Why Countries Like France, Spain, Germany, And Greece Mandate Travel Insurance For Visitors To The Schengen Area – Here’s What You Need To Know

Published on October 11, 2025

Traveling to European destinations for illustration France, Spain, and Greece has go progressively popular, pinch millions of visitors visiting each year. Along pinch nan emergence successful tourism, location are stricter introduction requirements to guarantee some nan information of travelers and nan financial stableness of nan big countries. A awesome request for travelers visiting Schengen Area countries is recreation insurance. But why is this necessary, and which countries require it? Let’s research nan basal reasons down these regulations, nan countries affected, and really these rules tin effect your recreation plans. Whether you’re applying for a Schengen visa aliases walking to Europe without one, knowing astir these requirements will thief you scheme your travel better.

Schengen Area and Travel Insurance

The Schengen Area is made up of 29 European countries that person abolished separator controls betwixt them. This statement allows for seamless recreation wrong these countries. However, to participate astir of these countries, travelers request to get a Schengen visa, which has circumstantial requirements, including travel insurance.

Countries for illustration France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece, among others, beryllium to nan Schengen Zone and require recreation security for those applying for a visa. This is chiefly owed to nan precocious costs of aesculapian attraction and emergency removal successful Europe, which tin beryllium prohibitively costly for those without due coverage.

Which Countries Require Travel Insurance?

If you’re visiting immoderate of nan Schengen Area countries and request a visa to enter, you’ll apt person to meet nan recreation security requirement. Some of nan countries successful this region that enforce this include:

• France
• Germany
• Spain
• Italy
• Greece
• Netherlands
• Austria
• Belgium
• Switzerland

In total, location are 29 countries successful nan Schengen Area, and each of them person akin requirements for recreation security erstwhile applying for a visa.

Why Is Travel Insurance Required successful nan Schengen Zone?

One of nan superior reasons for nan recreation security request successful nan Schengen Area is nan precocious costs of healthcare. Many countries successful Europe supply publically funded healthcare for their residents. However, travelers from extracurricular Europe, including nan U.S. and Canada, mostly do not person entree to these services. In nan arena of an emergency aliases aesculapian issue, travelers would person to salary for their aesculapian treatment, which tin beryllium very expensive.

Insurance sum is besides captious for emergency aesculapian evacuation, which tin beryllium a financial load if travelers request to beryllium transported backmost to their location state for further treatment. Additionally, this helps forestall immoderate economical strain connected nan state itself, arsenic they would beryllium responsible for covering costs if nan traveler is incapable to salary for treatment.

What Is Schengen-Compliant Travel Insurance?

To meet nan Schengen visa requirements, nan security you acquisition must beryllium Schengen-compliant. This intends that your argumentation needs to:

• Cover you crossed each Schengen countries.
• Provide astatine slightest €30,000 successful sum for aesculapian emergencies, including infirmary stays, surgeries, and applicable treatments.
• Include sum for aesculapian removal aliases repatriation successful lawsuit of superior wellness issues aliases death.
• Be valid for nan full long of your enactment successful nan Schengen Area.

It’s basal to make judge that your recreation security meets these circumstantial requirements, arsenic nonaccomplishment to do truthful could consequence successful your visa exertion being rejected.

What Should Travelers Do?

If you are readying a travel to Europe, particularly to Schengen countries, present are a fewer steps to guarantee you’re successful compliance pinch nan requirements:

1. Check Visa Requirements: Confirm whether you request a Schengen visa aliases not. Citizens of definite countries, specified arsenic nan U.S., Canada, and others, whitethorn not request a visa for stays of up to 90 days. However, starting successful 2026, these travelers will request to get nan ETIAS authorization.
2. Purchase Travel Insurance: Make judge you bargain recreation security that covers aesculapian emergencies, repatriation, and different unforeseen situations. Make judge it meets nan Schengen visa requirements if you request one.
3. Confirm Insurance Validity: Double-check that your security is valid for nan full long of your enactment crossed each nan countries you scheme to sojourn successful nan Schengen Area.
4. Carry Proof: Be fresh to show impervious of security erstwhile you use for a visa aliases moreover erstwhile you get astatine nan border.

Travel Insurance for Visa-Exempt Travelers

While Schengen insurance is mandatory for visa holders, immoderate European countries, including France, whitethorn require security moreover for those who don’t request a visa. For instance, if you are a visa-exempt traveler from nan U.S. aliases Canada, it’s still recommended to person security coverage, and separator agents whitethorn inquire for proof. Therefore, it’s ever wise to cheque nan introduction requirements connected nan respective country’s embassy website earlier you travel.

Upcoming Travel Policies successful nan Schengen Area

In summation to nan travel insurance requirement, nan Schengen Zone is besides introducing a caller strategy known arsenic nan Entry/Exit System (EES). Starting from October 2025, travelers will spell done an automated process astatine separator control, pinch biometric information (such arsenic fingerprints and photographs) being collected to verify identities. This will streamline nan border-crossing process and destruct passport stamps for introduction and exit. The strategy will beryllium afloat operational by April 2026, marking a important displacement successful really travelers will beryllium processed crossed nan Schengen Zone.

Final Thoughts

Traveling to Europe, peculiarly to Schengen countries, requires observant planning. Travel insurance is simply a mandatory request for visa applicants and a bully thought for each travelers. It ensures that you are covered for immoderate unforeseen events, particularly aesculapian emergencies, and protects some you and nan countries you are visiting. Before you depart, make judge you person nan basal security successful spot and familiarize yourself pinch immoderate caller recreation regulations, for illustration nan Entry/Exit System, to guarantee a soft and hassle-free trip.