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Travel Insurance » European Travel Insurance

Do you need Travel Insurance in Europe?

With so many reciprocal travel agreements in place, do you need Travel Insurance for Europe?

Europe Travel Insurance covers you for travel to a European country, even if you have pre-existing medical conditions. This type of insurance covers you for medical emergencies while abroad, which is vital to prevent unexpected medical bills and unnecessary complications that could arise when you’re away. 

Travel Insurance benefits for Europe

Whether you’re travelling to Paris, Stockholm or Athens, finding yourself without any personal possessions or no way to get home in a foreign country is not a position anyone ever wants to find themselves in. Travel Insurance from AllClear covers you for these holiday problems, with cancellations and curtailment cover up to £25,000, and personal belongings cover up to £3,000, plus Medical Travel Insurance cover of up to £15million.

What countries does European Travel Insurance cover?

At AllClear we have helped insure millions of people since 2000 and we continue to provide specialised medical Travel Insurance to our ever-growing base of customers. Our European medical insurance covers every country on the European continent including:

Austria Gibraltar Norway
Belgium Greece Poland
Bulgaria Iceland Portugal
Croatia Ireland  Rhodes
Cyprus Italy Spain
France Malta Sweden
Germany   Switzerland

Our AllClear European policies also cover:

Your AllClear European Travel Insurance will also cover your UK holidays, provided you have pre-booked accommodation. Wherever you are travelling in Europe, let AllClear take care of your Medical Travel Insurance needs.

Benefits of AllClear Cover

Gold Gold Plus Platinum
Emergency medical expenses and Repatriation costs Up to £10m Up to £15m Up to £15m
Cancellation* and Curtailment Up to £2k Up to £15k Up to £25k
Extended cover 30 days FREE 30 days FREE 30 days FREE
Friend or relative to travel from your home area to stay with you if you fall ill with Covid-19 Up to £2k Up to £2k Up to £2k
Travel Delay Up to £100 Up to £350 Up to £500
Recuperation stay
Cost of return flight due to COVID-19
Personal Belongings Up to £2k Up to £2.5k Up to £3k
Personal liability Up to £2m Up to £2m Up to £2m
Legal protection cover Up to £50k Up to £50k Up to £100k
* If you buy a policy which includes cancellation cover
All these figures are per person and per trip

Planning and protecting your holiday abroad

Things to know before you go:
  • Remember to check the latest travel advice from the FCDO for your destination. You will have no cover if you choose to travel against FCDO advice, unless that advice relates specifically to Covid-19 (check our Covid FAQs  for more details)
  • Check any entry requirements and quarantine requirements for your chosen destination
  • Choose a Travel Insurance policy that includes Covid-19 Cover
  • For information on how Covid might affect your trip, visit our dedicated FAQs page

Simple 3 step quote process

1. Call us or click a quote button on our site

Once you are ready to start the quote process, the first step is to provide your personal details and information about your holiday plans.

2. Complete our simple medical screening process

You then declare the medical conditions for you (and any other travellers) and answer the specifically designed medical questions.

3. Get your quotes

You will then get your quotes and can either proceed to buy, or save your quote, at this stage.

What is the GHIC?

The GHIC includes cover for emergency medical expenses for pre-existing conditions at the same rate as local citizens, which is why it is important to have a separate medical insurance policy in place before you travel.

While the GHIC entitles you to emergency medical cover, you are not entitled to the same standard of care delivered by the NHS free at the point of use, only the state healthcare for the same price as the residents of your destination country. Also GHIC doesn’t cover repatriation, meaning you could be required to pay thousands for your transport back to the UK. Further reasons to have European Travel Insurance are:

  • Few EU countries pay the full cost of medical treatment, even under the European Union’s healthcare arrangements. You still need sufficient travel insurance to cover healthcare costs
  • In some countries, such as Greece, the health service only covers medical treatment, and will not extend to feeding and personal care

If you need an air ambulance home or you can’t travel home on your booked ticket, you could still face a bill of thousands. A broken ankle, for example, can often mean a medical escort home (usually required by the airline in case of complications in flight) and a first-class seat for extra legroom.

You may not be covered if you need extra accommodation to stay with a sick relative. Healthcare costs are rising in Europe so ensuring you have adequate medical Travel Insurance for Europe travel is more important than ever.

AllClear provides medical Travel Insurance for Europe, so you can travel with complete peace of mind. Repatriation flights to bring sick or injured people home are expensive. An air ambulance from Majorca to Britain, for example, can cost as much as £25,000. GHIC will not cover that. The right insurance policy will. Other typical costs include:

  • £25,000: Surgery and repatriation to the UK after a moped accident in Greece
  • £15,000: Hospital treatment and flights after a broken hip from a fall in Spain
  • £81,000: Treatment for a holidaymaker who contracted pancreatitis in Greece

Travel Insurance to Europe from AllClear covers all of the above. If you do find yourself in need of medical treatment when visiting Europe, you will not have to worry about any of these risks.

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Frequently asked questions

What insurance do you need to travel to Europe?

Your Europe Travel Insurance should provide cover for ;

  • Medical expenses and hospital benefit
  • Cancelling and cutting short your holiday
  • Delayed departure
  • Personal belongings and baggage
  • Accommodation cover
  • Personal accident and liability

If you’re planning to enjoy a European cruise, you can add Cruise Travel Insurance to our Gold Plus policies, and it is covered as standard on Platinum.

How much does Travel Insurance to Europe cost?

Insurance for European trips tends to be cheaper then cover for heading further afield. The destination within Europe can affect the cost of cover. Spain, for example, has higher medical costs than most of Europe, so cover for Spain will cost more than a policy for Italy. The length of the trip will also affect the cost of the policy. Both Single-trip Travel Insurance and Annual Multi-trip Travel Insurance are available. If you plan to take multiple trips to Europe, an annual policy will usually work out better value.

Do you need a GHIC card to visit Europe?

It’s worth applying for a GHIC even though it’s not a requirement. It allows you to access free or reduced healthcare in countries which are part of the EU. You’ll still need to have Europe Travel Insurance in place to cover all the costs the GHIC doesn’t include. Always check the FCDO travel advice before you travel.

^£3.06 per month for a 50 year old with no medical choosing an AllClear Gold annual multi-trip policy to Europe. Price is correct as of 01/12/23.

Written by: Russell Wallace | Travel Insurance Expert
Last Updated: 1 December 2023


3 - Based on Trustpilot reviews of all companies in the Travel Insurance Company category that have over 30,000 reviews as of January 2023.