Travel Insurance for a Schengen Visa: the EUR 30,000 Rule

If you are applying for a Schengen visa from Nigeria, the insurance requirement is one of the few parts of the application with a fixed, published number attached to it. Get it right and it is a non-issue. Get it wrong and it is an avoidable reason for your file to come back.

The rule is a minimum of EUR 30,000 in medical cover, valid for the full period you intend to stay in the Schengen area. This guide explains what that means in practice, what our Schengen cover actually pays, and the mistakes that cause problems. You can price your own travel dates whenever you are ready.

The EUR 30,000 rule

Schengen states require applicants to hold travel medical insurance covering emergency medical treatment, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation, with a minimum cover of EUR 30,000. The policy must be valid across the Schengen area and for the duration of the intended stay.

Our Schengen zone is built to that figure. Emergency medical and associated expenses are covered up to EUR 30,000, with a EUR 50 excess, and treatment for COVID-19 is included. You can see the full Schengen schedule before paying.

What the Schengen zone actually pays

The EUR 30,000 is the headline, but it is not the whole policy. These are the Schengen zone limits in full:

Reading the excess column. The excess is the first part of a claim you pay yourself. Nil means there is none, so the insurer pays from the first naira. Not stated means our schedule does not set one for that benefit, so check your policy wording. Some excesses are a length of time rather than money: a "6 hours" excess means the delay has to pass six hours before anything is payable.

Two things worth knowing before you choose this zone. Medical evacuation is not covered on the Schengen zone, and neither is loss of personal money. Both are covered on the worldwide zone. If your itinerary takes you outside the Schengen area as well, the worldwide zone is the more appropriate cover, and the quote page will price both for your dates.

The mistakes that cause problems

• Dates that do not match the application. The policy must cover the full intended stay. A certificate that starts a day late, or ends before your stated return, is the single most common avoidable problem.
• Buying after the appointment. The certificate needs to be in the file you submit. Buy before you attend, not after.
• Choosing the wrong zone. If part of the trip sits outside the Schengen area, Schengen-only cover may not match the journey you have described.
• Assuming insurance decides the outcome. It does not. It satisfies one documentary requirement, nothing more.
• Not reading the excess. EUR 50 on medical, and several benefits with a time-based excess measured in hours rather than money, all published on the cover page.

Requirements change, so confirm them

The EUR 30,000 minimum has been stable for years, but individual missions and visa application centres add their own expectations about format, validity and how the certificate is presented. Those details do change.

Confirm the current requirement with the embassy, consulate or visa application centre handling your file, then match the policy to what they ask for. We can tell you what our cover pays. Only the mission can tell you what it will accept, so match your policy dates to what they ask for.

Common questions