Do I need insurance when entering Schengen. Do I need insurance to travel abroad

Traveling outside the country always involves certain risks. They are associated with possible injuries, loss (theft) of documents, valuables, property and other unpleasant circumstances.

The policy will protect you from costs, but is insurance required when traveling abroad? Or are there countries where you can go without it?

Travel insurance is a policy that makes it possible to receive urgent medical care abroad.

It is not necessary to buy insurance abroad for all host countries.

Medical insurance for traveling abroad is necessary, and other types of tourist insurance will help to avoid serious problems while in another country.

Travel medical insurance is a guarantee of a carefree vacation, since in the event of an emergency it will be a guarantee that the injured party will be assisted.

When leaving the Schengen countries, the tourist will not be able to obtain a visa without insurance.

However, when planning a trip to the countries of Southeast Asia, tourists are strongly encouraged to purchase it.

Insurance validity:

  • a policy is purchased that covers the risks (chosen by the policyholder);
  • in the event of an insurance situation, the insurer (service department) independently selects medical workers, lawyers, organizes the transportation of the victim (to a hotel or to his home country);
  • expenses related to the insured event are reimbursed in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Countries where you need to buy a medical policy

Medical insurance is issued in case of travel to the countries of the European Union, Montenegro, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, some countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa.

If you do not have a policy, you will not be able to travel abroad. In general, even at the time of obtaining a visa, insurance to these countries will be needed in advance.

When can you not do it?

In the event that the host country does not insist on obtaining a tourist policy (for example, the USA, Turkey, Thailand, etc.), the tourist may not make insurance when traveling abroad.

In the absence of medical travel insurance, be prepared when entering the territory of another state to confirm your ability to pay, if necessary, for medical treatment yourself. In other words, there should be enough funds in your bank account (from $ 30,000 to $ 50,000).

The purchase of a policy is currently for many states an indispensable condition for obtaining consent to leave, but when crossing the borders of other territories, there is a possibility of a tourist's refusal from this service.

But it is up to you to decide whether to do it or not. It should be borne in mind that by taking out insurance when traveling abroad, you will protect yourself from many unforeseen situations.

Coverage area

It is important to remember that in the event that you need medical or legal assistance abroad, you can use the services of an insurance company.

Check and write down for yourself in advance the contact phone numbers of the call center. They are indicated in the policy.

Travel insurance covers the following expenses:

  • Providing assistance in case of loss of documents;
  • Provision of medical services of a consulting nature;
  • 100% refund of the ticket to the home country (in case of emergency);
  • Luggage loss compensation;
  • Accommodation of a tourist at the expense of the insurance company if the flight is delayed;
  • Provision of legal consulting services;
  • Emergency contact to a medical institution;
  • Expenses in the presence of injury (accident).

So, the scope of the insurance policy for those traveling on tourist trips is quite wide, and the cost is quite democratic.

The limit of 30 thousand dollars means that if it is exceeded, the payment of medical expenses will fall on the insured.

Before the insurance procedure, you need to consider all the possible risks that may arise while traveling abroad.

For example, you need to decide how your stay abroad will be: calm or active, with a visit to extreme attractions.

In this case, a corresponding note is put in the policy, thanks to which you will have the opportunity to count on free medical care and assistance in the event of an accident.

It is possible to use medical insurance abroad without having serious troubles and injuries.

Any deterioration in health due to a change in the climatic zone in the form of high (low) pressure, tinnitus, headache and other disturbances in the normal state of the body will be covered by the insurance contract.

Tourists traveling with children should be especially serious about obtaining a policy. After all, small children - fidgets - are more at risk than others, due to their high mobility and activity.

Advantages and disadvantages

Going abroad, you must remember that the lack of an insurance policy can ruin the planned vacation, and in some difficult cases, even bankrupt the tourist.

A trip abroad involves certain risks associated with possible injuries or illnesses, theft of documents, property and other situations; the material costs associated with this can significantly exceed the cost of the trip itself. You can avoid this situation if you take out travel insurance in advance.

An insurance policy is a registered document that confirms the fact that life, health, property insurance of the insured in the insurance company has taken place and the insurance premium has been paid by him.

Download (PDF, Unknown)

Officially executed and signed by both parties, the document contains information about:

  • to the insurer - name and details, legal address;
  • insured - full name, address;
  • insurance risks and the object of insurance;
  • the amount of insurance and insurance premiums;
  • terms of validity.

Other conditions, additions or exceptions to the insurance rules may be fixed by agreement of the parties.

To conclude a contract, you must select the desired type of insurance. For trips abroad, the following types of policies are issued:

  • for tourists. This is the most common species and has several subspecies:
    • medical insurance with payment for emergency medical care, urgent inpatient / outpatient / dental treatment, transportation and return home in case of illness / death);
    • insurance against loss or theft of documents, luggage;
    • reimbursement of expenses for canceled flights, in case of visa refusal.
  • for athletes. Such insurance will compensate for the costs of injury, sudden illness or health disorder, unintentional harm to a third party. Insurance rates depend on the type of sport and on the level at which the athlete performs (professional or amateur);
  • for work abroad. Insures against illness, industrial injuries, accidents and unintentional harm to a third party;
  • for students and learners. As a rule, such insurance includes compensation not only for medical, but also for legal assistance.

Insurance agencies usually complete ready-made packages of proposals:

  • "Economy" includes the minimum of the essentials;
  • "Standard" - an optimal set of insurance services;
  • "Premium" - contains all the basic offers plus many additional services. These may include the return of minor children home or a visit from relatives in the event of hospitalization of the insured, early return home in the event of the death of a close relative, delivery of spare parts for a car, insurance against travel abroad.

The price will differ accordingly.

Choosing the right insurance company worries every inexperienced traveler - you don't want to throw money down the drain or find yourself in an unfamiliar country without support.

The first thing that a traveler is interested in is the price of insurance. A good way to find out which insurer is in the lead is to use an online service comparing insurance between different companies. This service is offered by the independent financial portal Runet Banki.ru, the financial supermarket Sravn.ru.

Cheap travel insurance is only half the battle. The reliability of a particular company is of no small importance. To assess the degree of reliability of an insurance provider, ratings of insurance companies are useful.

Top insurers: official and popular ratings

The portals Banki.ru and Sravni.ru also contain ratings of the best insurance companies. According to the national rating for 2017 according to Banki.ru, the top five were Tinkoff Insurance, Zetta Insurance, IC CARDIF, RGS Life and Blagosostoyanie. On the same portals, you can read the reviews of real people, both negative and positive.

The largest Russian companies Rosgosstrakh, SOGAZ, Ingosstrakh are often nominated by various ratings. There are many complaints in the reviews of these companies: lack of responsibility, inflated prices, vague pricing mechanisms, imposing services. Therefore, when choosing your future insurance company, it is best to turn to the opinion of people who have already used the services of different insurers and can suggest the right decision.

A trip abroad, even on vacation, not to mention study or work, is a very troublesome business: you need to calculate everything, prepare and not miss anything important. Travel insurance is no exception. Many questions arise, the answers to which are not easy to find. Here you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

We are traveling with children: do they need insurance

A trip with children, especially of preschool age, abroad is fraught with dangers to their health: different climatic conditions, time zone, different water, unusual food. Acclimatization and adaptation can be difficult. Therefore, the likelihood of needing to see a doctor can be very high.

This fact is taken into account by many insurance companies, and this increases the cost of travel insurance for a child up to 3-5 years old by 20-30%. Therefore, the question of whether children need insurance should not even arise: of course, they do, and in the first place. Moreover, when entering a visa country without insurance, the child simply will not be issued a visa.

We should not forget about force majeure situations: for example, parents are in the hospital and there is no one to leave the children with. It is necessary to take into account the option of sending the children home or the arrival of relatives for them.

Assistance: what is it

Assistance is translated from English as "support", "assistance", "support". The term assistance company in the TCD policy means a service company with which the insurance company has entered into an agreement and which operates on the territory of the foreign country where the trip is planned.

It is in the assistance company that you need to call in the event of an insured event (you will be answered in Russian), and with the help of its operators, support will be organized for the insured. Assistance determines how quickly help will come, which doctors and which clinics will be involved, and much more.

An insured event has come: what to do

In the event of an insured event during a trip, the first rule is not to panic! It is necessary to act in accordance with the situation: in case of a threat to life and health, take reasonable and urgent measures without thinking about insurance. The insurance contract contains the telephone numbers of the assistance company to be contacted. To save time, it is recommended to save the number on your phone in advance or have it always at hand.

It is necessary to indicate when calling:

  • Name of the policyholder who needs help;
  • contract / policy number, insurance period;
  • circumstances and time of the incident;
  • location and phone number for feedback.

In case of unforeseen circumstances and if it is impossible to contact the service company, this must be done as soon as possible. When contacting a doctor or hospitalization, the policyholder must present an IDM policy. If the client had to pay his money for the treatment, then upon returning home within the terms stipulated by the contract (as a rule, within 30 calendar days), he must apply in writing to the insurance company to reimburse the costs. It will be necessary to attach documents to the application: certificate-account of the medical institution, prescriptions, referrals, checks and others.

Cancellation of a trip: what to do

In the event of an insured event before the start of the trip (forced cancellation), interested persons urgently - within 72 hours - need to contact the insurer and inform about changes in plans. Within 30 calendar days, submit an application in which to indicate all the circumstances, attach the original of the contract, a receipt for payment of the trip, documents of the transport company about the presence of losses (canceled tickets, refusal of hotel reservations), as well as documentary evidence of the insured event: medical certificates, refusal of the consular visa services, police records, subpoenas.

What to do if the travel dates have changed

Life loves to present surprises, including not too pleasant ones. A planned trip can be disrupted at any time due to the illness of a family member or the policyholder himself, the postponement of vacation and for other valid reasons. In this situation, there are two ways out for those leaving: to refuse the trip altogether or to change the contract - to postpone the trip to a later date. The first option will be unprofitable for the policyholder - the travel agency will withhold its expenses. Travel cancellation insurance will cover all your costs.

Which is more profitable: an insurance policy for one trip or for a whole year

A one-time policy is issued for a one-time trip lasting from three to one hundred and eighty days. The policy for a year covers all 365 days with insurance, and the time of stay in a foreign country should not exceed 60-90 days.

This option may seem more costly, but without it, you can't get a multivisa. You can use the insurance several times throughout the entire validity period, but the amount will be reduced with each insured event. An annual insurance policy is suitable for those who need to make frequent but short trips abroad.

I am aware of several insurance companies that sell insurance policies if you are already traveling. I will try to write here only those conditions that are associated with the purchase of a policy NOT from Russia. I would choose among the first 3, but you yourself see.

And yes, unless someone is in the know, travel insurance cannot be renewed. And sometimes they ask. You can only buy a new policy if you suddenly decide to travel more. Therefore, if there is such an opportunity, buy insurance while still in Russia, there will be much more options.

Allianz (Mondil)

Asian diary

Do I need to be insured when traveling abroad? Now a few words about the difference in the concepts of “required” and “needed.” “Required” is when insurance is a mandatory requirement when obtaining a visa or crossing the border of a state. a trip to another country.

And if for the Schengen countries insurance is compulsory, then for trips to all other countries, in my opinion, it is needed.

Someone may have a different opinion on this and not be insured. We always insure.

The fact is that medical services abroad are very expensive, and we, as a rule, do not have a few extra thousand dollars "just in case."

To properly arrange insurance, you should consider:

  1. Purpose of Travel. From the nature of the trip - tourist, to study at the university, to participate in a competition or to work - the type of insurance and a set of necessary services depend.
  2. Specificity of the country of visit. Information about the potential threat will help you make the right choice: for example, a tourist in Vietnam is trapped by such dangers as mosquitoes - carriers of many diseases, sand fleas (cause severe allergies), stinging jellyfish, poisonous snakes. Even in such a prosperous country as Austria, there is a threat - an increased risk of injury during skiing downhill. More useful information about possible threats to travelers around the world can be found on the department's website Situational and Crisis Center of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
  3. Requirements for the insurance policy from the relevant consular offices. The rules of different countries may differ. So, for Schengen countries, according to decision No. 2004/17 / CE of 12/22/2003, the period of validity of medical insurance must be at least the duration of the visa, and the minimum amount must be at least 30 thousand euros (must necessarily cover all medical expenses). The policy must be issued without a deductible. The coverage area of ​​the policy is all member states of the Schengen Agreement.

    In addition to general requirements, each country may have its own specifics. Denmark, Latvia set the validity period of insurance 15 days longer than the validity period of the visa, Finland accepts an application for a visa only after the insurance has been issued, in France, the Czech Republic, Estonia and some other countries, only printed policies are accepted, and not filled in by hand.

  4. The price of the insurance policy. How much travel insurance costs often plays an important and sometimes decisive role.

You can get insurance in several traditional ways:

  • The most reliable one is to contact the insurance company yourself. This will allow you to select the necessary set of services in accordance with the purpose of the trip and refuse irrelevant ones, which will also significantly affect the price of the policy.
  • The second method is also widespread and is designed primarily for tourists. This is the purchase of a voucher at the same time as insurance at a travel agency. Several disadvantages should be taken into account here: the minimum price also assumes a minimum list of insured events, which can make the VHI policy ineffective; as a rule, a certain amount of the deductible is negotiated. Given these two circumstances, it is often more profitable to refuse the travel agency's insurance services and purchase only a ticket.
  • The third option - the most profitable and least common - is travel insurance for the life and health of the employee and his family members through the employer; however, property and damage to third parties cannot be insured in this way.

In addition to the traditional ones, there is another very convenient option for solving the problem - online insurance.

Online insurance: saving on an insurance agent

Large insurance companies provide the opportunity to take out travel insurance online for those who travel on tour packages or on their own. To issue an electronic policy, it is enough to perform a few simple operations. Let us consider, using the example of the three largest insurance companies in the Russian Federation, how this can be done:

It should be noted that all data must be entered in accordance with their writing in the documents. One mistake in the spelling of the first or last name can invalidate the policy.

Another positive point is that you can save on commission to an insurance agent. Insurance for traveling abroad online also has a drawback: you have to choose only from several packages offered by the insurance company and you will not be able to remove unnecessary services.

For tourists with expired policies, there is another way out - to conclude an agreement with the insurer online. Through the Internet, you can get a policy in electronic form anywhere in the world. To buy it, there is no need to visit the office of the company. It is enough to print the document and present it to the clinic.

To pay for the insurance contract for those traveling abroad, the traveler will need electronic money; you can pay with bank cards. Immediately after payment, the document will be sent to your e-mail.

The option of online insurance is suitable only in situations where a tourist with an expired policy has not yet consulted a doctor abroad. The voluntary insurance contract traditionally begins the next day after payment for the service. Depending on the rules of the insurer, travel insurance may take effect only 5-7 days after the agreement is concluded.

The choice of an insurance program should be taken seriously, thereby saving yourself from possible unexpected problems. It is worth cooperating only with well-established and proven companies. It is imperative to read all the clauses of the contract and check the accuracy of the data entered into it.

The client has the right to choose at his own discretion the main risks. It is recommended to insure the vehicle if the trip abroad will be carried out on it, as well as luggage and legal risks. From the point of view of expediency and common sense, the answer to the question of whether insurance is compulsory when traveling abroad is obvious.

Why can't you travel without insurance now?

Allianz (Mondil)

It is sold through Cherekhapa and Polis812, the conditions are the same, the price plus or minus is the same, so you need to check the cost on both sites, given that according to the LIFETRIPRU promo code there will be a 9% discount on Polis812. Although I would buy through Cherekhapa, their website is more convenient, and they have been on the market for a very long time, and they provide excellent support. But in general, not much difference.

Allianz on Cherekhapa →

Allianz on Polis812 with a discount →

ERGO (AXA)

The cheapest insurance, which is sold only through Polis812, that is, you cannot find such conditions on the website of the insurance company itself. Actually, even with AXA now in Russia in general it is no longer possible to buy insurance, which is a pity. AXA has excellent assistance, on the level of Mondial, although I personally like the latter more. In general, I would not take ERGO with other assistance systems, especially if we are talking about Thailand and Asia.

Discounted ERGO price →

But this insurance has one significant drawback - they are one of the few who do not insure Dengue fever. There are different opinions here, as far as it is necessary, since Dengue in the same Tae does not occur so often. But on the other hand, you want to insure yourself against everything at once. My opinion is that the shorter you travel to Tai, the less you need to insure this risk. But with regard to other countries, for example, Cambodia, it is more necessary than not.

Tripinsurance

My detailed post on Tripinsurance The policy is sold if you are already traveling, in which case it will be valid on the 6th day after purchase (like many others) and will have a deductible of $ 50 (from April 2018). Unfortunately, we made a franchise. Assistance is kind of your own, but in fact it will be several at once, including Allianz Global Assistance (previously called Mondial).

Tripinsurance with 11% discount →

One-time policies - policies for specific dates. You can apply even if the country of travel has a residence permit / dual citizenship, but the country of permanent residence in this case must be the Russian Federation, i.e. most of the year of residence is in the Russian Federation. The only limitation when buying them from abroad is the purchase for permanent residents.

Annual programs of the 365 days series - a policy with no limit on the number of trips, but with a limit of 91 days each. The problem is that if this policy is bought while traveling, then the 91-day countdown of such a policy starts from the moment you cross the border with the Russian Federation, and not from the moment you buy the policy. Therefore, it makes sense to take it only if the current trip is shorter than 91 days. That is, you can stay in the country of travel for no more than 91 days.

Annual Multitrip Program - No longer available to purchase while traveling.

Liberty (Class)

When buying a policy, a temporary deductible of 5 days will also apply. That is, it will be possible to use it only for 6 days after purchasing the policy. So they protect themselves from those who first got sick, and only then ran to buy insurance. There is a $ 30 deductible for Asia.

There is also a limitation - a maximum of 182 days a year you can stay in one country. If you arrived in Thailand and decided to stay there for a longer period, or have already been there for more than six months, then such a policy is not suitable for you. Thus, you can use Liberty insurance without returning to Russia for years, but changing the host country every six months, at least. Just leaving the country for a while and entering back will not give anything, you need to wait until a year has passed.

Liberty on Cherekhapa →

Liberty directly →

Liberty can be bought directly (assists will be the same), although for the reasons stated above, I would still take it in Cherekhap.

Alpha Insurance (Savitar and Class)

There are no restrictions at all in Alpha Insurance: it acts immediately, there is no deductible, you can be in the country as long as you want. But I have a suspicion that if you buy a policy and immediately refer to it, you will receive close attention. Otherwise, everything looks too tempting - I got sick and immediately bought insurance. HM.

Alpha Price (Class) →

Alpha Price (Savitar) →

Just in case, one more option, how to buy Alpha - through the travel agency Polis812. I already wrote about them, a proven office with the purchase of policies online, I have known them for a long time. I specifically found out that the insurance is valid if you buy it from abroad, everything is the same as I wrote above. Prices change, so compare with Cherekhapa for the dates you need. Buying through Polis812 will have Savitar, which is even better.

Tinkoff insurance (Europ Assistence)

This is a kind of intermediate option and now I will tell you why. You can buy it while traveling, yes, but you must be sure not to be in the insurance territory. For example, if you need insurance for Thailand, you will need to go to some Laos or Malaysia, buy insurance for Thailand there and return back to Tai.

Insurance with these conditions is sold only on the official website of Tinkoff Insurance. See what comes out there for the price, Tinkoff insurance for Asia is expensive now.

Renaissance (AP Companies)

Renesanas also has no time limits, like Alpha, only a $ 50 deductible, which is not good. To be honest, I don't have much confidence in them ... Yes, and it comes out dearly, I would have taken Allianz or Tripinsurance for this price.

Renaissance price →

Ingosstrakh (Smile or Remed)

Insurance is cosmically expensive (for Thailand), several times more expensive. Therefore, here I am bringing it rather for information. Although I know that some people trust Ingosstrakh and do it, why not. In general, I have not seen massive negative reviews on them. Not a bad price for Europe. The policy must be purchased 10 days before its validity.

Ingosstrakh price →

Take into account the insurance can be for a maximum of 50 thousand ye, no more. If you want 100 thousand ye, you have to take another insurance.

P.S. Uralsib and VSK also sell insurance while traveling, they can be bought through Polis812. But I personally do not consider them for myself, very dull insurance.

P.P.S. If there is any other information on insurance companies, write in the comments.

The process of issuing a policy is as simple as possible:

  1. Enter the data for calculating the policy in the calculator - the country (s) of travel, the duration of the trip, how long a person will travel and their age, whether you will play sports on the trip.

Click "Find out the price".

  • In the next step, you see the cost of the insurance product and the possible insurance programs.

    • Security price: how much does insurance cost

    After the insurance policy is issued, the insurance premium must be paid. Each insurance company sets prices independently, and the cost of insuring the same risks in different companies will differ).

    General pricing indicators that affect the cost of insurance and which should be taken into account:

    • the duration of the trip abroad (the longer, the more expensive);
    • host country;
    • the price of the tour (for tourists);
    • the presence or absence of risks (extreme sports, visits to life-threatening areas;
    • transport on which it is planned to get to the destination;
    • the age and state of health of the policyholder (the older, the more expensive);
    • compensation amount.

    In each case, the amount is calculated individually, taking into account all the components. It should be noted that it is profitable to purchase insurance online for traveling abroad - bonuses and discounts from insurance companies are possible, which will save you from 5 to 25%.

    Urgent execution of the contract online

    Before you finally decide where to buy insurance, you should first calculate its cost in different companies. It is not difficult to do this, because you can use an online calculator on all websites of reputable insurance companies.

    With the help of such a calculator, you can calculate not only the amount of OSAGO, but also the cost of travel insurance. As an example, consider the INGOSSTRAKH calculator. It is necessary to enter data on the country of travel, the date of the start and end of the trip, the age of the traveler and calculate.

    The amount received will be the insurance premium for basic services. To these services, if you wish, you can add 18 additional risks - the loss of baggage or other property, military operations, flying on aircraft, etc.

    By analogy with airline tickets and hotels, insurance is easiest to find on an aggregator site that compares offers from many insurance companies. You can also buy a suitable option online there. Electronic policies have the same effect as ordinary paper ones; they are also accepted at consulates when applying for a visa. Just print the policy and sign it.

    Step 1. Choose the country of travel, dates, number and age of tourists. Click on "Show Results".

    Step 2. Choose the sum insured and additional options. For example, I've included biking, biking, and banana rides or water parks. Plus, you can put a tick, for example, in "Exacerbation of chronic diseases", if you have them. The cost of the policies is automatically recalculated.

    Step 3. Compare insurance offers. Pay special attention to the rating among experts and according to customer reviews and to the assistance company, it is with her that you will have to deal if something happens.

    • "RuAAA" - the highest level of reliability,
    • "RuAA, ruAA, ruAA-" - high level of reliability,
    • "RuA, ruA, ruA-" - moderately high level of reliability,
    • "RuBBB, ruBBB, ruBBB-" - moderate,
    • "RuBB, ruBB, ruBB-" - moderately low level.

    Step 4. If everything suits you, click the "Buy" button, fill in the tourist information and pay with a bank card. The process is no different from other online purchases.

    That's all. Be healthy and safe traveling!

    Travel insurance will cover possible medical expenses, recoup the cost of lost property, or return the money spent on the vouchers if you were unable to travel abroad.

    Usually travel companies offer a standard contract with an already established insurance amount, but you can choose it yourself. The larger the amount, the more you will have to pay for the execution of the contract.

    The vacation can be disrupted for several reasons: for example, if the carrier company goes bankrupt or the flight is canceled due to a natural disaster. To compensate for expenses, a special type of insurance contract is provided: money is paid if an event stipulated by the agreement occurs and it interferes with your travel.

    When choosing the insured amount, be guided by the cost of the vacation: ticket prices, hotel rentals, vouchers, and so on. The compensation must cover all costs.

    You do not have to calculate the payment yourself, but contact the insurance company: the manager will draw up an optimal contract that will cover all your expenses in the event of an insured event.

    Statistics show that among domestic tourists abroad, infectious and colds rank first among accidents, followed by poisoning, injuries and fractures and toothache.

    Insurance allows you to provide emergency and qualified medical care. It is not easy to find a source of help on your own in an unfamiliar country. In addition, the policy can include risks not related to health: cancellation or rescheduling of a flight, loss of documents, and others.

    And it doesn't hurt to lay out $ 100-200 for a visit to the doctor out of your pocket. Alas, a rare trip is complete without going to the clinic. Even if we turn to small things like the flu virus or food poisoning, the cost of the clinic's services, which the insurance company pays for, always exceeds the cost of the policy. For example, having bought insurance for a trip to Thailand, we paid 5,558 rubles. for two, and the bill for one visit to the clinic about

    SARS amounted to 5,911 baht, which is more than 2 times more than the cost of the policy.

    That is, insurance is simply beneficial. For more details, you can read about where, in our opinion, it is better to insure when traveling abroad.

    Perhaps you are surprised that at first I so emotionally told that insurance is not needed when traveling to most countries of the world, and at the same time I always insure myself.

    It's simple. We believe that insurance is necessary and beneficial.

    In our case, for a trip to Bulgaria, it will cost about 1000, not 500 rubles;

    • validity period - the longer it is, the higher the price.

      With a three-week vacation, our hypothetical tourist will have to pay about 1,500 rubles for the policy.

      If a tourist plans to go on vacation three times for 10 days, you can purchase multiple insurance for 30 days a year for about 2,000 rubles;

    • the amount of coverage will proportionally decrease or increase the price of the policy.

      For example, a tourist will pay about 440 rubles for a cover of 30,000 euros or about 615 rubles for 100,000 euros;

    • outdoor activities and sports will increase the cost of our weekly policy by about 500 rubles;
    • additional options not only provide protection for the tourist, but also affect the price of insurance. Luggage protection will add about 180-750 rubles, depending on the amount of compensation.

    If a specialist conducts simple diagnostics, prescribes medications or provides minimal assistance, the amount increases by 3-5 times.

    A serious injury will cost a fortune: for example, quite recently, a Belarusian student was billed in the United States for the treatment of a complex leg fracture.

    The help cost the young man $ 104,000. Coverage amount The insurance company limits the compensation to a certain amount (dollars or euros). If the expenses have exceeded the agreed ones, then the tourist will have to pay part of the excess from his own pocket.

    Usually the minimum amount of coverage is quite impressive - 30,000 or 50,000 dollars / euro.

    It can be increased to 100,000 by paying a little more for the policy. An increase in the amount of coverage is advisable in cases where the trip is associated with risks (extreme sports), as well as if the cost of treatment in the selected country is very high.

    Arguments in favor of travel insurance

    You buy a policy from an insurance company, but the assistance company will not provide direct assistance on the spot, but the assistance company. That is, when choosing insurance, pay more attention not to insurance, but to a specific assistance (service company).

    Before buying, read reviews about the work of certain service companies in the country where you are going.

    An insured event is a sudden illness in the territory of the policy. In other words, the insurance will not pay you for the exacerbation of chronic diseases and the associated consequences, if you do not include this moment additionally.

    The deductible is the amount less than which the insurer may not pay. For example, you have a $ 50 deductible on your policy, your temperature rose on vacation, and you went to the doctor, which cost $ 45. This amount will not be paid to you, but anything over $ 50 is required. Experienced tourists choose insurance without a deductible.

    Sum insured - the maximum amount that the insurer will pay for you. As a standard it is $ 30,000, $ 50,000, $ 100,000.

    There are two types of insurance compensation: service and compensation.

    Service - when, in the event of an insured event, you call the assistance, they negotiate with the hospital, transport and generally resolve all issues, the insurance company sends money to the hospital directly. This is the most common method now.

    Compensatory - when you pay for yourself, collect all the documents and receipts, and upon returning home you will be reimbursed for this money.

    Obviously, the first option is much more convenient for travelers.

    From not going abroad

    According to Federal Law No. 114, a medical insurance policy is required when traveling abroad, otherwise a citizen will pay for his own treatment, calling a doctor or an ambulance, hospital stay and other medical activities. The minimum insured amount is 2,000,000 rubles.

    When flying to the Schengen countries, you will have to take out insurance for at least 30,000 euros. Without this, you will not be given a visa. When planning a trip to non-Schengen countries, you can determine the sum insured yourself. We recommend focusing on the cost of treatment in the country where you are going to travel. The best option for the insured amount is 50,000 euros.

    The price for the execution of the agreement depends on the number of days of stay abroad and the state in which the vacation is planned. For example, for a policy valid for 7 days when leaving for Turkey, you will have to pay from 400 rubles.

    The USA, Norway, Austria, Canada, Holland, Switzerland, France and Germany are "famous" for the most expensive medicine. How much does insurance for traveling abroad cost? The price of insurance for a tourist trip is made up of the base cost plus additional coefficients. For clarity, we will take the calculation of a policy with a coverage amount of 50,000 euros, without a deductible and additional options, for a trip of a thirty-year-old tourist to Bulgaria for 7 days. Its cost will be about 500 rubles. Let's see how the price of travel insurance will change when the parameters are changed.

    • country.

      The cost of the policy directly depends on the destination: for exotic countries it will be higher.

      For example, our policy for a trip to Thailand or Venezuela will cost about 1000 rubles;

    • the age of the policyholder.

      If a tourist is over 65 years old, his policy will cost more.

    After that, the applicant receives an electronic document that can be printed and used along with the usual one.

    You can apply for a policy to travel abroad and at the office of the insurance company - the only difference is that the tourist will have to present identity documents. But you can pay for insurance in cash, as well as, if necessary, get a manager's advice.

    Which organizations are entitled to issue a policy Only companies licensed by the Bank of Russia for such activities can take out insurance in Russia.

    The law strictly regulates the rules for the operation of these firms: requirements for solvency, organizational and legal form, etc.

    However, having a license is not an absolute guarantee of the insurer's honesty.

    The list may differ from company to company, but as a rule, these are:

    • Inpatient treatment,
    • Medicines prescribed by a doctor
    • Transportation to the doctor,
    • Emergency dentistry,
    • Payment of communication costs,
    • Repatriation costs.

    Let's summarize

    It should become a rule for every traveler not to travel abroad without a PDM policy. Medical insurance for traveling abroad is not a luxury but a necessity. This document will come to the rescue and help you avoid high costs.

    There are a large number of insurance companies in the Russian Federation that provide insurance services. Every citizen has the opportunity to choose the best option. To do this, it is necessary to take a responsible attitude to the choice of an insurance company and insurance products before insuring yourself and your family. This will ensure that there are no problems in the event of an insured event.

    Traveling medical life insurance is a good habit for any traveler. In some cases, the presence of a policy is a prerequisite for a foreign trip, and sometimes the choice is left to the tourist.

    In this article I will tell you what is the fundamental difference between “ Travel insurance», « Travel insurance», « Insurance for a Schengen visa"And other products. For many tourists, all these phrases mean the same thing, but this is not entirely true.

    The post turned out to be long, for those readers who do not want to study the entire text, here are my brief recommendations:

    • pay attention to the assistance company Your service abroad will depend on this (if the policy is issued only for obtaining a visa, then who your assistance is is not so important);
    • buy a policy without a deductible, or with a minimum deductible, your expenses will depend on this when applying for medical help (if you buy a policy exclusively for a visa, then with a deductible it will be cheaper - this is beneficial);
    • buy in advance, all companies have a time franchise (the policy starts working a few days after the purchase), thus companies protect themselves from fraudsters (this point is important for those who are already traveling);
    • be sure to read the contract, no matter how small it is printed.

    If you are looking to combine visa insurance and a reliable medical policy, then I recommend checking out Tripinsurance. If you need a simple, cheap and exclusively for a visa, then it will do

    For different trips, different insurance

    Even before a trip abroad, you should clearly understand for what purpose you are going there. It sounds strange, but people have different goals. For example, if you are traveling abroad on a business visit to your business partner, do you need advanced medical or standard enough?

    The question is interesting and very controversial, because if after a business meeting (everyone's business is also different, someone considers the purchase of three sheepskin coats to be a big business) you are going to celebrate the signing of a lucrative contract for a boat trip. And an insured event occurs on a pleasure yacht. Will the insurer cover this case in the presence of a standard policy, or will it claim that sailing on a yacht is an active or extreme sport. There are a lot of such examples in life, so it is better to have a good medical policy with a large coverage of risks and without any deductibles.

    There is only one conclusion: you are going downhill skiing, which means you need a policy covering sports risks. If you are going to Europe to see museums, then a regular policy will do.

    Where to buy travel insurance abroad

    If you are traveling to a foreign resort on a tourist voucher, then a standard medical policy will be given to you along with the purchased tour (however, according to the law, you can refuse such an offer). You will already have the minimum protection, but if you want to secure your trip as much as possible, then I recommend purchasing additional insurance yourself (instead of the shareware that comes with the tour, or additionally).

    Whether a policy is needed for a trip abroad is partially closed for Russians, but how this law works in practice is still unknown. After all, it says that in the absence of a policy, all financial costs are borne exclusively by the traveler.

    The concept of "Insurance for traveling abroad" is very vague, because it includes both the mandatory visa requirements of the country and other insurance services (for a car, for Schengen it is a "Green Card", liability to third parties, etc.). It should be understood that different countries have different requirements for the policies themselves (the minimum amount of coverage), and separate requirements for insurance organizations (the organization must at least be accredited at the embassy of the country where you are going).

    A simple example, a tourist independently travels to Finland by car. In this example, the outgoing tourist must have a medical policy + Green Card for the car. If the same tourist travels to Finland by bus on his own, then the package of documents is already smaller, and requires only a medical policy with a coverage of 30,000 Euro.

    Travel insurance

    Travel insurance is an even more general concept than the above example. Let's figure out what this insurance product should include, and what each tourist gets when buying a package tour.

    When buying a tour, each tourist is given a so-called tourist medical policy (which you can refuse, but not everyone knows about it). Since the tour is a package, the tourist receives everything as a single package. At first glance, the idea is great, but as always, "The truth is hiding in the little things." , look for the link.

    With a careful reading of the text of the agreement for such travel insurance, it becomes clear that you don't have to rely on it, but how you can count on a policy where most of the risks are not covered.

    There were anecdotal cases in style, swimming in the sea was equated with extreme sports, and renting a bicycle required an extended policy according to the Active Sport system. By the way, many companies don't cover risks like sunburn, so buy sunscreen.

    Fortunately, most tourists do not have insurance events during their holidays, so no one notices such tricky conditions, and as a rule, no one reads five sheets of text in small print.

    A travel policy must cover at least a minimum of risks that may occur, namely:

    • emergency assistance - urgent diagnostic and treatment measures;
    • accident - a sudden, unforeseen event resulting in bodily injury, disability or death;
    • sudden illness - any detectable illness that first occurred during the validity of the policy;
    • emergency expenses - all necessary expenses in case of emergency assistance, accident and sudden illness.

    This is the minimum list of risks that any (cheapest) travel insurance should cover, if the list seems too small to you, then I congratulate you, you have read the standard contract and are thinking.

    There is a way out of this situation - it is the choice and purchase of an additional travel policy that fully satisfies your way of rest. If you are scuba diving, then simply add the item "Sports and outdoor activities" to your policy, if you rent a motorcycle on vacation, then add the item "Driving a motorcycle, moped", etc. , read the link.

    Visa insurance

    Visa insurance is used in cases where consulates mandatorily require a policy (Finnish Schengen as an example). If a tourist travels to such countries, then at the border they may also be asked to present the policy form itself. The only requirement is that it be and formally meet the requirements.

    Thanks to this requirement, all Schengen visa applicants have a policy, and the places around the consulates resemble a market in which the main product is the sale of insurance.

    The main difference between the so-called "Insurance for a visa" is its low cost, the cost is adjusted to the minimum requirements of the consulate. I would call such a document technical insurance for a visa, and I did not really hope for it abroad (although there are exceptions).

    Insurance policy conditions for a Schengen visa

    Insurance for a Schengen visa is required in fact, as I said earlier. Without the correct Schengen health insurance policy, you cannot get it. The presence of a policy is one of the requirements when submitting documents for a Schengen visa, and the presence of a full package of documents is checked at the consulate. Insurance exclusively for a visa is generally a different story, many people prefer to make the cheapest insurance to get the Schengen, such a decision has the right to life. Now let's talk about all these subtleties in detail.

    Conditions for Schengen insurance

    The requirements of most consulates for policies are approximately the same, but there may be more loyal countries (for residents of St. Petersburg, this is Finland) and less loyal ones, which can look especially closely at these documents.

    Here is a list of the basic requirements:

    • the validity period of the policy must be equal to or greater than the duration of the entire trip period (visa validity);
    • the coverage area of ​​the policy must apply to all countries of the Schengen area (the policy must indicate the territory of Schengen insurance);
    • lack of a deductible for the policy;
    • the insurance premium must be at least 30,000 euros;
    • the minimum list of risks and costs that the policy must cover: first aid, transportation of the patient, posthumous repatriation.

    For more information, check the consulates website.

    Medical insurance for travel in Europe

    If you are one of those people who prefer to have reliable health insurance, then you should pay attention to several mandatory and very important points, namely:

      the amount of coverage is the total amount (for the Schengen, at least 30,000 euros), within which the company covers the risks, it is desirable to have a larger amount;
    • territory - make sure that the Schengen insurance territory is indicated in the policy;
    • assistance - when buying a medical policy, pay attention to the assistance company, your comfort abroad will depend on its work ().

    Insurance cost for Schengen

    The cost of medicine in Europe is high, while the price of a policy can start from 500 rubles, where did this paradox come from, and why it works now, let's figure it out. The cheapest insurance is suitable for the consulate, but it will have a number of restrictions and limits.

    The cost of the policy for the Schengen area depends on several factors, which add up to the total price:

    • the amount of the indemnity after the occurrence of the insured event (at least 30,000 euros);
    • the size of the insurance period (there are several tricks here);
    • information about the insured person: his age (critical for children and the elderly), occupation and health status (critical for people with chronic diseases and pregnant women);
    • insurance program (also greatly increases the cost of the policy).

    Now let's take a closer look at all the items from the list.

    Amount of compensation

    This is the simplest and most transparent condition, the greater the amount of coverage (the limit of the amount that the company will pay), the more expensive the policy.

    The size of the insurance period

    There is a very interesting system for Schengen, you have the right to buy a policy for only a few days, or for the entire duration of the visa. When applying for Schengen, each visa applicant signs that he undertakes to have a medical policy for each day of stay. But at the time of applying for a visa, it is enough to have a paid policy for the first trip.

    What is the secret of this method? When buying a policy for the entire stay, the total cost is less than the exact number of days. And besides, it is much more convenient, you buy a policy valid for one year and indicate the number of days you need.

    Here is a simple example, an insurance policy for a Schengen visa valid for one year and 60 days. This means that during the year you can travel to Europe and your insurance will be valid for 60 days. If you have a multishengen (any number of entrances), then you can travel at least every week for one day of stay, the policy will be valid (residents of St. Petersburg often practice this).

    It turns out that it is more profitable to buy a medical policy for the entire period of a Schengen visa with the required number of days, thus it will be cheaper, and travel is much freer.

    Information about the insured person

    There are several types of citizens for whom the service will cost significantly more than for everyone else, and some companies will refuse to insure at all. Companies are introducing additional tariffs for small children and babies, as well as for those tourists who are in old age. If the insured has chronic diseases, then such a policy will also be much more expensive. There is no point in hiding information about chronic diseases, because in the event of an insured event, the company may refuse to reimburse.

    Pregnant women go to a separate article, read about them below.

    Insurance program

    Most insurance companies have several programs, depending on which certain risks will be covered. For example, Liberty has four programs "A", "B", "C", "D". Program "A" is the simplest and cheapest, and program "D" is the most expensive, you can read about it.

    In addition to each program, a tourist can pay for additional options, from "Cancellation of the trip" to "Search and rescue activities", I talked about this in the post "". This can be seen more clearly in the photograph of the brochure to the Liberty insurance policy.

    Travel insurance for pregnant women

    Companies are especially afraid of pregnant women, and at any stage of pregnancy. If there can be all sorts of variations with other types of risks, and the insurance company has the opportunity not to compensate for damage (for example, the tourist was drunk, the tourist drove a vehicle without a driver's license, etc.), then with pregnant women this trick will not work even at 100 % of cases, you will have to reimburse the cost of medical services.

    There is no separate package for pregnant women, but there are additional options to the basic version of the policy "Insurance in case of complications of pregnancy". Not all companies insure pregnant women; today such an option is available from ERV, Rosgosstrakh and Liberty. The rest either refuse, or the cost of insurance is calculated individually and the total price of the policy turns out to be very high.

    But even here there are pitfalls, each insurance company (ERV, Rosgosstrakh, Liberty), which is ready to take such risks, sees the gestational age in its own way and, depending on this, minimizes its possible losses.

    Dates of pregnancy at which medical care will be paid for by the insurance:

    • ERV company - up to 31 weeks (7 months), there are several packages, "OPTIMA" for single trips, "OPTIMA-Multi" for multiple trips for half a year, "OPTIMA Annual" for multiple trips for a year;
    • Liberty company - up to 24 weeks (5 months), there are also several different programs;
    • Rosgosstrakh company - more than others takes care of pregnant women and sells policies only up to 12 weeks of pregnancy (3 months), hinting that the most important thing for mother and child at this time is peace.

    What is included in the additional insurance package for pregnant women:

    • outpatient and inpatient expenses in case of a sudden complication of the course of pregnancy or an accident threatening the life and health of the insured;
    • medical expenses for premature birth;
    • medical expenses for caring for an infant.

    Travel cancellation insurance

    In Russia, travel cancellation insurance is not very popular, but in vain. In the countries of Europe and the United States, it is customary to remove any responsibility from their shoulders and shift it onto someone else's; in many ways, this approach is redundant, but correct. Most Western tourists (especially the elderly) actively use cancellation policies.

    The essence of such insurance is to minimize your financial risks (tourist risks), in most cases this is the cost of a paid tour. In the event of a number of cases (clearly described in the contract) and which the tourist cannot influence in any way, part of the tour cost is refunded.

    The following events may be covered by the "Cancellation insurance" cases:

    • refusal of a visa;
    • death, injury, sudden health disorder of the insured, his relatives or travel partner (when there is one voucher for two);
    • damage or loss of property of the insured (fire, flood, etc.);
    • trial and arrest, conscription, etc.

    Tour insurance against cancellation

    Not for every tour you can purchase a policy for this program, one of the conditions is the time of its registration. For most companies, this is 7 days, partly due to protection against fraud on the part of tourists (when a tourist got sick before the trip and decided to buy a policy). Thus, all last-minute tours with a departure "tomorrow" do not fall under this.

    When buying travel cancellation insurance, you should carefully read the contract, especially the conditions under which the refund is not paid, and there are a lot of them.

    How much does cancellation insurance cost?

    The cost of the policy is calculated in relation to the cost of the tour per person, the price can be reduced at the expense of the franchise.

    A simple example, if the cost of a ticket per person is up to $ 3,000, then the cost of the policy is approximately $ 20 per person (without a deductible).

    In the event of an insured event, the tourist can return part of the funds (including commission) spent on the purchase of the tour. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to return all 100% of the funds, but it is still better than nothing.

    - with a discount without any dirty tricks, and thus save money. Travel insurance is a little different.

    You shouldn't just buy the cheapest one possible. Yes, you will save money, but unforeseen situations are possible. It is important to understand what kind of insurance is needed for you and exactly for your trip, and only then look for a specific, but cheaper one. In general, we decided to help you and take everything apart. All recommendations are based on our personal experience.

    Is travel insurance always required to travel abroad?

    In theory, not always (depending on the requirements of the country you are going to), but make it a rule for yourself:

    take out travel insurance (especially medical) for the duration of your trip ALWAYS and for ALL family members or company traveling with you!

    The cost of insurance is incomparable with the cost of medical services in most foreign countries. You shouldn't indulge yourself in the fact that you will definitely not get sick - a different environment, food, water - are you sure you know how your body will behave in new conditions? And no one canceled active rest: you are unlikely to fly to a new country to lie on the couch!)

    1. The first step in choosing insurance: what kind of insurance is needed for a visa

    - we clarify the requirements for health insurance of the country where you are going, - the minimum amount of coverage, a list of insurance risks and other nuances.

    For example, to obtain a visa and enter the Schengen countries, insurance is required with coverage from 30,000 euros, which is valid in all Schengen countries. Often, all the necessary information is contained on the official website of the consulate or visa application center of the selected country. All the information you receive at this stage is that minimum, which is mandatory for your medical insurance to successfully obtain a visa and further entry into the country.

    2. Don't stop! Let's figure it out further!

    Usually, everyone stops there and takes out the minimum necessary health insurance. And independent travelers with thoughts that the main thing is to get a visa; and those who travel on package tours - insurance is already included in the price, and it seems that there is no need to understand its nuances. So here's our advice - be sure to figure it out! Medical insurance, first of all, should meet your needs and maximally provide for all possible unforeseen situations in your trip, and not just be a formality!

    On our first trips abroad, we also formalized insurance, namely for a visa (Schengen) and did not think about anything else. But now, having our own experience and the experience of other travelers, we buy a policy deliberately taking into account all factors - the current state of health, upcoming travel activities, the epidemiological situation in the country of destination, etc.

    3. What is included in the STANDARD visa insurance (eg Schengen) or insurance already included in the tour price?

    Everything is kept to a minimum. Usually reimbursement of the following expenses is included:

    - expenses for medical services resulting from a sudden illness or accident, as well as medications prescribed by a doctor;

    - costs of transporting the insured to a medical institution, costs of repatriation;

    - transportation costs for the travel of children who were left without care in case of illness of the insured to the country of residence, as well as travel expenses for both ends of a close relative, if the insured requires long-term treatment and care.

    4. What is NOT INCLUDED in standard medical insurance for a visa or tour?

    A lot of things that in reality can be very useful. Usually not included, but would need to include reimbursement of the following costs:

    - exacerbation of existing chronic diseases, sunburn and allergies;

    - complications of pregnancy;

    - emergency dental care;

    - treatment for dengue fever

    If you are going to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bali), make sure your insurance includes this item. In 2019, in Vietnam, for example, there is an almost 2-fold increase in the incidence, so be insured.

    - injuries sustained as a result of outdoor activities or extreme sports (standard policies do not reimburse costs for cases that occurred even with one-time activities such as alpine skiing, snowboarding, water skiing, as well as when driving or riding as a passenger on water scooters, motor scooters, mopeds, yachts).

    So, if you have any chronic diseases, you are pregnant, you are going to have an active or even extreme vacation, you are traveling with a child, - study all the conditions in detail and better take out extended insurance - pay a little extra, but you will be calm throughout the trip !

    Here are some more nuances related to the peculiarity of your vacation that you need to consider when applying for health insurance:

    On Cherehapa.ru you can find the best insurance

    - Even extended medical insurance for pregnant women often has restrictions on the duration of pregnancy (up to a maximum of 31 weeks at the date of the end of the trip) and the amount of possible reimbursement of expenses, does not include such insured events as childbirth (including premature birth), so objectively assess your health before the trip! By the way, insurance from Ingosstrakh now covers the costs of caring for a newborn in case of premature birth (but you can also be insured only up to 31 weeks).

    - If you assume a certain physical activity during your trip (not only extreme sports, but also hiking, trekking, diving, snorkeling, fishing, running, cycling, bowling, etc.), your policy must necessarily provide for this (have a separate clause on occupational insurance extreme sports (sometimes referred to as outdoor activities))!

    - If you are going ride a bike / moped(relevant for Asian countries - Thailand, Vietnam, Bali), be sure to add the "Travel by motorcycle / moped" option. Otherwise, if you get into a road accident on vacation, you will have to pay for the treatment yourself. A prerequisite for insuring moped rides in many insurance companies is that a tourist has a category "A" driver's license. However, you must ride sober and wear a helmet.

    - If you know for sure that you will consume alcoholic beverages during your trip, do not forget about the option “ Help in the presence of alcoholic intoxication"(Available from Ingosstrakh, Tinkoff Insurance and Russian Standard). If your health insurance does not contain this item and the medical report states that the victim was intoxicated (more than 0.5 ppm), you will be denied payment. But the blood alcohol test is not always done, mainly in the case of inappropriate behavior, if intoxication causes discomfort to others.

    5. How to determine the amount of insurance coverage?

    It all depends on where you are going.

    For poor countries with low cost of medical services (Abkhazia, Venezuela, Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Kenya, Cuba, Laos, Madagascar, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Tanzania, Tunisia, South Africa, Jamaica), you can limit yourself to the amount of $ 30,000 But it is mandatory to take out insurance, it is your guarantee of receiving medical care in these countries with a shortage of modern equipped clinics and qualified doctors.

    For Thailand and countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Jordan, China, Costa Rica, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Taiwan, Turkey, Fiji, Philippines, Chile, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, South Korea - better take out insurance with the amount of coverage at least 50,000 USD

    Well, if you are going to Europe, Israel, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Bahamas, Barbados, Malaysia, Maldives, Seychelles, Singapore, Japan, issue a policy for the amount at least 100,000 USD, all the same, the cost of insurance will be insignificant in comparison with the cost of medical services in these countries!

    6. Choosing an insurer. Pay attention to assistance and franchise size

    First of all, as with any other insurance, we pay attention to the reliability insurer(we check financial ratings) and his loyalty (however, when reading reviews, you must keep in mind that they are often subjective; the successful reimbursement of all expenses incurred depends mainly on how clearly you know and understand all the conditions of your insurance). By the way, it may be useful, based on the feedback and activity of representatives of these companies in solving problems.

    What else should you pay attention to?

    — assistance(service company) for your insurance. This is an intermediary company that organizes all actions in the event of an insured event in the host country. That is, if you have an insured event, you need to call the phone number indicated in the policy, and the assistance will help you find the nearest clinic with which your insurance company cooperates, will tell you how to provide first aid, what documents will be required to receive insurance payments and etc.

    It is important that the insurance company with which you are going to conclude a contract works with an experienced assistance company (the name of the service company and its contact details must be visible before the policy is issued and naturally highlighted in the policy itself). Go to the assistance website and evaluate its capabilities, read on the forums reviews of the company's work in the country where you are going. Experienced travelers often choose insurance based on assistance, for example, Euro-Center (ERV) or Mondial (Allianz Global Assistance).

    - franchise. This is the amount of the total insured amount that you must pay when an insured event occurs (maybe $ 30-200), everything that is more will be paid by the insurance company. Travel insurance with a deductible is cheaper than without a deductible, but the savings are so relative that it is better to issue a policy without a deductible and never worry!

    7. What documents are required to obtain travel insurance?

    To obtain insurance, you only need a passport or its data (for each traveler), as well as information about your route and travel dates.

    8. How much does it cost and where is it cheaper to get travel insurance?

    You can take out insurance at the office of any insurance company or online on its official website. But do you feel like reading dozens of pages in small print on every insurance company's website? We don't.

    The coolest and our favorite site with insurance is. You can get TCD insurance from them not just cheaper. First of all, with their calculator, you can take out exactly the insurance that you need, and do it in 10 minutes. All the conditions of each policy of about 20 insurance companies are summarized in comparative tables, you only need to tick the boxes, and not read the huge and boring texts in the contracts that only bring melancholy. You can also ask any question in the chat on the website or call - they will help you with choosing the best plan for your trip.

    The policy will be sent to you by e-mail almost instantly, you just need to print it and take it with you on your trip. It is advisable to separately write down the contacts of the service company, which you need to contact in the event of an insured event, and the policy number (you can save the policy to your smartphone or take a photo). And if, upon the occurrence of an insured event on a trip, there is a misunderstanding with the assistant or the insurance company, you can write to the specialists of Cherekhapa, they will help resolve your issue directly.

    For those who travel on tour, it can often be difficult to change the terms of the insurance policy included in the tour price. Therefore, carefully study all the conditions of insurance "by default" and consider purchasing an additional policy that meets all your needs! In this case, you can take out extended travel insurance.

    For example, on our last tour (we went to Greece with our little son), we immediately took out extended health insurance for everyone (we chose ERV Optima), as well as travel cancellation insurance (again ERV - Trip Cancellation Plus) (for travel with child - very important). As a result, they did not worry at all before the trip (if someone got sick - on sick leave, and not only in case of hospitalization, we would have been refunded the full cost of the tour), nor on the trip itself!

    9. How to use travel insurance?

    If an insured event occurs (for example, you get sick), the first thing to do is call the service company by phone indicated in the policy, and describe what happened to you. Skip this important step - there will be problems with reimbursement of expenses incurred! And by the way, think about this moment in advance so that you have money on your phone for making a roaming call. Alternatively, you can call from the hotel reception or via Skype.

    Next, the service staff will select the nearest suitable clinic and, if necessary, arrange transportation. Most likely, you will not even have to pay anything on the spot, the insurance company will send letters of guarantee to the hospital and will coordinate you by phone all the time.

    But sometimes it happens that you have to pay all the bills first. For example, if the insured event occurred in a small village or far from tourist centers. This is exactly what happened with us in the Maldives - the service company asked to pay for the treatment on its own.

    In this case, it is necessary to keep all the documents issued in the hospital (as well as other documents related to the insured event and confirming the costs of transport or mobile communications) - receipts, doctor's appointments, prescriptions, receipts, etc. Be sure to check the documents issued to you at the hospital so that there are no errors in your personal data (name, date of birth). After returning home, within 30 days, you must contact the insurance company and write an application for compensation for the costs incurred.

    For a trip to the Maldives, we took out Consent insurance. After arriving home, we immediately turned to the office of the insurance company for reimbursement of the costs incurred (doctor's consultation, tests, medications, mobile phone costs). All reimbursed in full 2 ​​months after the application was submitted.

    International and local laws in most countries require an insurance policy for foreigners entering the country.

    Insurance for those traveling abroad has its own nuances, which, of course, they can tell you about, both in travel and insurance agencies, but their representatives often pursue their own interests, trying to "sell" the most profitable option of insurance abroad, which is not always suitable to you. In this article, we tried to consider the issue of travel insurance in general, without bias and as objectively as possible.

    Why do you need insurance for those traveling abroad?

    In addition to the fact that insurance is required by the provisions of the laws of the states in which you enter, it should be noted that such requirements are fully justified and logical.

    Compulsory medical insurance covers the costs of emergency medical care (injury, viral disease). And if you have rheumatism, which you did not finish at home, or the pancreas is ill, they may refuse - as they will consider it a relapse of a chronic disease.

    Do not forget that the cost of treatment and medicines in different parts of the world is very different, not in favor of our compatriots. For example, in the USA, an emergency suture after a cut with broken glass with an ambulance call can cost you more than $ 1,000, and in Ukraine, Russia and other CIS countries for this money, you can operate on an inflammation of the appendix in five people, including anesthesia and postoperative hospital stay.

    Before concluding an insurance contract, remember that there is such a clause as return of travel insurance... That is, if for some reason you cannot go abroad, your funds will be returned to you (not all insurance companies have this option, but it is important if you plan to leave not tomorrow, but in a couple of months, for example).

    What determines the price of an insurance policy abroad?

    Basically, the price of an insurance policy for those traveling abroad does not depend on the purpose of their trip, but depends on the length of stay abroad and on age (children and the elderly are insured more expensively).

    A very successful "invention" in the insurance business (for representatives of this business) is franchise... It reduces your prepayment for insurance, luring a client, but significantly cuts payments in the event of an insured event. The higher the deductible, the better your discount for prepayment of the policy and the less you will receive in the event of an insured event. Each agency is required to provide you with calculations for payments with different franchise options, and you can get an idea of ​​whether you need it or not.

    “People often choose the cheapest travel insurance, but this means that the amount insured will also be small. The insurance covers the costs only in the amount of the insured amount, and if the cost of treatment and transportation exceeds it, you will have to pay yourself ”- SEB.

    “In insurance terminology, the concept of insurance coverage or sum insured is one of the main ones that form the cost of an insurance policy, and denotes the maximum amount of compensation provided for by the selected insurance.

    There are rules according to which the amount of insurance coverage cannot be lower than a certain amount, but it can be higher if the client wants to expand the list of additional services and be as calm as possible during the trip ”- UTS.

    What types of insurance are there for those traveling abroad?

    The first thing you need to know for those who are going to leave the borders of their state is that there are various insurance programs, depending on the purpose of your trip. So, they distinguish insurance for tourists, for those who travel to work abroad, for business travelers, for students or for athletes. These are the main groups of citizens that insurance companies consider separately. They are not fundamentally different, but we will consider their features below.

    In general, “standard medical insurance, which is offered to the load in almost every travel agency, includes, as a rule, a minimum set of insurance services. This is payment for emergency medical care and the work of doctors, hospitalization, the purchase of necessary medicines (within the insurance limit). If necessary, some medical policies cover the delivery of the injured tourist to their home country. ”- Insure.Travel.

    Travel insurance

    In the overwhelming majority, travel insurance is offered by travel agencies when purchasing a voucher. Yes, it is very convenient to arrange everything at once in one place, but do not forget that travel agencies do not offer a choice, as they work with the same insurance company.

    The tourist, by and large, "does not give a damn", since his attitude to insurance is more formal and negative, they say, they just pump out money and still have to pay, who cares to whom.

    However, when an insured event occurs abroad, tourists are very upset and outraged that they were allegedly "cheated". In fact, they were not deceived with insurance, they just, as mentioned above, reacted to this issue formally, paying money (preferably as little as possible) and signing an insurance contract without looking.

    Therefore, a tourist who respects his safety will certainly take the issue of insurance carefully, and may buy insurance for his family from an insurance company, since he has every right to refuse the insurance policy included in the tourist voucher and buy it on his own in another place. Fortunately, all insurance companies have their own websites and exist rating of insurance... What prevents you from choosing an insurance program in advance, when choosing tours on the same Internet? Yes, you have to go to two places in your city: to an insurance and a travel company (although both can arrange everything remotely), in order to get quality rest and quality insurance?

    What is included in the travel insurance programs abroad?

    As a rule, such programs exist in three versions: cheap, medium and expensive.

    All three include the basic expenses that the insurance will cover: payment of medical expenses (emergency medical care, emergency inpatient treatment, emergency outpatient care, emergency birth care); transportation and repatriation in case of illness; repatriation in case of death; expenses for an urgent message about the occurrence of an insured event (a call in roaming, for example).

    As for emergency dental care, not all insurers include this in their basic insurance, or the amount of services provided may fluctuate. On average, it reaches up to 200 USD / EUR.

    The average program additionally includes the following insured events: loss or theft of documents; loss or delay of baggage (more than 4 hours); flight cancellation or delay (more than 4 hours); placing in a stop-list and restoring a bank card.

    An expensive insurance program for tourists, in addition to all of the above, will hinder the possibilities: a visit by a relative to visit an insured person who is in hospital; evacuation of children under 14 years old who were left without adult supervision abroad; early return of the insured person from abroad due to the death of close relatives; for motorists: towing to the nearest place of repair, delivery of necessary spare parts.

    “Please note that travel medical insurance does not cover the cost of treating extreme sports injuries. Even if you just had a bad paragliding flight over the beach, if you have regular medical insurance, you will be denied help. ”- TSN.

    Insurance for work abroad and for a business trip

    For the countries of the Schengen agreement, insurance is provided regardless of age, provided that the stay abroad is not more than 31 days and the insurance period is not more than 184 days, and in other countries the age is limited - up to 75 years.

    What is insured first of all? This is a sudden illness, health disorder or injury, death, including in connection with an accident, as well as unintentional harm to a third party.

    What is included in the insurance programs for work abroad?

    Basically, all programs of this type of insurance are concluded for a period of up to 1 year, and the amounts of insurance benefits differ. For cheap programs, the amount of reimbursement is from 5 thousand to 50 thousand Euros / Dollars, for more expensive programs from 30 thousand to 75 thousand Euros / Dollars.

    This includes the payment of medical expenses (ambulance, urgent inpatient care, emergency outpatient care, emergency delivery), emergency dental care, transportation and repatriation in case of illness, repatriation in case of death, expenses for urgent notification of the occurrence of an insured event.

    Insurance for students abroad

    Students aged 15 to 28 who travel abroad to study are subject to insurance. Duration of insurance: from 1 month to 1 year.

    Programs include the risks of sudden illness or injury, as well as unintentional harm to a third party (students can fight).

    The insurance will provide emergency medical, outpatient and inpatient care, provision of medicines: assistance in case of complications of pregnancy; emergency dental care; transportation and repatriation. As well as additional services, such as: expenses for a call to the insurance company; early return from abroad due to the death of close relatives or a visit of a close relative while a student is in hospital; insurance payment in case of disability of I, II, III groups as a result of an accident; insurance payment in case of injuries and functional disorders as a result of an accident.

    Parents who send their children to study abroad, we advise you to pay special attention to the conclusion of insurance contracts and do not save on them!

    Insurance of athletes abroad

    “If your vacation involves extreme sports, then you need sports insurance. You will have to pay for it (on average € 3 per day for Europe) or buy it on the spot. For example, in Turkey, when ordering rafting, they offer to purchase a sports insurance policy for a couple of dollars "- TSN.

    “If you are going to a sports competition, then having sports insurance abroad is a mandatory requirement to participate in international competitions. It applies to all sports, this requirement is due to a high threshold for the risk of serious injury.

    For athletes traveling abroad to compete, there are short-term insurance policies. The duration of such a policy can be only 3 days (minimum period). There is also the concept of "seasonal insurance" for those sports where there is a seasonality (example: beach volleyball). This type of policy is long-term and extended, it additionally prescribes coverage of such risks as: accident, civil liability and others.

    What affects the cost of sports insurance for traveling abroad? - Type of sports activity. There is a difference between normal sports and extreme sports. For example, archery is a less dangerous sport than mountaineering. And the coefficient of exposure to dangerous risks here is much lower than in mountaineering. Also, the degree of serious injuries received during mountaineering is much higher than when archery. Of course, it will also affect the amount of coverage of the insurance policy, and its cost.

    In addition, only ground-based medical structures are involved to assist a victim in archery, while a climber will most likely have to use air ones to assist a climber. This will also affect the cost of insurance ”- Instore.trave l.

    In addition, the person's age and length of stay are taken into account. All of this affects the price of insurance for sports.

    When an insured event occurs, the fault of this person is also taken into account (in case of violation of the rules), or expensive sports equipment may have been damaged, or maybe another person who also suffered as a result of an accident, but did not have insurance). All this should be taken into account when signing an insurance contract for amateur athletes.

    “Medical insurance will not be paid in the following cases:

    • If the tourist went on vacation for the purpose of treatment, but did not stipulate this when concluding an insurance contract.
    • If the insured event occurred due to radiation exposure.
    • If the insurance costs are related to diseases that the tourist already has for at least six months before the trip (and this will be proven).
    • If the insurance costs are related to the treatment of chronic diseases (insurance of people with chronic diseases is carried out according to separate programs).
    • If the insurance costs are related to mental illness, the results of congenital anomalies, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, etc.
    • If the insurance costs are associated with any type of prosthetics, including dental.
    • If the tourist's treatment is carried out by relatives abroad, even if they have a doctor's license.
    • If insurance payments are caused by plastic or cosmetic surgery operations (unless it is caused by the result of an injury).
    • For many insurance companies, pregnancy is also a reason for denying medical coverage. ”- Insure.Travel.

    Do I need insurance in Schengen countries visa-free?

    For Ukrainians, since 2017, insurance is optional, however, when crossing the border of a European country during the examination of documents, you can still be asked for insurance of medical expenses.

    You cannot travel without insurance to European countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, Switzerland and Kosovo.

    Dear travelers! Remember that having saved a thousand at home on insurance, you can overpay dozens there, far from home and family, friends. We sincerely hope that nothing like this will happen to you, but we wish you wisdom and prudence before leaving the borders of our homeland !!

    And to finish:

    Rating of insurance companies in Ukraine for travel insurance

    To share with friends:
    Similar publications
    © 2021 com-roseltorg.ru Popular articles about banking services