Insurance for a visa: what is needed, where and how to get it

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Absolutely all countries that have signed the Schengen Agreements and other states require a special medical policy (insurance) to issue an entry document.

In the absence of insurance, the likelihood of a possible refusal, for example, in obtaining a European visa, increases significantly, because this is a guarantee not only for the host that in the event of an emergency, a person will not be left without a financial allowance in a medical institution, but also for the tourist himself, in the event of an unforeseen situation related to his he alth, he will not have to worry about cash payments for hospital services.

Choosing an insurance company

Today, visa insurance can be obtained from any company providing such services, since the list is so large that you can get confused. Usually in each city you can find offices and representative offices of various medical organizations offering a variety of policies with different amounts of coverage. And in order to choose the right insurance for a visa, one important point should be taken into account: each insurance company in Russia cannot create a representative office in all countries of at least the European Union, so they signagreements with foreign companies that become their partners or assistants (assistance).

In this regard, tourists should pay attention to the partner's office, since the service of medical insurance for a visa will depend on the good and high-quality work of an assistant. First you need to carefully read all the information about the international office. Today the most famous is Koris. Many Russian insurance companies, which are in the top among customers, conduct common business with her.

Properly drawn up and executed insurance for a visa will avoid further problems with its initial activation and payments. It is necessary to trust only well-established companies that have received accreditation from the embassies of those countries in which there are partner offices. Therefore, for a more reliable choice, you can go to the website of any embassy and look for a list of companies that issue medical insurance for a visa.

Types of insurance for the Schengen area

When planning a trip to countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement, it is worth knowing that visa insurance may vary in their medical coverage. For example, there are those that work exclusively in case of accidents, in emergency situations and involve only first aid; there are policies covering a wide range of medical services, even dental treatment and so on.

Insurance programs are different, respectively, and the types of insurance forSchengen visas are also different from each other. Consider the main programs:

• Type A. This insurance provides a guarantee of receiving 100% emergency assistance in case of emergency or in the event of an unexpected exacerbation of symptoms of an illness existing at the time of the holiday or trip.
• Type B. It is purchased by people who want to protect themselves from the above cases included in category A. Moreover, this insurance allows you to include third-party care, medical care, and even pays for all costs of returning to your home country earlier term set by the citizen.
• C visa insurance covers all the services provided for the two programs above, and also covers all financial expenses for repairing the vehicle and applying for qualified legal assistance.

He alth insurance requirements for the Schengen region

If the insurance policy has several programs, then the usual medical insurance for traveling abroad should contain several mandatory items. After all, for example, for entry into Bulgaria, insurance for a visa is checked right at the border by customs officers. Employees who allow a tourist to pass must ensure that they comply with all laws in force in their country.

So, what kind of insurance is needed for a visa to another country:

• Its validity must be equal to the validity of the visa for which the citizen is applying.
• Its registration should take place without a franchise.
• Minimum insurance coverage for a Schengen visa -thirty thousand euros.
• Coverage area - all countries participating in the Schengen Agreement.
• Must provide all emergency services, including cash support for return home and cargo of two hundred.

If the applicant has purchased cheap insurance for a Schengen visa, which does not have at least one item in the list of services provided (usually there is no repatriation), then the citizen's profile at the consulate simply will not be considered and employees have the right to voice a refusal to obtain a visa.

It is in order to avoid such cases that it is necessary to clarify in advance what requirements the embassy sets. For example, at the moment, the B altic countries, the French Republic, Switzerland, Finland, the Czech Republic require to provide insurance for a visa to their embassies in a printed form. The rest of the consular departments of the Schengen countries require filling in the columns in the insurance by hand. But the Danish Embassy has separate conditions, according to which travel insurance for a visa must be valid for fifteen days more than the final date of validity of the visa. This is done in case of unforeseen circumstances, when a person ends up in a medical facility for a long time, which may exceed the scope of the tour established by the tourist. The same thing happens in the case of insurance for a visa to Poland: the Poles require it to be issued with a large margin of days.

Pricing

Each individual insurance has its own price. The cost of insurance for a visa is calculated taking into account, firstly,the amount of coverage, and secondly, the duration of the trip. Usually, the Schengen countries ask for such an amount to be at least thirty thousand euros or fifty thousand US dollars. With regard to the validity period, most often it is required to coincide with the days of the intended trip or it must be extended by fifteen days after its end (in case of an emergency and the inability to fly on time).

Usually the traveler's intentions determine the type of medical policy. So, for example, if a person goes on an ordinary trip for tourist purposes, then the usual standard insurance will suit him. Most often, such insurance clearly states that in case of injury due to extreme sports, the company will not pay for treatment.

The plus of such a policy is its price, because the cost of insurance for a visa and a trip for two weeks will be some twenty euros. But in the case of trips to the mountains, especially in the winter season to popular ski resorts, the amount, of course, will increase.

Where to get insurance for a visa

Modern realities allow people to deal with insurance without leaving home. But above all, in order to obtain the necessary document, a citizen, together with a foreign passport, can come directly to the office of the insurance company itself. In addition, employees will be required to specify travel dates.

The procedure for issuing insurance for traveling abroad is standard almost everywhere, regardless of which country a person iswishes to visit. However, for general information, the employee also enters information about the country, city and purpose of the trip. All "red tape" will take no more than fifteen minutes. Payment must be made on site by cash or credit card. But before paying, it is worth re-reading all the conditions under which the company insures the individual. What if he chose the wrong look?

To issue a policy online, you should register on the official website of the company and enter the necessary personal data yourself, as well as all the requested information about the trip. This is an absolutely simple procedure. Payment is also made online using any bank card or other modern methods, for example, from an electronic wallet.

Insurance for those traveling to work abroad

Usually, for example, as in the case of insurance for a German visa issued under a work agreement, the employer himself is responsible for issuing a medical policy, since he is primarily concerned with the foreign worker being in good he alth. In general, all countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement, as well as Israel, the Czech Republic and Estonia, have approved the execution of such insurance at the legislative level. There are also countries where entry is allowed not only with a visa and insurance, but also with a certificate of vaccinations made in advance. Usually these countries are African states.

A visa without insurance is, one might say, a waste of money, because no one knows what might happen to us the next day. Leaving for another countryearnings, a person cannot even imagine how local food, climate, and especially the customs of the indigenous people can affect his he alth. For example, in Indian territory there are such microorganisms that are not found in the Russian Federation and, if they enter the human gastrointestinal tract, can cause severe poisoning with incessant loose stools.

Plus, to perform work duties usually leave for a long time, as opposed to vacation, and in such an environment a person will have to somehow exist.

What does he alth insurance cover

Insurance for both work and tourist visas covers the following:

• A simple medical examination and first aid in case of illness or accident.
• Any medication prescribed by a doctor.
• Fixing devices, antiseptics, bandages, casts, etc.
• Transportation of the patient to the hospital.
• Treatment in the inpatient department.
• If you need urgent dental care, the insurance undertakes to cover this case as well.

When treatment in the hospital exceeds ten days, the foreigner has the right to call one relative at the expense of the insurance company. It will provide not only a ticket for the plane, but also his accommodation. Therefore, the standard question from those traveling abroad, if there is a visa, whether insurance is needed, after such a description automatically disappears.

If a person needsurgent return to their homeland during the performance of work duties, then the company will pay for this flight even for the accompanying person. Such situations arise when the host specialists cannot provide a full range of medical services for the patient, for example, perform an operation.

When a person dies while in the country for work reasons, insurance will cover their return. Plus, such "working" medical policies also apply to children: in any of the above cases (illness or death), the company undertakes to send children home with an accompanying person.

If a citizen gets lost, for example, does not find his way back from the forest while walking or hiking for mushrooms, then search work will be carried out at the expense of the medical company that issued him insurance.

Given that a typical visit to a therapist abroad can cost eight hundred dollars, it is worth understanding the seriousness of having "working" insurance.

Cost of travel insurance for work travel

Sometimes business travel insurance is issued in the home country along with a visa. However, most countries have adopted the concept of having employer insurance on site, such as Turkey.

The cost will depend on how long the person goes to work. The longer, respectively, the greater the risk of catching a cold or getting any injury. But in terms of price, the principle will work: the longer, the cheaper, because the policy is calculated daily.

Also on the costthe general pricing policy for medicines in a given country, doctor's consultations and transportation will also be affected. For example, in Switzerland everything is strict with this, calling an ambulance must be paid. Moreover, the price will depend on the work performed by a person. After all, it is one thing if a foreigner came to carry out office assignments, and quite another if he got a job in a team of rescuers, divers or mountain instructors. The latter professions have higher degrees of risk, so the coefficient for them will be increased by two or three times. For example, for an office worker, a policy per day will cost one dollar, and for a person with a dangerous profession - two or more.

When there are responsibilities associated with risks, the service of rescue work is usually added, this, of course, increases the total price of insurance. For example, a person works at great depths as a diver, so, in addition to the fact that searches will be carried out under water, it is possible that a pressure chamber will be needed for rescue, the use of which can cost up to two hundred dollars per hour. And in the event of an emergency in the mountains, a plane equipped with medical equipment will cost fifteen thousand dollars.

Such risks are taken into account by increasing the coefficient to four or more. It follows that the average amount for daily insurance is also increasing. But even for ordinary people engaged in simple duties without the presence of danger and threat to their lives, insurance will be more expensive than for tourists. In the lastIn this case, the smallest coefficient is used, according to which one day equals approximately sixty-five cents. In any case, each situation is individual and much depends on the person himself, on his choice in favor of various additional services, because the maximum coverage sometimes starts from fifteen thousand dollars and can reach one hundred thousand.

Exclusions for travel insurance for work abroad

Despite such a wide range of coverages, there are some factors that insurance will not be able to take into account. Being abroad and performing work duties, it is worth remembering that life is worth living without violating generally accepted norms of behavior, because the company will not pay for treatment in the hospital if it is necessary, for example, due to a car accident, the culprit of which was the person himself, while intoxicated intoxication. Other examples relate to disorderly conduct, robbery and other deliberate violations of the laws of the host country. In these cases, when injured, a citizen will have to be treated at his own expense.

Also, insurance companies make sure that the cases are not a deliberate "pumping out" of money. This can happen in collusion with a friend or another person. The usual scenario is as follows: several mutilations are inflicted and a convincing story is put together. The same topic applies to cases of suicide attempts.

The following exceptions to the rules of free treatment are non-observance of warning signs, inscriptions in places where you can harm your he alth. These territories are usually Cubanbeaches in August. During this period, rescuers specially set up red flags throughout the coastal territory, meaning danger and a ban on swimming. And all because in August a huge number of animals called Portuguese boats sail to the shores of Cuba, which, with the help of their tentacles, strongly sting anyone who touches them. Their length can reach up to fifty meters. Such an acquaintance often ends in death or painful paralysis. By the way, stepping on dry physalia is also dangerous, despite the fact that it is small in size, the burn can leave a very deep one. The leg swells to an incredible size.

And a very important point is the refusal to compensate for damages if there are military operations, strikes, riots, revolutions, serious infectious epidemics in the country that require mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the native country, natural disasters and global natural disasters.

What should I do if something goes wrong while traveling?

What if trouble crept up unexpectedly? Where to call, where to run? Such a question usually does not arise before the start of the trip, but during the trip, succumbing to panic, you can understand that the main point is missed - information about the provision of medical care under the insurance policy. Therefore, when applying for insurance, a foreigner traveling abroad must ask all the details about his first actions in case of an emergency.

So, what is the procedure:

• First of allthe citizen needs to contact the representative of the assistant's company, which was mentioned at the very beginning of the article. All telephones and other contacts must be listed among other insurance information or in a separate information booklet.
• These reseller companies usually have a 24/7 support line. First of all, they speak international English, but usually the staff is multilingual, and when calling, during the announcement of the interactive menu, you can choose the one that the victim understands best. But the acquisition of a banal phrasebook of the country to which a person is sent will be useful. It is possible to find out about the presence, for example, of a Russian-speaking employee in the call-center of the receiving party of the insurance company when applying for insurance.
• Further, an employee of the assisting company will tell you all the subsequent actions in connection with the current situation - which hospital to go to (this is very important, since companies often cooperate with different medical institutions), explain how to get there, and so on. If the matter bears, then the manager himself will be able to arrange a meeting with the doctor, and the patient will only need to arrive at the required day and time.
• If the injury or the onset of pain does not endure, then you should immediately contact any hospital nearby. In this case, you yourself will have to pay for all the services provided, but be sure to keep the issued checks and receipts. When the worst is over and the pain subsides, you should contact the staffassisting company and describe in detail what happened, including what receipts the patient has on hand. In this case, upon presentation of them, the insurance company will reimburse all expenses.

During the entire trip abroad, the policy must be with a citizen, so that there is always the opportunity to use it. It is very important that both the tourist and the potential employee who travels outside their home country to perform work duties understand that it is first of all necessary for them to obtain a medical policy, and not for the consular department or the border guard. Insurance will always give confidence in security.