Visiting a European nation can be a thrilling experience for travel enthusiasts. From spectacular natural beauty to rich cultural heritage, it offers visitors the experience of a lifetime. The best part is that tourists can freely move in the Schengen area, which includes 29 European nations.
While Indian tourists require a visa to travel to the Schengen area, many question if travel insurance for a Schengen visa is also mandatory.
Let us explore the answer to this question in this article.
Table of Contents
Is Schengen Travel Insurance Compulsory
Yes, Indian tourists travelling to the Schengen area are mandatorily required to have travel insurance irrespective of the type of Schengen visa. To avoid a visa rejection, one must buy insurance that meets the standards set by the Schengen countries.
Additionally, you must also ensure your travel insurance is valid across all Schengen countries that you wish to visit during your trip.
Requirements of Schengen Visa Insurance
The Schengen visa insurance requirements are very specific, which your travel insurance must fulfil for your visa to be approved. Therefore, when you buy travel insurance for a Schengen visa, ensure it meets the following standards:
- Monetary Coverage: The monetary coverage of the insurance must be a minimum of €30,000. It is necessary to have the minimum financial coverage, which can help you to meet the expenses related to any kind of emergency, including accidental injuries, compensation to third parties, obtaining a new passport in case of a lost passport, and so on.
- Territorial Coverage: Since the Schengen area comprises 29 nations, your travel insurance for the Schengen visa must be valid across all the countries.
- Validity: Your insurance must be valid throughout your travel in the Schengen areas and have a scope of extension if you are required to extend your stay.
Benefits of Schengen Visa Travel Insurance
Insurance for foreign travel acts as a safety net, offering financial support to travellers abroad through various means.
- Offers Health Coverage: Travel insurance offers coverage for medical emergencies, including accidental injury, illness, and so on. Since the cost of healthcare facilities is high in Schengen countries, travel insurance can help you bear the expenses and get appropriate treatment.
- Assistance Services: In case of emergencies, travel insurance offers a helping hand if you need medical evacuation or repatriation. Transportation to the home country or different medical facilities can be costly. However, with travel insurance, the cost of such services becomes bearable.
- Other Assistance: Apart from medical assistance, your travel insurance also reimburses for lost luggage, and passport. You can also get reimbursement for non-refundable travel if it gets cancelled due to unforeseen events.
While the cost of the cheapest travel insurance for a Schengen visa is not fixed, it is determined after careful consideration of several factors, as mentioned below:
- Age of the Applicant- The older the applicant, the higher the premium and vice versa.
- Length of Stay- The premium is calculated based on the per-day cost.
- Add-on requirements- Insurance cost increases if you include add-ons.
Conclusion
Visiting any Schengen country requires obtaining a specific type of Schengen visa along with valid travel insurance. Travel insurance is necessary as it shields the traveller against various unexpected events, such as a medical emergency, luggage or passport loss, etc.
Travel insurance ensures that you enjoy the trip with a relaxed mind while the insurance provider takes care of the unwarranted expenses.
