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Travel insurance for Europe: what a Schengen plan covers, and what it doesn't

Last updated: October 14, 2026 · By the SchengenCompare editorial team

"Europe" and "Schengen" are not the same map. If your trip includes a country outside the Schengen area, check the territory in the policy, not just the plan name. We compare plans that meet the Schengen visa medical requirement, so this page is about territory, not trip cancellation or baggage.

Travelling visa-free? What fits instead

If your passport doesn't need a Schengen visa (US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and EU passports among them), nobody will ask for an insurance certificate, so the €30,000 visa minimum and a visa-refusal refund don't matter to you. What matters is whether the plan follows your real route, including the UK, Ireland or Turkey, and what a hospital stay would cost you.

For that kind of trip, a plan with a wide territory usually fits better than a Schengen-only one. SafetyWing, our featured partner, covers you anywhere outside your home country, with $250,000 of medical cover and no deductible, at a flat $2.24 a day for ages 18 to 39 (verified 15 September 2026; the rate rises from age 40, and it is sold up to 69). It has no visa-refusal refund, which you don't need without a visa, and it is regulated in Puerto Rico, outside the EU. Its Trustpilot score is 4.3 from about 4,000 reviews. AURAS, which no longer pays us a commission, also sells a Europe zone; it is underwritten in Comoros, outside EU regulation, and its independent Trustpilot score is 3.2 from 169 reviews. Both are medical-first plans: if you need trip cancellation or baggage cover, check the insurer's wording before you buy.

What is in Europe but not in Schengen

Ireland, Cyprus and the UK are the common ones for visitors. Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova are also outside the Schengen area, even though many policies treat them as Europe. A trip that starts in Rome and ends in Dublin crosses the line, and a plain Schengen policy does not follow you.

Territory by provider

Source: territory clauses in the policy documents in our internal fact table (Europ Assistance Schengen T&Cs section 7, Heymondo general conditions, EKTA clause 4.9, AURAS and SafetyWing wordings) and AXA's public pricing page · Verified 2026-10-14. AXA's tiers are not verified against a policy wording.

Three things that catch travelers out

Your own country is usually excluded. EKTA and AURAS exclude your country of residence outright, SafetyWing covers it only for limited visits, and Heymondo covers only events more than 30 km from home. These are travel plans, not domestic health insurance.

Cheaper tiers may stop at the Schengen border. A Schengen-only plan is cheapest and meets the visa rule, but it will not pay for a hospital in Dublin or London. If your itinerary includes those, buy the tier that lists them.

Not every non-EU insurer is regulated in the EU. EKTA and AURAS are underwritten in Comoros, outside EU regulation. See our EKTA and AURAS reviews before relying on either for a long trip.

Do you need insurance at all?

If you need a Schengen visa, the policy is mandatory and must show at least €30,000 of cover. If you travel visa-free, there is no insurance requirement today, but medical care abroad is still expensive. Our ETIAS guide explains how that may change.

What this site does not compare

We compare medical-first plans that satisfy the Schengen visa rule. We do not compare annual multi-trip policies, cancellation-for-any-reason cover or high baggage limits. If you need those, compare them at the insurer and read the territory clause first.

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