Travel insurance and Schengen visa cover

Schengen consulates require travel medical insurance covering emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, and repatriation or return of remains, with cover of at least EUR 30,000 valid throughout the territory of all Schengen States for the whole requested stay. The policy should name the traveller exactly as in the passport and cover the outbound and return dates.

Tell the insurer and obtain an endorsement amending the dates. If the cover period does not match the actual travel dates, a consulate may treat the file as incomplete, and an incident outside the period can be declined. Add at least a day of cover before departure and after return to absorb delays and connections.

EU rules require travel insurance covering emergency medical treatment and repatriation of not less than EUR 30,000, valid in all Schengen states for the whole stay. Check the specific embassy's requirements, as some prescribe an additional certificate format.

Schengen consulates apply a common standard: emergency medical cover of at least EUR 30,000, valid throughout the Schengen area, including emergency medical evacuation and repatriation including in case of death, and a validity period covering the whole requested stay with a margin before and after travel. The certificate should be in English, quote the policy number and the insured name as in the passport, and confirm the sum insured in euros.

Usually not. Travel policies are designed for short visits, cover emergency treatment and repatriation, and are typically capped at 180 days, while long stay visa rules require specified inpatient and outpatient limits from a recognised insurer. Applicants planning a retirement or long stay visa should buy a long stay health policy that is already inside the immigration verification system.

Travel insurance is built for short trips and focuses on accidents, emergency treatment and baggage. Long-stay health insurance covers ordinary illness and inpatient care at the limits set by Thai authorities. Long-stay applications therefore usually reject travel policies even with higher limits, because the coverage period does not span the requested permission to stay.