If you are traveling to Europe and are not a citizen of the United States or a European country, you may need to obtain a visa known as a Schengen visa.

In order to obtain the Schengen visa, travelers are typically required to have medical coverage for their entire stay in the Schengen territory. For those who do not have medical coverage elsewhere, a single-trip travel insurance policy with $50,000 of Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation benefits typically satisfies requirements.

Policy information is delivered immediately by email in a format recognized by all consulates and visa issuers.

Travel Insurance and the Schengen Agreement

The Schengen Agreement was made to abolish border controls between European countries to allow travel between those countries as long as a Schengen visa is obtained.

The Schengen Countries are:

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

As long as the necessary controls have been completed upon first entering one of the Schengen countries, you will need only one visa. Whether you are visiting for business or pleasure, if you are not staying longer than 90 days, the Schengen visa is your best choice.

From the Directive of the European Council:

“Applicants must show that they are in possession of adequate and valid individual or group travel insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment.

The insurance must be valid throughout the territory of the Member States applying in full the provisions of the Schengen acquis and cover the entire period of the person’s stay.”