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Schengen Travel Insurance One Stop Guide

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Schengen Visa is one of the most sought after visas in the world. Europe has become a favourite continent among Indians to visit for holidays. It provides a gateway to 25 European countries including - 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. The maximum stay allowed with one Schengen visa is three months at a time.

To get this visa, you need to meet specific criteria in terms of insurance as well. There are various medical situations like accident, injury and death that need to be covered.

Insurance Requirements for Schengen Travel

• A coverage of at least 30,000 EUR or 50,000 USD is needed

• The insurance should be valid for all the member countries

• It should cover any expense required for medical attention, death, repatriation of body and emergency health issues

While medical insurance is highly recommended, Schengen visa insurance policy is mandatory as well. The visa website states that travellers should not depend on the group insurance policies with medical cover only, as there might be limitations of these. An individual travel insurance is highly recommended which will cover medical and non-medical challenges easily. You should check the inclusions and exclusions for each type of policy to pick the best one for you. Travel insurance will cover not just your flight to and fro to Europe, but any local travel via private or public transport, in case of an emergency.

The travel insurance for Schengen should cover the following issues –

• Medical exigencies

• Emergency situations like evacuations

• Hijacking

• Repatriation of remains on death

• Return of a minor

• Trip cancellation, rescheduling or interruptions

• Accidental death, injury or disablement and dismemberment

• Overseas outpatient, hospitalizations, medicine, death and funeral expenses

• Lost/damaged stolen baggage, travel documents or personal effects

• Delayed baggage or replacement for emergencies

• Travel delays due to inclement weather

• Even pregnancy cover is possible during the first trimester but after that each policy terms will vary. Check specifics for each policy before you make a choice.

Exclusions

Most Schengen visa policies will have their own list of exclusions which are difficult to cover by the insurers –

• Pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, cardiac issues and high blood pressure are usually not covered. Even acute onset of pre-existing condition, which had been resolved but has again erupted without warning and attested by a medical authority is not covered many times. If any such pre-existing condition exists, be sure to get it included by paying extra premium on the policy or getting an add-on cover.

• Adventure sports with risks involved like skydiving, scuba diving and others are not covered unless you get an add-on.

• Travel to high risk geographical locations such as war-torn countries, countries suffering from severe natural disasters or acts of terrorism are also not covered by travel insurance.

Things to Do before the Travel

Ensure to carry a copy of the travel insurance along with list of network hospitals that will be around your travel locations and place of stay and visits. Ensure to keep the toll free and local numbers if any, handy. A little bit of preparation will go a long way in keeping yourself safe and making the best use of your travel insurance policy.

The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.