Schengen travel insurance, compare and buy online

Get European travel health insurance and travel medical insurance that fits your needs in less than a minute, from around $1.60 a day.

If you’re applying for a Schengen visa, you must obtain Schengen travel insurance before applying. This includes for destinations like France, Spain, Italy, and others. It’s a required part of the visa application process, and you’ll need to get it before you submit your file at the embassy, consulate, or a visa application center.

Our worldwide trusted partner network

We partner with Europe’s leading insurers (such as AXA and Mutuaide, part of Groupama) to provide policies that meet Schengen visa requirements, like the €30,000 minimum. That means that when you get your compliant policy here, you’ll get a visa-ready certificate that you can attach to your application in just a matter of minutes. Coverage starts at just a few dollars a day, and if your visa is denied, we refund your premium.

We’re committed to helping travelers get the coverage they need with less confusion and hassle. We’re also committed to what happens after you purchase your policy. Thanks to our strategic collaborations and our in-house team of passionate experts, we’re able to pass along the strength and reliability of global names right to you. Offering a wide range of options that stand out for their excellence, keeping our service best-in-class is at the forefront of our minds.

What is Schengen travel insurance, and who needs it?

The quick definition: Schengen travel insurance is referred to as travel medical insurance in the EU Visa Code. This legal basis requires that anyone applying for a Type C Schengen Visa must have a policy in hand that meets specific criteria. The criteria are a minimum of €30,000 (~ $35,000) in emergency medical and repatriation coverage. It must cover you across every Schengen country and for the entire duration of your stay. Without this required coverage, your visa application will be denied.

The term short-stay means up to 90 days within any given 180-day period. That window applies whether you’re traveling on a Type C visa or under a visa waiver agreement (for nationals of visa-exempt countries). Time spent in the Zone is tracked via Europe’s digital border: the Entry/Exit System.

Who is Schengen travel insurance mandatory for?

Legally Required	Not Legally Required
Certain non-EU travelers on a tourist visa	EU or EEA citizens
Students on specific study visas	Students who do not require visas
Business visitors needing a Type-C visa	Some holders of a valid EU residence permit
Many non-EU nationals, for short stays	Travelers who hold an ETIAS (once operational)
Applicants filing at a Schengen embassy, visa center, or consulate in the US for short-stay visas	US citizens traveling under visa waiver (stays under 90 days)
Anyone whose passport is not on the visa-free list	Travelers already covered by a compliant policy

Which countries does Schengen travel insurance cover?

The insurance policy must provide coverage across the entire Schengen territory, which includes your destination and the visa-issuing country when you apply for your visa. As of 2026, the Schengen Area has 29 member states, including: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, 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.

Our policies cover travelers in all Schengen member states, plus Monaco, Andorra, San Marino, and Vatican City, which Schengen visa holders can generally travel to without applying for a separate visa, depending on nationality.

Do US citizens need Schengen travel insurance?

In short: As a legal condition for short stays in Europe, no. American travelers benefit from a visa waiver agreement with Schengen states. This means that US citizens can enter and travel for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and therefore without the mandatory insurance requirement that comes with it. For American citizens planning long stays in Europe (with a visa), travel or health insurance may be mandatory.

In any case, travel insurance is always considered a good idea. European hospitals do not bill domestic US health insurers, and Medicare does not cover care overseas. Patients often pay up front for hospital stays in Europe, even for a single night. An emergency medical and evacuation policy costs a fraction of an ICU bill.

Schengen visa travel insurance requirements

In short, travel insurance is a mandatory part of any Schengen visa application. As an applicant, your policy has to cover you for at least €30,000 (around $35,000) in medical expenses, be valid across the entire Schengen Zone (29 countries), and include repatriation and emergency evacuation. It also must cover you for your entire stay. The embassy will reject your application if you do not include the insurance certificate.

These rules come from the European Union’s Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. Typically, your official certificate has to show the amount of coverage that you have, the dates your policy is active, and the countries that you are covered in. It also must clearly show your name.

Requirements

Requirement	Official Minimum	Additional Info	Checked By
Emergency medical coverage	€30,000	Higher maximums are optional	Embassy or consulate
Geographic validity	All 29 Schengen states	Not only your destination	Embassy or consulate
Time validity	Your full stay	Dates must match your visa application	Embassy or consulate
Visa refusal	Policies on Insurte can be refunded	Full refund available	Insurte
Repatriation of remains	Must be included	All Insurte policies include repatriation	Embassy or consulate
Repatriation & emergency evacuation	Included	Medical transport to a suitable facility, or back home if necessary	Embassy or consulate
Certificate format	Written proof of your coverage	Name, dates, amount, guarantees, and countries listed	Embassy or consulate

How much does Schengen travel insurance cost?

In short. Plans start at just a couple of dollars a day for single-trip policies. Prices vary depending on how long your trip is, how many people are on your policy, and how comprehensive you want your coverage to be. Multi-trip (or annual) plans can become cheaper than single-trip coverage if you travel internationally more than a couple of times a year.

The real cost of skipping it. A few days in a European hospital can run into several thousand euros for non-residents. A two-week policy is about the same as a family meal out, so it’s a small price to pay for the security it provides.

How much does it cost?

Trip length	Entry-level plan	Comprehensive plan	Typical use case
1 week	From around $25	From around $33	Single short-stay visa applications
2 weeks	From around $51	From around $67	Tourists, business trips, visiting friends and family
1 month	From around $112	From around $223	Family visits, business missions, longer excursions
90 days	From around $332	From around $600	Maximum short-stay duration
Annual multi-trip	—	From around $600	Multiple international trips a year

Note: In this table, comprehensive plans are defined as plans with additional coverage/amount beyond the core essentials. Keep in mind that what one person may consider comprehensive, another may not, so pricing may vary depending on subjectivity.

What does Schengen travel insurance cover?

Typically covered. Emergency medical expenses (minimum €30,000), hospitalization, medical repatriation, emergency evacuation, repatriation of mortal remains, and 24-hour assistance. More comprehensive plans can include additional guarantees like lost/delayed luggage, assistance for lost papers, personal liability, legal assistance, sports, and more.

What is covered?

Coverage	Always included	Optional
Emergency medical	Minimum cover €30,000	Higher limits optional
Repatriation	Yes	Limits vary
Delayed or lost luggage	No	Yes, on some policies
Personal liability	No	Yes, on some policies
COVID-19	No	Yes, on some policies
Sports	Yes	Coverage and exclusions vary
Emergency hospitalization	Yes	Coverage and exclusions vary
Emergency evacuation	Yes	Coverage and exclusions vary
24-hour assistance	Yes	Multilingual hotline

You can use our comparison tool at the top of this page to look at policies side by side to see what works best for you.

How to get your Schengen travel insurance certificate

Purchasing a policy and obtaining your visa-ready certificate takes just a couple of minutes: enter your details, compare quotes, and complete your purchase. Your mandatory certificate of insurance will be sent to you immediately.

What the embassy or consulate checks on your certificate

The embassy or consulate will look at your insurance certificate and review details like your name, the policy dates, where you’re covered, that the €30,000 minimum medical coverage is met, and that the policy includes repatriation.

Secured contract

Insurte certificates have QR codes on them. Embassies and consulates can scan to quickly confirm that the document is genuine, and to review policy information in more detail. You can also verify a contract by contacting our support team and providing the policyholder’s passport number and contract number.

Key differences between Schengen vs Europe travel insurance

In short. Geographical validity covers all 29 Schengen countries, which is required for all Schengen visa (short-stay, Type C) applicants. Europe travel insurance may cover countries outside of the Schengen area, and may not meet the minimum requirements of policies specifically designed to meet Schengen visa criteria.