What Is Travel Health Insurance and What Does It Cover?
Travel health insurance pays for the medical care you need if you have a sudden illness or an accident while abroad. Depending on the policy, it also pays for losses in unexpected situations such as lost luggage, a delayed flight or a cancelled trip.
It is one of the required documents for visa applications to many countries, above all the Schengen countries. This guide explains what travel health insurance covers, which cover you need for a visa, how long the policy should be and what to look for when choosing. It applies to anyone travelling abroad from Turkey, including foreign residents.
- It is required when travelling to countries that need a visa, especially Schengen countries; for visa-free countries it is optional.
- For a Schengen visa the policy limit must be at least €30,000.
- Medical treatment, transport home and repatriation of remains are in every policy; visa refusal cover and assistance services vary.
- On annual policies you can stay abroad for up to 92 days in one go.
Contents
1. What Is Travel Health Insurance and Is It Compulsory?
Instead of wondering what to do if you fall ill or have an accident abroad, travel health insurance lets you get medical care straight away with your policy. Since cover varies by product, you can choose a policy that suits your needs and budget.
Is travel health insurance compulsory?
It is one of the documents required for visa applications, so you need it when travelling to countries that require a visa. It is not compulsory for visa-free countries, but it is still recommended to protect you against unexpected medical costs abroad.
Does the type of passport affect travel insurance?
Turkish citizens mostly hold burgundy (ordinary) or green (special) passports. Green passport holders can travel to many places, such as the Schengen area, without a visa; burgundy passport holders can travel visa-free only to countries that grant Turkey visa exemption. Whenever a visa is needed, travel health insurance is required in the application file. Foreign residents should check the visa rules for their own passport.
Is insurance required for the Schengen countries?
Yes. Health insurance is always required in a visa application for travel to the Schengen area; without it, the visa cannot be processed. These countries are:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Do visa-free countries ask for insurance?
Some countries may ask for health insurance at entry even though they do not require a visa. In that case, ready-made policies sold at the border are usually used; if you have suitable travel health insurance, you can show it to enter. We recommend checking the rules of your destination before you leave.
2. Travel Health Insurance Covers
Travel health insurance has main covers, extra covers and assistance services. The main covers are in every policy; extras and assistance services vary by insurer and package.
| Type of cover | What does it include? |
|---|---|
| Main covers (in every policy) | Medical treatment for sudden illness and accidents, transport home after discharge, repatriation of remains |
| Extra covers (depending on the policy) | Pandemic, replacing documents after a bag snatching, visa refusal |
| Assistance services (depending on the policy) | Trip cancellation and delay, lost and delayed luggage, missed connections, early return and more |
What does medical treatment cover pay for?
In case of a sudden illness, disease or accident abroad, it pays for doctor, hospital, surgery and prescribed medicine costs within the policy limits. The insurer must take you to the nearest healthcare facility in a suitable vehicle; if that facility lacks the necessary equipment, transfer to another suitable facility is also covered.
What are transport home after discharge and repatriation of remains?
After treatment, the doctor decides whether you can continue your trip and how you should travel. The insurer takes you to your home address in a vehicle suited to your medical condition. If the insured person dies abroad after a sudden illness or accident, transporting the remains to the requested place and the costs involved are also among the main covers.
What should the limit of travel health insurance be?
Cover amounts depend on the destination. For a Schengen visa, the policy must have at least €30,000 of cover; that is why Schengen travel insurance is also known as “travel health insurance with €30,000 cover”. Some countries accept policies with €10,000 of inpatient cover. Insurers prepare options to match these limits.
What are the extra covers of travel health insurance?
- Pandemic cover: if you catch Covid-19 during your trip, it pays outpatient and inpatient treatment and prescribed medicine within the policy limits; it is added for an extra premium.
- Bag snatching cover: if documents such as your passport, ID or driving licence are stolen by robbery or snatching, it pays the cost of replacing them, provided you document the incident.
- Visa refusal cover: if your visa is refused, it can pay the visa fee you paid to the consulate under certain conditions (details below).
There are packages with no extras, some extras or all of them; you can choose according to your trip.
3. Visa Refusal Cover
A visa refusal is one of the unwanted situations people planning a trip may face. Visa refusal cover, offered in some travel health insurance policies, can protect the visa application fee paid to the consulate within the policy limits. Not every insurer offers it; we check whether it is included, and its conditions, when getting quotes.
What conditions apply to visa refusal cover?
- The policy must be issued before the visa application
- The application must be made to the correct consulate
- All documents requested by the consulate must be submitted completely and correctly
- There must be no legal obstacle to the visa
What should you watch out for with visa refusal cover?
- It may not cover all costs; an excess or upper limit (for example €100 or €150) usually applies.
- Payments other than the visa fee, such as service and courier fees, are usually not covered.
- For payment, you may be asked for the receipt of the fee paid to the consulate and an official stamped/signed letter stating the reason for refusal.
- Some insurers may have extra conditions, such as having held a Schengen visa before.
4. Travel Health Insurance Assistance Services
Assistance services save you time when something goes wrong at any stage of your trip and pay your costs within the policy limits. Not every policy includes all assistance services; we compare them side by side when getting quotes.
Which assistance services are there?
- Trip cancellation and delay
- Lost luggage and delayed luggage
- Delay due to overbooking
- Missing a connecting flight, or missing a flight due to force majeure
- Food poisoning
- Early return costs
What are extended assistance services?
- Finding and delivering lost luggage
- Travel and accommodation for an accompanying person
- Sending medicines and passing on urgent messages
- Legal and medical advice
- Accommodation for treatment, or extending your stay
- Cash advance abroad and advance payment for bail
- Tour cancellation
5. Types and Duration of Travel Health Insurance
Travel health insurance policies differ by the purpose of the trip, the destination region and the length of the policy. Where you go and how long you stay determine the right policy.
| Area | Who is it for? |
|---|---|
| Schengen | People travelling only to Schengen countries |
| All of Europe | People also visiting European countries outside Schengen |
| Worldwide | Long trips covering many countries |
What is student (education) travel health insurance?
Travel insurance for students going abroad on Erasmus, language school or other education programmes. During their studies, it pays hospital costs after an accident or unexpected illness within the policy limits. Its term can match the study period, such as 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. Countries that require a student visa list this insurance among the required documents. For tourism and business trips, standard travel health insurance is used.
How many days should travel health insurance cover?
The policy must cover at least the visa period; for example, for a 10-day visa you must be insured for all 10 days. If you are visiting several countries in a row, choose a policy that covers all of them and the total period.
When does the policy start and end?
The policy starts when you leave Turkey after passport control, and ends when the policy term is over or when you return to Turkey. If you have a long-term policy, it becomes active again when you re-enter and leave Turkey. If you return for good before the end of the term, the unused days are not refunded.
What is the 92-day rule in travel health insurance?
On annual policies, after leaving Turkey you are covered for at most 92 days without re-entering Turkey; after that, the policy is no longer valid for that trip. If you will stay longer, you must re-enter Turkey within this period and renew the policy. At some insurers, shorter policies have even shorter limits per trip:
| Policy term | Maximum per trip |
|---|---|
| 1-year policy | 92 days |
| 6-month policy | 62 days (at some insurers) |
| 3-month policy | 46 days (at some insurers) |
Can travel health insurance be cancelled?
Yes. If you cannot travel for any reason, you can cancel the policy. The cancellation request usually has to reach the insurer 24 or 48 hours before the policy starts; the period depends on the policy terms. Once you report that the trip is cancelled, the fee can be refunded.
Is there an age limit for travel health insurance?
No, there is no age limit for travel health insurance. Policies are also issued for under-18s; in that case the parent’s details are on the policy as the policyholder.
6. Travel Health Insurance Price
The price of travel health insurance depends on the scope of the policy. Cover limits, extras and assistance services directly affect the price.
What determines the price of travel health insurance?
- Scope and limits of cover
- How long the policy is valid
- The number and ages of the travellers
- The destination country or continent
Just tell us your travel dates, destination and the number of travellers; we will compare insurers’ quotes and choose the best-value policy for your visa together.
7. Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Health Insurance
Is travel health insurance compulsory?
It is required for the visa application when travelling to countries that need a visa. It is not compulsory for visa-free countries, but some countries may ask for health insurance at entry.
How much cover do I need for a Schengen visa?
For a Schengen visa, the policy must have at least €30,000 of cover.
What does travel health insurance cover?
In case of a sudden illness, injury or accident abroad, it pays hospital, surgery, treatment and prescribed medicine costs, transport home after discharge, and repatriation of remains, within the policy limits.
If my visa is refused, do I get the money back?
If your policy has visa refusal cover, the visa fee paid to the consulate can be covered under certain conditions and within limits. Not every policy has this cover.
How many days should my travel insurance be?
It should cover at least the visa period and your whole trip. If you visit several countries, choose a policy that covers all of them and the total period.
How long can I stay abroad on an annual policy?
Annual policies give up to 92 days of continuous cover per trip without re-entering Turkey. If you will stay longer, you must return to Turkey within this period and renew the policy.
Can I cancel the insurance if my trip is cancelled?
Yes. The request usually has to be made 24 or 48 hours before the policy starts; in that case your payment can be refunded.
Which insurance do I need for Erasmus?
Students going abroad for education need student (education) travel health insurance. Its term can be 3 months, 6 months or 1 year, depending on the study period.
Can children get travel health insurance?
Yes. There is no age limit; for under-18s, the policy is issued with the parent’s details.
Covers, limits, assistance services and duration rules vary by insurer and policy; the cover required for a visa is set by the consulate. This page is for general information; contact us for a policy that fits your trip.
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