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Buying Schengen visa insurance from India

Last updated: October 2, 2026 · By the SchengenCompare editorial team

The certificate requirement is the same as anywhere else. What's different from India is getting the payment through, and knowing what VFS Global actually flags before your file even reaches the consulate.

Where your application actually goes

Most Schengen applications from India go through VFS Global centers in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune, on behalf of the consulate you're applying to (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain all use VFS Global here). VFS staff run a document-completeness check at the counter before your file goes to the consulate itself, and a vaguely worded insurance certificate is one of the most common things that gets a file bounced back on the spot, before an actual visa officer ever sees it. Bring the printed certificate, not just a screenshot on your phone.

The payment problem, and how to avoid it

This is the part that trips up more Indian applicants than the insurance itself. Several Indian banks disable international and online transactions on debit and credit cards by default, as a security setting under RBI rules, so a payment can fail with no clear reason on an insurer's checkout page. Before you assume the site is broken, check your bank's app for an "enable international transactions" or "enable online payments abroad" toggle. If it's already on and the card still fails, trying a different provider from the comparison table is worth doing before assuming the issue is on your end.

Indian insurer or international one: which should you buy?

This is the question most guides skip, and it's the one that actually decides your purchase. The EU visa code says applicants should "in principle" buy insurance in their country of residence, which is why TATA AIG, HDFC Ergo, Care and the other names on PolicyBazaar dominate this market in India. Both routes produce a certificate consulates accept, but they behave differently in practice:

	Indian insurer (TATA AIG, Care, HDFC Ergo…)	International (AXA, Europ Assistance, Heymondo)
Currency	Priced in INR, no forex markup on your card	EUR/USD at checkout, plus your bank's forex fee
Payment	UPI, netbanking, any domestic card	Needs international transactions enabled
Certificate	Usually same-day by email; check it clearly shows Schengen-wide validity and repatriation cover	Instant PDF, wording built for the visa check
Refusal refund	Varies; many refund minus a processing fee	AXA refunds in full with the refusal letter
Claims, if you need care in Europe	Claim handled from India, often post-trip reimbursement	European assistance networks, sometimes direct billing

Source: provider pricing pages & EU Regulation 810/2009, Article 15 · Verified July 6, 2026

Two practical notes. First, a few consulates in India historically circulated lists of approved local insurers. If the consulate or VFS page for your destination country publishes such a list, buying from a listed insurer removes one possible question mark. Second, whichever route you take, the certificate check is identical: €30,000 equivalent, all Schengen states, your exact dates, and clearly shown repatriation cover. An Indian certificate showing "USD 50,000, worldwide including Schengen" passes; one showing "overseas mediclaim" with no Schengen mention gets flagged at the counter.

What it costs in rupee terms

Most providers quote in EUR or USD and convert at checkout, so your final INR amount moves with the exchange rate on the day you pay. For a two-week trip, a healthy adult in their 20s or 30s is usually looking at roughly ₹3,900 to ₹4,400 for a compliant €30,000-cover plan from AXA, Europ Assistance or Heymondo (€36-€40, converted at the ECB reference rate of ₹109.58 per euro on September 22, 2026, before your bank's forex fee). EKTA's entry plan costs about half that, with a 25% deductible. Run your exact dates through the price estimator for a closer number.

Traveler	14-day trip	30-day trip
Adult 18–39	~₹3,900–₹4,400	~₹6,900–₹8,400
Adult 40–59	~₹4,400–₹4,800	~₹6,900–₹9,200
Senior 60–69	~₹4,800–₹6,800	~₹7,600–₹13,100
Senior 70+	~₹5,500–₹8,800	~₹8,500–₹16,800

Source: our RATES model for AXA, Europ Assistance and Heymondo, with AXA recalibrated against 8 live quotes on 2026-09-21 · Recalculated September 23, 2026 · Rupee figures at the ECB reference rate of ₹109.58/€ (September 22, 2026)

Ranges assume the base €30,000-equivalent plan and today's approximate EUR–INR rate; the low end is typically Heymondo, the high end AXA or Europ Assistance. Indian insurers' INR pricing generally lands inside the same ranges for comparable cover.

One thing worth double-checking

If you're applying through the German or French consulate specifically, a certificate showing €50,000 or more in cover, rather than the bare €30,000 minimum, tends to go through without follow-up questions, based on patterns applicants report consistently enough to take seriously. It costs a euro or two more per day and can save you a second trip to VFS if your file gets held up.

Where AURAS fits for Indian applicants

AURAS lists a local phone number for India alongside WhatsApp and Telegram support, which matters if you need to reach someone from Europe. AURAS bills in US dollars and accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB and UnionPay cards as well as PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay (checked 2026-10-02), so if one payment route is declined there are others to try; your bank still has to allow the payment. The price is a flat $1.50/day for travelers aged 18 to 65, so a 30-day trip is $45 with no longer-trip discount. AURAS is underwritten by the same Comoros company as EKTA, which is not EU-regulated, it caps any single claim at $3,000, and its independent Trustpilot score is 3.2 out of 5 (169 reviews). Our AURAS review has the full detail.

Questions Indian applicants ask most

Does the certificate need to show euros? No. Indian insurers commonly state cover in USD. What matters is that the amount clearly equals or exceeds €30,000 and that Schengen-wide validity is stated. USD 50,000 comfortably clears the bar; USD 30,000 sits too close to the line when the exchange rate moves, so prefer the higher tier.

Do different VFS cities check differently? The checklist is the same everywhere; what varies is queue discipline. Applicants report the busiest centers (Delhi and Mumbai) are the quickest to bounce incomplete files rather than sort them out at the counter, so arrive with the certificate printed and correct.

I'm a student going for a semester. Is this the right insurance? Only if you're on a short-stay C visa. A study program over 90 days means a national D visa, where the destination country sets its own insurance rules; see our students guide before buying anything.

My parents (65+) are visiting me in Europe. Anything different? Yes, pricing: the senior brackets multiply fast, and the cheapest brand for you is often not the cheapest for them. The seniors guide covers which providers hold their rates flatter past 65.

Why does my Indian card get declined when I try to buy Schengen insurance? Many Indian banks disable international/online transactions by default under RBI card-security rules. Enable international usage in your bank's app first; if the card still fails, try a different provider from the comparison table.

Does VFS Global check the insurance certificate itself? VFS Global staff do a document-completeness check before submitting your file to the consulate, and an incomplete or vaguely worded certificate is one of the most common reasons a file gets sent back at the counter.

How much does Schengen visa insurance cost from India? In INR terms, a compliant plan for a two-week trip typically runs between roughly ₹2,000 and ₹4,400 for a traveler aged 18-39, depending on provider, since most insurers price in EUR or USD and convert at checkout.

Bottom line

Sort out the payment method first. That's the actual obstacle from India, not the insurance requirement itself. Once your card goes through, any plan on our comparison table that shows the four required items on its certificate will do the job.