Schengen Visa Insurance Requirements: 2026 Rules

The Schengen visa insurance requirements are set by Article 15 of the EU Visa Code. Your travel medical insurance must provide at least EUR 30,000 of cover, be valid in all 29 Schengen states, run for the entire period of your intended stay, and pay for urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment, repatriation for medical reasons and death. A certificate that shows those points clearly is what the consulate checks.

Key facts at a glance

• The legal basis is Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, the Visa Code, which applies to every Schengen consulate.
• The minimum coverage is EUR 30,000, and the policy must be valid throughout the territory of the Member States, according to Article 15(3).
• The Schengen area has 29 countries. Bulgaria and Romania have been full members since 1 January 2025.
• Applicants for a multiple entry visa only need to prove insurance for their first intended visit, under Article 15(2), and sign a declaration about later trips.
• Holders of diplomatic passports are exempt under Article 15(7). Travellers who do not need a visa, such as US citizens on short stays, are not subject to Article 15 at all.
• The European Commission lists the standard visa fee as EUR 90 for adults and says to apply no earlier than 6 months and at least 15 days before travel.

What does Article 15 of the Visa Code actually require?

Article 15(1) says applicants must prove they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance covering expenses that might arise from repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment or death during their stay. Article 15(3) adds three conditions: the insurance must be valid throughout the territory of the Member States, it must cover the entire period of the intended stay or transit, and the minimum coverage is EUR 30,000.

That is the whole legal test. The Visa Code does not name approved insurers, does not set a maximum deductible, and does not require the policy to be bought in Europe. What it does require, under Article 15(5), is that the consulate checks whether claims against the insurer would be recoverable in a Member State. In practice that means a recognizable insurer with emergency assistance that operates in Europe. For a closer look at the amount itself, see the EUR 30,000 requirement explained.

Which countries must the insurance cover?

All of them. Even if you are visiting only one country, the policy has to be valid across the whole Schengen area, because a uniform visa lets you move between member states. The 29 countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

A certificate that says "Schengen area", "all Schengen states", "Europe" or "worldwide" satisfies this. A certificate that names only your destination country does not. Ireland is in the European Union but outside Schengen, so a trip there falls under separate rules.

How long must the insurance be valid?

For a single or double entry visa, the policy must cover every day of your intended stay, from the day you enter to the day you leave. Match the dates to your flight bookings and application form exactly. Many applicants add a few days at each end, since a delayed return flight should not leave you uninsured, and a certificate that stops short of your exit date is a frequent cause of follow up requests. We cover that and other avoidable errors in Schengen insurance mistakes that lead to rejection.

For a multiple entry visa the rule is lighter. Article 15(2) asks for proof of insurance for the first intended visit only, together with a signed statement on the application form that you know you need insurance for later stays. Our guide to annual Schengen travel insurance explains how to handle those later trips.

What must the insurance certificate say?

Consulates work from the document, not from the policy wording, so the certificate or visa letter should make each requirement easy to verify at a glance. Check that yours shows the following.

• Your full name exactly as printed in your passport, and ideally your date of birth or passport number.
• Start and end dates that cover your whole stay.
• Territorial validity that includes the full Schengen area.
• A medical maximum of at least EUR 30,000, or a clearly higher amount in another currency.
• Explicit mention of emergency medical treatment, hospitalization and repatriation, including repatriation of remains.
• The insurer's name and a 24 hour assistance contact.

If your policy is priced in US dollars, pick a maximum that sits well above EUR 30,000 at current exchange rates so there is no argument at the counter. On deductibles, the Visa Code is silent, but a consulate can question whether a policy with a large deductible is adequate. WorldTrips advises selecting a zero dollar deductible when buying its Atlas International plans for Schengen visa purposes, and that is a sensible approach with any carrier.

Who is exempt from the Schengen insurance requirement?

The exemptions are narrow. Article 15(7) exempts holders of diplomatic passports. Article 15(6) lets a consulate treat the requirement as met where adequate insurance can be presumed from the applicant's professional situation, and the text of the Visa Code points to seafarers as an example. The European Commission's Visa Code Handbook also indicates that family members of EU citizens who are covered by the free movement directive are not asked for travel medical insurance. Confirm with your consulate before relying on any of these.

Visa exempt travellers are in a different position. If your passport lets you enter for up to 90 days in any 180 days without a visa, nobody will check an insurance certificate, and the planned ETIAS travel authorization is not an insurance requirement. Cover is still worth having, because your domestic plan may pay little or nothing abroad. See Schengen insurance for US citizens.

Do individual consulates add their own insurance rules?

The Visa Code is binding on all consulates, so the core requirements do not change from country to country. What varies is how the documents are handled: whether the certificate must be an original or a printout, what language it should be in, and how strictly staff read deductibles and wording. Some states also ask for longer or broader cover for national long stay visas, which fall outside the Schengen short stay rules entirely.

Our country guides go through the local practice for France, Germany, Italy and Spain. If you are applying from the United States on a foreign passport, start with Schengen visa insurance from the USA. You can also check the rule for your destination in our visa insurance requirements tool.

A one page check before you submit

Download our free Schengen Visa Insurance Requirements Checklist below. It turns Article 15 into a line by line check of your certificate, covering the amount, the territory, the dates, repatriation wording and the extras that individual consulates tend to ask about.

How to get covered

Enter your travel dates, age and country of residence on Ombrela's Schengen insurance quote page to compare plans that are designed to meet the Article 15 standard. Premiums depend on your age, trip length, policy maximum and deductible, so compare live quotes. Not every plan is sold to every resident: the Trawick International plans in this category are not available to people with a US home country or mailing address, and some carriers do not sell in New York, Maryland or Washington. The results show only plans open to you. After purchase, download the carrier's certificate or visa letter for your application.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum insurance coverage for a Schengen visa?

EUR 30,000. Article 15(3) of the Visa Code sets that figure as the minimum coverage, and the policy must also be valid in every Schengen state for the full period of your stay. A higher maximum is acceptable and often sensible, since a serious hospital stay or a medical flight home can cost more than the minimum. The certificate should state the amount clearly.

Can I buy Schengen insurance from a company outside Europe?

Yes. Article 15(4) says applicants should, in principle, take out insurance in their country of residence, so a policy bought in the United States, India or elsewhere is expected. The consulate's concern, under Article 15(5), is whether claims would be recoverable in a Member State. An insurer with an established assistance network in Europe and a clear certificate addresses that.

Do I need Schengen insurance if I am only transiting?

If you are applying for a uniform visa to transit through Schengen territory, Article 15(3) requires the insurance to cover the period of your transit, with the same EUR 30,000 minimum and area of validity. A short policy for the transit days is enough. If you stay airside and need no visa, there is no insurance check.

Is my insurance refunded if the visa is refused?

That depends on the insurer's cancellation terms, not on the Visa Code. Many travel medical plans allow cancellation before the start date, sometimes with a fee, if you provide the refusal letter. Read the cancellation rules before you buy and keep the consulate's decision. Our guide to refundable Schengen visa insurance explains how each carrier handles it.

When your dates are fixed, compare Schengen plans on Ombrela, download the certificate, and check it against the list above before your appointment.