Schengen travel insurance from the UK: who needs it and what to check

It depends on your passport. A British citizen needs no Schengen visa for up to 90 days in any 180 and no insurance is required to enter, although French, Spanish and Swiss border officers may ask for proof of travel cover. A non-UK national who needs a Schengen visa must show medical cover of at least €30,000 (about £25,100), valid across the whole Schengen area.

Those are two very different situations, and most of the confusion online comes from mixing them. For a British passport holder, the question is not legal but practical: what the free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) does and does not pay for in Europe, and what a holiday in the Alps, a hire car or a rail strike can cost you. For someone living in the UK on a residence permit, the question is legal: the consulate will refuse a visa file whose insurance certificate misses one of the conditions set by the EU Visa Code.

This guide covers both, in that order, from official sources only: GOV.UK and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the NHS, the EU Visa Code and the visa checklists of Schengen consulates in London. The euro amounts are converted at the European Central Bank reference rate of 28 October 2026 (€1 = £0.83785).

Only travellers who need a Schengen short-stay visa have a legal obligation to hold travel medical insurance, under Article 15 of the EU Visa Code. Everyone else living in the UK travels without that obligation, but not without risk: the FCDO advises every traveller to take out appropriate travel insurance before leaving.

The Schengen area has 29 member countries. Four of them are outside the EU: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, GOV.UK says. Cyprus is in the EU but not in Schengen, and time spent there counts towards a separate 90-day allowance. Ireland is not in Schengen either: the Common Travel Area applies between the UK and Ireland.

A British citizen can stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in every 180 days without a visa, and no Schengen rule obliges you to hold travel insurance, according to GOV.UK's page on travelling to the EU and Schengen area. The 180-day period is rolling, and every Schengen country you visit counts towards the same 90 days.

Insurance can still come up at the border. The FCDO's entry requirements for France say officers may ask you to show proof of your travel insurance to demonstrate you can cover emergency costs, alongside a return ticket, proof of accommodation and enough money for your stay. The Spanish and Swiss pages list proof of insurance among the same checks. It is not a systematic check, but a printed or saved copy of your policy schedule answers it in seconds.

• Passport validity
  Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and expire at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area, GOV.UK says for France.
• Entry/Exit System (EES)
  The EU began rolling out biometric border registration on 12 October 2025. You may be asked for fingerprints and a photo at a booth; registration is free, and it asks nothing about insurance.
• ETIAS
  The EU's planned online travel permit for visa-free visitors, British citizens included, is announced for the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date to be published in advance. It is not an insurance requirement either.

For the full entry picture, including the countries outside Europe, see our guide to entry requirements for British passport holders.

The GHIC gives you state healthcare that cannot wait until you are back in the UK, on the same terms as local residents, in the EU and some other countries; it is free from the NHS. It is not travel insurance: the NHS says it does not pay for medical repatriation, private treatment, ski or mountain rescue, or the costs a local resident would also pay.

That last point is the one travellers underestimate. State care in France is not always free, the FCDO says: you are treated on the same basis as French citizens, which means a share of the bill. The FCDO's own examples of what a medical emergency can cost without insurance start at £25,000 or more for a broken leg in Spain with hospital treatment and possible repatriation.

Switzerland is the case to remember. It is in Schengen, not in the EU, and its rules on the GHIC depend on your nationality. If you live in the UK on a residence permit with, say, an Indian or a US passport, the NHS list does not cover you in Switzerland. The FCDO's health advice for Switzerland also reminds every traveller to have insurance for local treatment or unexpected medical evacuation.

If you live in the UK and need a Schengen visa, your Schengen travel insurance must cover at least €30,000 (about £25,100) of urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation, including repatriation after death, in every Schengen country and for the whole stay. That is Article 15 of the EU Visa Code, and every Schengen consulate applies it.

• Minimum cover
  €30,000 for repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment or death.
• Territory
  Valid throughout the Schengen area, not only in the country you visit.
• Duration
  The whole intended stay or transit, from the day you enter to the day you leave.
• Where it is taken out
  As a rule, in your country of residence, so in the UK; if that is not possible, elsewhere. Cover taken out by a host in your name must meet the same conditions.
• Recoverable claims
  The consulate checks that a claim against the insurer could be recovered in a Schengen country.
• Exemptions
  Holders of diplomatic passports, and some professional groups already covered by their work, such as seafarers.

You apply at the consulate of your main destination, or of your first entry if the stays are equal, through the visa centre that serves the UK. The European Commission sets the standard visa fee at €90 (about £75) for an adult, a normal decision time of 15 days that can stretch to 45, and an application window between 6 months and 15 days before the trip. Visa centres usually add their own service fee.

A GHIC cannot meet this requirement: Article 15 asks for repatriation cover, and the NHS states that the GHIC does not pay for medical repatriation. Cover that comes with a bank account can be accepted if it meets every condition, but the Swiss consulate in London then asks for a recent letter from the bank, not more than one month old, confirming all the details.

The consulate reads one page: the certificate or policy schedule. It must show your name and date of birth, cover for every Schengen state and the whole stay, the €30,000 minimum for emergency medical expenses and repatriation, and the insurer's address and contact details, according to the Swiss consular centre in London.

Each consulate publishes its own checklist, and the wording varies. The Dutch government's page adds that the cover must include hospital admission, emergency treatment, prescription medicine and repatriation, and asks for the first page of the policy or an equivalent proof issued in your name. The Swiss consular centre's checklist lists the six points above. Read the checklist of the consulate you apply to, and check the certificate against it line by line before the appointment.

Your insurance only works if the rest of the file holds: the Swiss consular centre in London asks for a UK residence permit valid for more than one month after you leave the Schengen area, a Home Office share code proving your UK status, and a passport issued within 10 years and valid 3 months beyond the visa.

• Residence permit
  Valid for more than one month from the day you exit the Schengen area, for the Swiss consulate in London. If yours expires soon, renew it before applying.
• Share code
  A code from the Home Office showing your status in the UK, which the Swiss checklist calls mandatory.
• Passport
  Issued within the past 10 years, valid for more than 3 months after the visa ends, with two blank pages.
• Application window
  At the earliest 6 months and at the latest 15 days before you travel, depending on appointment slots.

Other consulates in London set similar rules but not always the same figures. The safe order is the same everywhere: check your residence permit dates first, then book the appointment, then take out cover whose dates match the trip you will declare on the application form.

For a multiple-entry visa, the EU Visa Code asks you to prove cover only for your first intended visit, and to sign a statement on the application form that you know you need cover for every later stay; the Dutch government says you must be able to show proof for each later trip.

In practice, that means a second trip on the same visa needs its own cover, valid for its dates and still meeting the €30,000 conditions. Border officers can ask for it, and a medical emergency on that second trip is entirely yours to pay if there is no cover.

If the visa is refused, what happens to the premium depends on the policy wording. Some insurers refund all or part of the premium when a visa is denied, the Dutch government notes. Before you take out cover for a visa file, check three points in the terms: whether a refund applies on refusal, which document is asked for (the consulate's refusal letter, for example), and the deadline to send it.

Whatever your passport, the FCDO's travel insurance guidance lists the points to check before you leave: declare existing medical conditions, cover every activity you will do, check the full length of the trip, and keep the policy number and the insurer's 24-hour assistance number with you. Our guide to travel insurance for UK residents covers each of these points in more detail, from exclusions to claims.

Pre-existing medical conditions

Declare every existing physical or mental health condition, including those under investigation or awaiting treatment: GOV.UK says failing to declare something may invalidate your cover. Some policies exclude treatment linked to a pre-existing mental health condition. For a serious condition, GOV.UK points to MoneyHelper's travel insurance directory, which lists specialist providers.

Winter sports in the Alps

Skiing and other winter sports are not usually included in standard policies, GOV.UK says, and the GHIC pays nothing for mountain rescue. In French mountain areas the FCDO asks you to check that your cover includes mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation, and warns that in Savoie and Haute-Savoie you may be transferred to Switzerland for treatment, where the GHIC rules differ (see the table above). GOV.UK classes off-piste skiing among the particularly dangerous sports: read that clause before you go.

Car hire excess and driving

If you hire a car, GOV.UK says to check what you are covered for with the hire company; if you drive your own car, check your motor policy. The rental agreement shows the excess, the amount you pay towards damage before the hire company's cover applies; read it before you sign at the desk. Licence, IDP and country rules are in our guide to driving abroad from the UK.

Strikes and travel disruption

Strikes and other industrial action may not be covered, especially if they were public when you booked or took out the policy, GOV.UK warns. Its advice is to take out cover as soon as possible after booking, so that a strike announced later falls inside it. Cover for the failure of an airline or travel company is usually not included either.

FCDO advice and transit countries

If the FCDO advises against all travel or all but essential travel to a place, your insurance may be invalidated. List every country on the route, including transit, so that an emergency in a country you only cross is covered.

In an emergency

Call 112, which works in every Schengen country (in Switzerland, 144 is also the ambulance number). Then call the insurer's 24-hour emergency line before any planned treatment if you can: GOV.UK says these helplines offer support and advice about appropriate treatment. Keep every receipt, prescription and medical report, and ask for an itemised bill.

Complain to the insurer first; if you get no final response within 8 weeks, or you disagree with it, you can take the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, within 6 months of the final response letter, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

1. Write to the insurer
   Set out the claim, the decision you dispute and what you are asking for, with copies of your receipts and medical reports.
2. Wait for the final response
   The insurer has up to 8 weeks for most complaints. Keep the final response letter: the ombudsman will ask for it.
3. Go to the ombudsman
   Within 6 months of the final response. The service is free, and you do not need to pay a claims company or a lawyer.

Seven checks cover almost every case on this page: your passport dates, your GHIC, your need for a visa, the €30,000 conditions if you do, your medical conditions, your activities and your emergency details.

• Is travel insurance mandatory for British citizens going to the Schengen area?

  No. A British citizen needs no visa for up to 90 days in any 180, and no rule requires insurance to enter. Border officers in France, Spain and Switzerland may ask for proof of travel insurance, GOV.UK says, and the FCDO advises every traveller to have it.

• Is a GHIC enough for a trip to Europe?

  Not on its own, GOV.UK and the NHS say. It gives access to state healthcare on the same terms as residents, but it does not pay for medical repatriation, private treatment, mountain rescue or the share of costs residents pay.

• Can I use my GHIC in Switzerland?

  Only if you are a British, Swiss or EU national, a refugee, a stateless person or a family member of one, according to the NHS. A UK EHIC also works there. Other UK residents need other cover.

• Can I use my GHIC in Norway or Iceland?

  Yes. GOV.UK says you can now use a GHIC or EHIC for medically necessary state healthcare in Norway and Iceland. In Norway, UK nationals can also use their passport for free hospital treatment.

• How much cover do I need for a Schengen visa from the UK?

  At least €30,000, about £25,100 at the ECB rate of 28 October 2026, for urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation, valid in all Schengen countries for the whole stay (EU Visa Code, Article 15).

• Is €30,000 written in pounds on a UK certificate accepted?

  The rule is set in euros by Article 15. If your certificate states its limit in pounds, check with the consulate or its visa centre how it will be read; a certificate that states the euro amount avoids the question.

• Does the insurance need to cover the whole Schengen area or only my destination?

  The whole Schengen area. Article 15 requires cover valid in all Schengen states, even if you only visit one country.

• Do I need insurance for every trip on a multiple-entry visa?

  Yes in practice. You prove cover for the first trip when you apply and sign a statement that you will have cover for later stays; the Dutch government says you must be able to show proof for each later trip.

• Will I get my money back if my Schengen visa is refused?

  It depends on the policy. Some insurers refund all or part of the premium on refusal, the Dutch government notes. Check the terms, the document asked for and the deadline before you take out cover.

• Does the Entry/Exit System or ETIAS require travel insurance?

  No. EES is a free biometric registration at the border, rolled out from 12 October 2025, and ETIAS, announced for the last quarter of 2026, is a travel permit. Neither asks for proof of insurance.

• Is skiing covered by standard travel insurance?

  Usually not, GOV.UK says: winter sports are not usually included in standard policies. Check that mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation are covered, and read the off-piste clause.

• How do I complain about a refused travel insurance claim?

  Complain to the insurer first. If there is no final response within 8 weeks, or you disagree with it, take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months of the final response. It is free.