Travel insurance comes up in almost every visa conversation, because most embassies ask for it, but what the policy actually needs to cover is often misunderstood. Buying the cheapest policy you can find is not always the safest option, since the wrong certificate can hold up an otherwise complete application.
What a visa application usually needs
- Minimum medical cover, often EUR 30,000 for Schengen countries
- Cover for every day of the trip, with no gaps
- Cover valid in every country on the itinerary
- A certificate that states the cover amount clearly
A policy that is missing any one of these can be rejected at the counter, even if the price looks right. The cover amount and the countries listed are the two details most often overlooked, especially on a multi-country trip booked across more than one website, where it is easy to end up with two policies that each cover only part of the journey.
Medical cover versus trip cover
Medical cover pays for treatment if you fall ill or are injured abroad, which is what most visas ask for. Trip cover is a separate, optional layer: cancellation, delayed baggage and missed connections, worth having but not usually a visa requirement. Many travellers buy both together, since the extra cost is usually modest compared with the cost of an unplanned cancellation.
Common mistakes
Buying a policy for the wrong date range is the most common error we see, usually when a trip is extended after the insurance was bought. A gap of even one day can make the whole certificate invalid for a visa check. Buying cover only for the outbound flight, and forgetting the return leg, is another frequent slip, along with choosing a policy priced for a single country when the trip actually covers several.
Existing medical conditions
Standard policies often exclude pre-existing conditions. If you have one, say so when you enquire, and we will look for a policy that covers it, where one is available, rather than assume a standard policy is enough. Declaring it upfront is far safer than finding out it was excluded after a claim, and insurers generally charge only a modest extra for a disclosed condition.
Our role
We match you to a policy that meets your visa’s requirement and issue the certificate the same day. Insurance requirements can change between embassies and over time, so we always check the current rule rather than rely on what applied last time, and we are happy to explain any clause you are unsure about before you buy.
