Europe is one of the most-desired and famous travel destination. Be it for leisure or business purpose, travel to Europe (the Schengen Area) requires a valid Schengen visa (of course, depending on your nationality/citizenship status) as well as the mandatory medical travel insurance.

 The Schengen Area comprises of 26 countries in the European continent. It can be understood as one country with common visa policy.

 Following countries are the Schengen Area members. These do not necessarily belong to the European-Union. FinlandEstoniaDenmar k Czech Republic BelgiumAustria ItalyIcelandHungaryGreeceGermanyFrance NorwayNetherla nds MaltaLuxemb ourg Lithuani a Latvia SwedenSpainSloveniaSlovakiaPortugalPoland Liechten stein Switzerl and

 Following countries though part of the European-Union, aren’t part of the Schengen area. CroatiaBulgaria IrelandCyprus United KingdomRomania

Schengen Visa is a document that allows a person to visit the Schengen Area. It represents the Schengen Area member states collectively and any valid visa holder can travel in and within these countries without any additional formality/visa/procedure..

Depending on the purpose of travel, there are different types of Schengen Visa. 1. Business Schengen Visa: Business Schengen Visa authorizes this visa holder for doing business in the designated/approved Schengen country or countries. This short-term visa is valid for maximum 90 days. 2. Working/Employment Schengen Visa: When the purpose of traveling to a Schengen country is to engage in a work activity (authorized by the Company Institution inside the Schengen Zone), this type of visa has to be applied for under the “employment” specification. The working visa is a long term visa, valid till the work contract. 1. Student Schengen Visa: Students who are accepted at an authorized/certified educational institution in the Schengen Area must apply for a student visa.

4. Tourist Schengen Visa: Tourist visa is mandatory when the Schengen Area has to be entered for purpose of tourism/leisure or visiting relatives living in the Schengen Area. This is a short-term visa and is valid for maximum of 90 days. 5.Transit Schengen Visa: Transit Schengen visa is meant for travelers who are just passing by the Schengen Area and their final destination is not one of the member countries.

Travel insurance or visitor insurance is necessary while traveling to any part of the world. While making travel plans to the Schengen Area, it must be kept in mind that Schengen Travel Medical insurance is a mandatory requirement for obtaining the Schengen Visa. The travel medical insurance ensures that a valid visa-holder traveler is covered for any expenses related to medical issues, hospital treatment or death while he is staying in the Schengen Area. This insurance is valid throughout the Schengen Area and the minimum coverage is Eur 30,000.

The mandatory and very useful travel medical insurance not only covers him medically but for a lot of other unexpected conditions:  Lost/delayed/stolen luggage/travel documents/personal items  Travel Delays due to weather conditions  Trip Cancellation or interruption  Missed flight connections  Pregnancy related expenses  Repatriation  Overseas funeral expenses  Evacuation in case of emergency  Plane hijack

There are certain conditions which may or may not be covered within the travel medical insurance for the Schengen Area. In such cases, an additional coverage must be purchased. These conditions may be:  Pre-existing medical conditions  Risks due to extreme like scuba diving/skiing/sky diving  Risks due to war/natural disasters/terrorism in high-risk countries

Any individual traveler or group travelers visiting any part of the Schengen Area for the purpose of leisure/business/transit or just visiting relatives who is required to obtain a Schengen visa for his/her travel must hold the necessary Schengen travel medical insurance.

An insurance agent who is licensed and approved by the Schengen country/embassy is the right place to buy your Schengen travel medical insurance from. Various plans and different premium rates are applicable for the same, for the Schengen Area visa based on a number of factors,viz.: 1. Applicant’s age 2. Number of applicant’s dependents (spouse & children) 3. Dependent’s age 4. Applicant’s nationality (US citizen/non-US citizen) 5. Coverage area (whether the applicant is interested in a plan including coverage for USA or excluding USA coverage) 6. Coverage period, indicating start & end of the period for which the insurance is needed 7. Coverage of acute pre-existing conditions

For a US citizen who needs coverage while traveling to the Schengen Area (or anywhere outside the US), Atlas International is a great plan with a larger coverage length span, easy renewability and coverage of acute pre-existing conditions:  Provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient medical expenses, $500,000 of coverage for emergency medical evacuation, coverage for lost checked baggage.  Persons of age 14 days to 70+ years can be insured with this plan

 The plan may be opted for a coverage of minimum 5 days to a year  Insurance ID-card can be printed online  Coverage can be renewed for a minimum of 5 days, and at the applicant’s convenience, from anywhere online  Pre-existing condition coverage for persons under 70 years. It’s available up to $10,000 lifetime maximum for eligible medical expenses for all policy maximums greater than $50,000.

Liaison E, Liaison F and Liaison International plans are the best plans available for US citizens traveling to the Schengen Area or anywhere outside US when the applicant is 14 days-80+ of age. These plans can be easily renewed online or by phone/fax/ . They however vary in the coverage length i.e. for how many days an applicant can be insured, ranging from a minimum of 5 or 6 days to maximum 187 days or 6 months

 Provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient medical expenses, $500,000 of coverage for emergency medical evacuation, coverage for lost checked baggage.  Persons of age 14 days to 70+ years can be insured with this plan  The plan may be opted for a coverage of minimum 5 days to a year  Insurance ID-card can be printed online  Coverage of acute pre-existing conditions range from $20,000 for under age 70 to $5,000 for ages 70 & up.

 Patriot Platinum International Plan is one of the other plans well suited for ages 14 days to 80 + years of US citizens who wish to travel to the Schengen Area. It covers the applicants for a minimum of 5 days to maximum 3 years and can be renewed online, by phone/ /fax. It provides acute pre-existing conditions coverage to $20,000 for under age 65 to $2,500 for ages 65 & up.   To understand which plan best suits your health condition and travel plans, or if you have any questions about the Schengen Visa insurance, the above-mentioned plans and coverage of acute pre-existing conditions, please contact us at Multichoice Insurance Services MCIS.contactMCIS