Travel Insurance
A domestic health policy generally stops at the border. Travel insurance is what stands between you and a foreign hospital bill, and for several countries it is a visa requirement rather than a choice.
Placed by Naveen Kumar Pandey, IRDAI-licensed insurance agentNo consultation fee
What this actually is
The core of a travel policy is emergency medical cover abroad, including hospitalisation and, where necessary, medical evacuation or repatriation. These are the costs that can run into very large sums in countries with expensive healthcare, and they are the reason the product exists.
Around that sit the practical covers: trip cancellation or curtailment, flight delay, checked-in baggage loss or delay, and loss of passport — the last being far more useful than it sounds when you are stranded without documents.
A single-trip policy covers one journey. A multi-trip annual policy covers any number of trips within a year, each up to a maximum number of days, and is usually far cheaper for anyone travelling more than twice a year.
Student travel policies are a separate category, running for the length of a course rather than a holiday, and often including study-interruption and sponsor-protection benefits.
Key facts
- Our appointment
- Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, agency code BAG10104147
- Core cover
- Emergency medical treatment abroad, evacuation and repatriation
- Also typically covered
- Trip cancellation, flight delay, baggage loss or delay, passport loss
- Plan types
- Single trip, annual multi-trip, and student travel
- Visa requirement
- Schengen and several other destinations require minimum medical cover
- Assistance
- 24-hour helpline; call before treatment wherever possible
This suits you if
- Anyone travelling abroad, particularly to countries with high medical costs
- Travellers to Schengen countries and others where cover is a visa condition
- Students going abroad to study
- Frequent flyers, for whom an annual multi-trip policy is cheaper
- Senior citizens travelling to visit family
How it works, step by step
Tell us the destination and dates
Region, trip length and traveller ages set both the premium and the cover you need.
Check any visa requirement
Some countries specify a minimum medical sum insured. We make sure the policy meets it.
Declare existing conditions
Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded or need to be specifically declared. Do not skip this step.
Buy before you depart
The policy must be issued before the journey starts. Cover cannot be bought once you have left.
If something happens
Call the insurer's 24-hour assistance line first — cashless treatment abroad usually depends on them being involved from the start.
What you will need
- Passport
- Travel dates and full itinerary
- Visa details, where already issued
- Age proof for each traveller
- Details of any existing medical conditions
Do not have all of it to hand? Send what you have — we will tell you what is still needed.
What can go wrong
Every product has a downside. Here is this one's, in plain language, before you decide anything.
- Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. Read the policy wording before concluding a sale.
- Pre-existing conditions are commonly excluded unless specifically declared and accepted.
- Adventure sports, and in some policies even trekking above a certain altitude, are excluded unless an add-on is bought.
- Claims arising from alcohol or substance use are excluded.
- Cover must be bought before departure and cannot be arranged mid-trip.
- Baggage claims need the airline's property irregularity report; passport claims need a police report. Get the paperwork at the time, not later.
Questions people ask us about this
Does my Indian health insurance work abroad?
Generally no. Most domestic policies cover treatment within India only. A travel policy is what covers you outside the country, and it also covers things a health policy never would, like a lost passport or a cancelled trip.
Is it compulsory?
Not everywhere, but Schengen countries and several others require proof of medical cover to a minimum amount before they will grant a visa. We make sure the policy meets the specific requirement for your destination.
Single trip or annual?
If you travel abroad more than about twice a year, an annual multi-trip policy usually costs less than buying single-trip cover each time, with a cap on the length of each individual trip.
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Still deciding?
Ask us anything about this product — including how we are paid on it. We will answer straight.