Tips to Buy Travel Insurance for Visa Requirements

Is Travel Insurance Necessary for Your Visa?

Yes, and No. This depends entirely on the country you’re visiting.

Several countries require foreigners to have sufficient financial coverage before they are allowed to enter their region. Nations best known for this are the 26 Schengen countries in Europe.

Other than a lengthy visa application procedure, they have a compulsory criterion for travel medical insurance. Without proof of its purchase, your visa application can’t proceed further.

On the other hand, many countries don’t need tourists to buy any kind of insurance. Your visa application does not require any copy of travel health insurance nor will it change anything.

However, it can have a positive impact on your application as it proves to the embassy representatives that you’re financially covered for any emergencies while you’re in their country.

Whatever may be the case, it’s always suggested that you insure your trip anyway so that you’re financially (and emotionally!) secure in a foreign land.

Which Countries Have Mandatory Insurance?

More than 30 countries in the world have made it compulsory for tourists to have suitable trip insurance. Some of them are Australia, Dubai, Thailand, Germany, France, Russia, Qatar, and Turkey.

While some countries don’t need short-term visitors to buy insurance, they need prospective students or workers to have specific insurance plans before their applications can be processed.

This insurance mandate is usually to save the tourists from any sudden expenses that may otherwise leave them broke and helpless. Most of these countries are extremely wealthy with a high cost of living. Healthcare here is pretty expensive, especially when compared to what the traveller may be used to.

Not just the cost of treatment, your trip insurance will also cover financial crises caused due to accidents, sudden sickness, loss of passport or luggage, accidental legal liabilities and more. All these situations are very serious and the financial burden is enough to ruin anyone's careful plans.

How Can You Buy Travel Insurance for Visa Requirements?

In most cases, you can get the required international travel insurance plan online or offline depending on the country. Many countries also specify a list of insurers from whom you can buy the appropriate plan. Here are some of the ways to buy overseas travel insurance from India:

• Buy Through Policybazaar: If you want to save time looking for good insurance, you can simply visit Policybazaar.com and compare different plans for your upcoming trip.
• Buy Through Insurer’s Website: You can also buy travel health insurance with appropriate coverage directly from an insurer of your choice. Make sure that it is from the list of approved Indian travel insurance companies so that all your visa requirements are met.
• Buy Through Insurance Agents: You may feel more comfortable meeting an agent and discussing the plans, which is completely alright! You can head to a physical office of an approved travel insurance company in India and buy the plan that is suitable for you.

As long as the policy meets their coverage requirements, you are good to go. Just make sure that the insurer is legit!

What Kind of Insurance is Required While Travelling?

Insurance is a simple concept — it’s a contract between you and the insurer where your insurer will provide pre-determined coverage for many of your risks.

While travelling, the risks being covered can range from only medical expenses to much more comprehensive coverage that covers your journey, your health, your luggage and a lot more.

The type of insurance required while travelling will thus depend upon many factors:

• Your age
• The country you’re travelling to
• Purpose of travelling (tourism, long stay, work or higher studies)
• Duration of your stay

A different combination of all these factors will determine the type of coverage. For example, if you’re a student going abroad for 2 or more years then a student travel insurance is good for you.

Tips to Select Travel Insurance for your Visa Application

• Make sure to go for a well-known travel insurance company to avoid any fraud or scam.
• Before you fall for low prices, check what the plan is offering you. Don't buy any plan if it does not meet all the requirements stated by the embassy.
• Don't just focus on medical emergencies; make sure other benefits like personal accidents, passport loss and third-party liabilities are also being covered
• Ensure the minimum financial coverage stated by the Embassy, for example, it is EUR 30,000 for Schengen countries and USD 10,000 for Thailand.
• If applying for a Schengen visa, only buy insurance from companies that are accepted by European Consulates and Embassies in India

Wrapping it Up,

With so many steps and procedures, a visa application can be a pretty frustrating procedure for some people. However, help is always available for those who are serious about their plans. You can always contact the embassy or consulate where you’re applying in case of any confusion.