What is Schengen Visa Insurance?

No matter where we travel in the world, comprehensive travel insurance is essential. Protecting you from exorbitant medical and repatriation expenses, it’s a useful asset that provides added peace of mind should something unfortunate happen. If you are visiting the EU as a non-EU citizen, you’ll need Schengen travel medical insurance. This Schengen visa insurance provides travel and medical coverage for the duration of your visit, ensuring you are fully covered in any of the 29 Schengen countries.

In this blog, we look at the Schengen visa, Schengen visa insurance and the eligibility requirements for it.

The Schengen area comprises 29 countries and allows EU citizens to travel between them without border controls. Of the 29, 25 are EU member states, with the other four countries consisting of the members of the European Free Trade Association. This means the full list of countries making up the Schengen area is:

No, the UK, Ireland and Cyprus are not part of the Schengen area. The UK opted out of becoming a member in 1999, instead choosing to remain in control of its own borders and manage immigration in a way it thought would be more efficient. The non-membership is not linked to Brexit, although not being an EU member does mean that becoming a member of the Schengen area isn’t currently possible unless specific agreements are made with the other EU nations and the UK.

A Schengen visa is required for trips by non-EU citizens into the EU that last more than 90 days in an 180-day period. Short stays, like a city break, family holiday or business trip, don’t require a visa. If your stay indicates that you need a Schengen visa, you’ll need to visit the consulate of the country you are visiting to apply. If you are visiting multiple countries, apply at the consulate of the country you plan to stay in the longest. If your stays are of similar length, apply at the consulate of the country you are visiting first. For countries without a visa-waiver agreement with the EU, a Schengen visa applies regardless of the length of stay.

In some cases, non-EU nationals may also require an airport transit visa when connecting through transit areas of airports in the Schengen area.

If your trip requires a Schengen Visa, you are, by EU law, required to obtain travel insurance with up to €30,000 medical cover.

To apply for a Schengen visa, you’ll need:

You’ll also need to pay a fee of €90 per adult and €45 per child aged 6-12. Additional fees may be charged if you use a visa service centre to assist with your application. It normally takes around 15 days to process a Schengen visa application, but it can be as long as 45 days if more detailed checks are required. All applications must be submitted at least 15 days before travel and no more than 6 months before departure.

Schengen visa insurance, or Schengen visa travel insurance, as you may see it labelled, covers you for a host of possibilities that may occur as a result of your travel into the Schengen area. This includes:

The insurance must also be valid for all 29 Schengen countries and cover the whole duration of the stay in the area.

You can, you just need to ensure that you disclose the relevant information relating to the condition. Your policy may cost a little more, but failing to disclose any medical condition could result in future claims being dismissed and coverage being declined.

At Expatriate Healthcare, we provide comprehensive travel insurance for non-EU expats to travel across the Schengen area without fear of costly medical expenses blighting their time abroad. Contact our team to get your free, bespoke Schengen visa insurance quote today.