Travel Insurance for Schengen VISA from India

The amount that you have to pay for a travel insurance plan for Europe is determined by the insurance company, in this case, HDFC ERGO. The amount is called the premium and it depends on different factors used by the insurer to calculate the amount. These factors are as follows –

● Type of trip

HDFC ERGO offers different types of travel insurance plans for Europe – individual plans, family plans, student travel plans, single trip plans and multi-trip annual plans. The premium would depend on the type of policy that you choose.

● Countries that you are visiting

Europe is a big continent containing various countries. The premium would be calculated considering the number of countries that you are visiting and the cost of living of each.

● The number of members travelling with you

If you are travelling with your family members, the premium would be higher compared to when you are travelling alone. The premium increases with each member of the family being added to the cover.

● Age of the travelling members

Age determines the health risk of the insured members and the probability of claim. That is why for elder members premiums are higher than for younger members.

● Trip duration

The total duration of your trip affects the premium. The premium would be higher for longer durations than for shorter ones.

● Plan variant

HDFC ERGO has four plan variants to choose from. Each variant has a different sum insured and coverage benefits. Depending on the variant you select, the premium would be determined. Premium variants, like Titanium and Platinum, would have higher premiums than lower variants like Silver and Gold

● Add-ons selected

If a travel insurance policy offers additional coverage features on an optional basis, opting for such features would increase the premium since such features carry an additional premium

● Discounts availed

Travel insurance plans allow discounts for different reasons. If you can claim such discounts, you can enjoy lower premiums.

You can use HDFC ERGO’s premium calculator to check the premium payable for the Europe travel insurance plan based on your trip details.

Some countries in Europe are Schengen countries. Such countries require a valid medical insurance coverage when you travel to them. Common names include Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal and Iceland among others. If you travel to any of these Schengen countries, you would have to buy a medical travel insurance plan before you apply for a Visa.

Even if you are travelling to a country that does not require a medical coverage, like the UK, Turkey, etc., a medical travel insurance policy is recommended when travelling to Europe. This is because European countries have expensive healthcare facilities. If you incur a medical emergency and are to be hospitalized during the trip, the medical bills might be considerable. Paying off such expensive bills would create an undue financial stress and might even land you in debt. That is why it is wise to invest in a travel insurance policy which covers medical emergencies suffered while on the trip.

HDFC ERGO has an international travel insurance plan that covers European countries. Whether mandatory or not, the policy can give you a wide scope of coverage. Some of the coverage benefits that you can enjoy include the following –

● Illness or injury that lands you in the hospital is covered. The hospital bills, including the treatment costs, are handled by the travel insurance policy

● If you require emergency dental treatments, their costs would be covered by the policy

● In the case of hospitalization, you get a daily allowance in addition to the claim for the hospital costs. This allowance helps you meet smaller expenses that you might incur

● In the case of an accidental death or disablement, you get a lump sum benefit to help you tide over tough times

● Cost of transporting you to the hospital, by road or air, is also covered

● In the case of death in a foreign country, the cost of bringing the body back home would be covered

So, if mandatory, invest in a medical travel plan. Even if the plan is not mandatory in the country that you are visiting, the plan is a good value-addition.

The provision of free healthcare depends on where you are travelling to. For instance, UK has the National Health Service that allows free healthcare facilities to UK citizens. Similarly, France also offers free public healthcare facilities to its citizens.

However, these free healthcare facilities are usually allowed to the country’s citizens, residents or expatriates. If you are an Indian citizen and you are travelling for work, leisure or higher education, you would need to make a provision for free healthcare facilities in the country that you travel to. This is where a travel insurance plan comes to your aid.

You can buy a travel insurance policy in India before travelling to Europe. The policy provides coverage against medical emergencies that you might suffer during your Europe trip. You get covered for hospitalization, medical treatments, medical evacuation, accidental death and disablements, etc. This coverage allows you to avail of free healthcare facilities in Europe. You can avail of coverage up to USD 500,000 to get optimal protection against medical emergencies.

HDFC ERGO has Europe travel insurance plans that cover medical emergencies and provide a host of coverage benefits. You can buy the policy to secure your Europe trip and get access to free healthcare facilities as the policy would cover the cost of hospitalization and treatments should you fall sick or get injured during the trip.

Yes, foreigners are usually allowed to buy a health insurance policy in most European countries. However, such policies might have considerable premiums. Moreover, if you are travelling for a short duration, you might not be eligible for such health insurance plans. Even if you are eligible, the plans would not be cost-effective.

That is why it is recommended that you opt for a medical travel insurance plan when travelling to Europe. The Schengen countries of Europe mandate the coverage when you apply for their Visa. Even for other countries where the coverage is not mandated, the travel insurance policy can prove to be a useful addition. It would provide medical coverage to Indian citizens travelling to Europe and cover their medical expenses in an emergency.

HDFC ERGO has an international travel insurance policy for Europe trips. The policy is available in four variants with sum insured ranging from USD 50,000 to USD 500,000. The variants provide a complete range of coverage benefits in medical emergencies. Such coverage benefits include the following –

● Hospitalization costs

● Hospital transportation costs

● Treatment costs

● Emergency dental treatment costs

● Repatriation of mortal remains

● Daily cash allowance on hospitalization

● Personal accident cover

You can, thus, enjoy complete protection in medical emergencies with HDFC ERGO’s Europe travel insurance plans. The plans are available for Indian citizens who are travelling to Europe for work, leisure or for higher studies. When you are insured under the plan, you wouldn’t have to explore health insurance plans in European countries which might be a challenging task.

Schengen countries mandate every individual to have valid medical insurance coverage when they are in the country. While the citizens and residents of the country invest in a health insurance policy or are insured under Government-sponsored programs, travellers need valid medical insurance coverage before they enter the country. This is where a Schengen travel insurance policy comes into the picture.

The Schengen travel insurance plan covers trips taken to Schengen countries. You get coverage for medical emergencies as well as trip-related emergencies. Since medical emergencies are covered, the plan doubles up as a medical insurance plan for Schengen countries and fulfils the mandate. As such, if you are travelling to a Schengen country, you need a Schengen travel insurance policy for getting a Visa.

Yes, business travellers can buy a Schengen travel insurance policy for covering their business trips. Such travellers have a choice of two types of plans –

● Single trip travel insurance plans

● Annual multi-trip travel insurance plans

While single trip plans cover one single trip, annual plans cover multiple trips taken during the policy year. If you travel to the country frequently for your business needs, then an annual multi-trip travel insurance plan would be more suitable. It is because –

● The plan would provide automatic coverage for the trip. You wouldn’t have to buy a single trip policy every time that you travel

● The annual plan would prove cost-effective compared to independent single trip plans bought for each trip

● Such plans eliminate the hassle of insuring the trip every time

Under an annual multi-trip policy, the overall coverage duration would be a year and you can choose a suitable sum insured. Thereafter, every trip would be covered up to the selected sum insured. You can take multiple trips till the sum insured is available. If however, the sum insured gets exhausted, the plan would not cover future trips taken within the same year.

The instances in which claims are not covered under Schengen travel insurance include the following –

● Intentional injuries attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries

● Illness or injuries suffered due to war or terrorism

● Participation in adventure sports or hazardous activities

● Participation in acts of criminal nature

● Pre-existing illnesses and their complications

● Pregnancy and childbirth

● Illnesses or injuries suffered due to misuse of alcohol and/or drugs

● If the insured is travelling by air in any other capacity than as a fare-paying passenger

● Pathological fractures

● Injuries suffered when engaged in defence activities

The actual list of exclusions would be mentioned in the policy wordings. You should read the wordings to know what would be covered and what would be excluded from coverage.

For single trip plans, the minimum age criterion is 6 months and the maximum age criterion is 70 years. For annual multi-trip plans, the age limit is 18 years to 70 years. If you buy a family floater policy, the policy can cover you, your spouse and up to two dependent children. Dependent children can be covered from 3 months onwards.

The Schengen travel insurance policy is available for travel related to holidays, business, official purposes and employment.

Under a policy taken for business travel, the spouse and children of the individual can be covered on a family floater basis. However, in such a case, the travel policy would be considered holiday travel.

Foreign nationals who work in India in MNCs and earn their salaries in Indian currency can also buy the Schengen travel insurance policy. Moreover, foreign nationals who are domiciled in India can also be covered under the plan provided that their ration card and IT returns can be verified.

Yes, you can travel to multiple Schengen counties with the same Schengen Visa. Furthermore, the application for this Visa should be made at the embassy or consulate in the country where you plan to stay the longest.

A single-entry Schengen Visa is one that allows you entry to a Schengen country only once as specified in the Visa. This entry is allowed within the validity of the Visa. Once you exit the country, you would not be able to enter again even if the Visa is still valid.

A multiple-entry visa, however, is one that allows multiple entries into the Schengen country. However, you would have to follow the 90/180 rule in such cases. Moreover, you can apply for a 1 year, 2 years or 3 years multiple-entry Visa depending on your need to travel.

After you submit your Visa application to the consulate, it takes about 15 calendar days for the Visa to be processed and issued. This period can also extend to 45 days under special circumstances.

Schengen plan is the same worldwide excluding US and Canada. It is not specific to schengen countries only.

No, a refund of the Visa application fee is not allowed even if your Schengen Visa is refused by the consulate. The Visa application fee is levied for the examination of your Visa application. As such, it covers the examination costs and is non-refundable.

The premium of a Schengen travel insurance policy is determined using a lot of factors. These factors are as follows –

● Countries travelling to – Since different countries have different economies and different levels of medical costs, the premium depends on the countries that you are travelling to. Developed countries that have higher medical expenses would attract higher premiums

● Type of policy –Moreover, single-trip and annual multi-trip plans also have different premiums

● The number of members travelling – if you are buying a family floater policy, the premium would depend on the total number of members travelling with you. The more the number of members that you travel with the higher would be the premium outgo.

● Age of the members – age is directly related to the premium. Higher the age higher would be the premium payable and vice-versa

● Trip duration – the premium would depend on the trip duration. Longer durations would attract higher premiums than shorter ones

● Coverage – there are different plan variants in the Schengen travel insurance policy. The premium depends on the variant selected. Higher variants with higher sum insured levels and more comprehensive coverage features involve higher premiums.