repatriation coverage and more than €30,000 worth of emergency medical coverage. It also offers the option of selecting either Europe or Schengen area as your coverage area, making it ideal for both travel insurance for Europe and Schengen visa insurance.
While World Nomads is an excellent travel insurance for Europe, keep in mind that you will have to file a claim to get reimbursed for any medical expenses you incur. If you’d rather avoid this process, Heymondo is a better choice for you.
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3. IMG, the best medical travel insurance for Europe
IMG is a great choice if you want the best health insurance for travel to Europe. Their iTravelInsured Travel SE plan offers a high amount of emergency medical and evacuation and repatriation coverage. It also provides excellent travel-related coverage for trip cancellation and baggage loss.
The iTravelInsured Travel SE plan is affordably priced and meets all Schengen visa insurance requirements. Still, if you want the cheapest travel insurance to Europe, you can get similar coverage for a lower price with Heymondo.
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4. Travelex, a reliable European holiday insurance
If you’re looking for dependable Schengen visa insurance, Travelex is perfect for you. Their coverage includes all of Europe, not just the Schengen Area, so it’s ideal for a multi-stop European vacation. Their Select plan offers solid evacuation and repatriation, baggage loss, and trip cancellation coverage, and meets all Schengen visa insurance requirements.
However, the Select plan’s emergency medical expenses coverage leaves much to be desired since it covers the lowest amount out of all the plans I compared, even though the Select plan is the most expensive. Ultimately, you can get much better coverage for a lower price with a plan like Heymondo’s.
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5. WorldTrips, a good travel insurance for Europe
Yet another of the best travel insurance plans for a Europe trip is WorldTrips. Their Preferred plan offers excellent all-around coverage as well as the highest amount of evacuation and repatriation coverage.
WorldTrips’ Preferred plan easily meets Schengen visa insurance requirements since it offers $100,000 of emergency medical coverage, coverage in the Schengen Area, and repatriation coverage. However, it is not the most affordable plan since Heymondo’s plan is cheaper and still offers higher coverage in some areas.
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What should travel insurance to Europe cover?
The best European travel insurance includes coverage for the following expenses and situations:
- Emergency medical expense coverage: this is the bare minimum you need in terms of travel insurance to Europe. Medical fees can get expensive when you don’t have insurance to cover you, and anything can happen when you’re traveling; you could sprain an ankle while walking across cobblestones, experience food poisoning after eating undercooked meat, or contract an illness after encountering someone who’s sick. If you want to buy the cheapest travel insurance for Europe, purchase medical travel insurance for Europe. You’ll save money and still get the emergency medical expense coverage you need.
- Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation: if you get sick or injured, it may be in a remote area with limited facilities, or your ailment might be serious enough that you need to return to your home country for treatment. With evacuation and repatriation coverage, you won’t have to worry about paying for expensive transportation fees.
- Trip cancellation: unexpected injuries, illnesses, weather, and work issues could happen at any time and potentially derail your trip. Travel insurance with trip cancellation coverage ensures that you’ll be reimbursed for 100% of your travel costs as long as your cancellation reason is covered by the policy. If you want to be able to cancel your trip for any reason, travel insurance with cancel for any reason is the perfect option.
What should travel insurance to Europe cover?
- Trip interruption: if you’re visiting multiple countries in Europe, this type of coverage is especially helpful, since something unexpected may come up in the middle of your journey. A family member could fall ill, a natural disaster could occur at your destination or your home, or an unexpected strike could happen. Instead of losing all the money you have paid for the rest of your trip, you can get reimbursed for your travel costs with Europe travel insurance with trip interruption coverage.
- Baggage loss: theft/loss of your belongings is a common travel hazard, whether it’s the airline losing your luggage, a pickpocket grabbing your phone and wallet, or a stranger taking your suitcase on a train. Baggage loss coverage is an important part of travel insurance for Europe because if you lose your belongings, you will have to replace them, so why not get insurance that reimburses you instead of paying for it out of your own pocket?
Do you need travel insurance to Europe?
Yes, you need travel insurance to Europe if you must have a visa to enter the Schengen Area. Of course, not all travelers are required to obtain a Schengen visa – you can check which countries need a Schengen visa to visit the Schengen Area below.
WHAT COUNTRIES NEED A SCHENGEN VISA TO VISIT THE SCHENGEN AREA?
Travelers from the following countries must obtain a Schengen visa in order to visit the Schengen Area:
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Even if you aren’t required to get a Schengen visa, it can still be very helpful to buy Europe travel insurance. Many of the experiences I’ve had, as well as my friends’ and family’s experiences, highlight what a difference having travel insurance for Europe can make.
For example, I was studying English in Ireland with my cousin when he had to have emergency surgery for appendicitis. Luckily, he had EU travel insurance, so the cost of his operation was covered. If he hadn’t had travel insurance for Europe, he would have been stuck paying thousands of euros.
Once, on a trip to Germany, my suitcase never arrived. I was stressed out about not having any clothes or toiletries, but since I had remembered to buy Europe travel insurance before I left, my insurance company covered the cost of all the clothes and basics I needed to repurchase.
Do you need travel insurance to Europe?
Those were two situations that had happy endings, but other travel mishaps have ended less happily because of forgetting to buy travel insurance to Europe.
Years ago, I’d planned a trip to the Ukraine but had to cancel it because of a family emergency. Since I hadn’t purchased travelers insurance for Europe, I lost all of the money I had already paid for flights and accommodation.
Similarly, my mom didn’t bother to purchase Europe travel insurance before traveling to London. Her bag was stolen in a bar, and she lost her cell phone, wallet (with ID and credit cards inside), and camera. She had to pay to replace everything herself because she had no European holiday insurance coverage.
As you can see from the examples above, all kinds of unexpected things could happen to you while you’re traveling. It’s always better to have the security of travel insurance for Europe rather than to risk learning your lesson the hard way.
Is travel insurance to Europe worth it?
Still wondering if you really need travel insurance for Europe? If you’re applying for a Schengen visa, then yes, Schengen travel insurance is worth it because you won’t be able to obtain your visa and enter the Schengen Area without it.
Even if you don’t need a Schengen visa, Europe travel insurance is still worth it because it’s always safer to travel with travel insurance: you won’t have to worry about paying for medical fees, replacing lost luggage out of your own pocket, or losing money if you need to cancel your trip.
In either case, Heymondo is the best travel insurance for Europe since it offers excellent coverage for a relatively low price as well as direct, upfront payments for medical expenses. If you want even cheaper Heymondo Europe travel insurance, you can get 5% off with the discount link below.
Ascen Aynat
CHIEF ADVENTURER, TRAVEL GURU, AND MASTER PLANNER AT CAPTURE THE ATLAS
Hey there, I'm Ascen, your personal trip planner on a mission to help you craft the most incredible adventure of your life. While I'm based in Las Vegas, you won't find me there often. As a full-time traveler, I'm always on the go, exploring new destinations and capturing the world through my lens. From the enchanting shores of Almeria, Spain, where I grew up, to the far reaches of the globe, I'm here to provide you with detailed travel guides and practical tips to make your trip planning a breeze. Find out more about me here.
