Spending some time in Europe and need travel medical insurance to satisfy the Schengen visa requirements? At American Visitor Insurance, we have a specific search engine set up to satisfy the medical insurance criteria for the Schengen visa. You can visit it at: Europe travel insurance comparison tool. Enter your age and the dates of your trip and you will be able to compare policies to find one that’s right for you. You can purchase from 5 days coverage to up to 12 months. For your convenience, you can opt for “online fulfilment” and have all your documents, including your visa letter, emailed to you as PDF files. That way, you can buy insurance today and still bring the necessary documentation to your visa meeting tomorrow!

There are 25 countries in Europe that belong to what is known as the Schengen area. Most non US citizens require a Schengen visa to travel to these countries. The various consulates that issue the Schengen visa insist that travelers show proof of travel medical insurance as one of the visa requirements.

The travel medical policy must cover hospitalization, emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains. The minimum coverage allowed is $37,500 and with some consulates the deductible has to be $0.

As with all travel arrangements many travelers leave the purchase of the travel insurance to the very last minute. This is why buying the policy online is a huge advantage. By going to a reputable website like Visitor Insurance USA you can view several policies open to travelers who need a Schengen visa. The policy documents are issued online on the date of purchase - there are no medical exams needed. The insurance company even provides a letter that one may carry to the consulate. This letter ensures the visa officer that the travel medical policy is in line with all the medical requirements.

A Schengen visa enables its holder to enter the 25 Schengen States for an uninterrupted visit (single-entry visa) or several visits (multiple-entry visa), whose duration is indicated on the visa. The duration has a maximum of three months (90 days) in any half-year from the date of first entry in the Schengen area.

The Schengen area includes the following 25 European countries : Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The Schengen area is an area of free movement of persons. According to the Treaty implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985, the 25 Member States have abolished checks on persons at the time of crossing of their internal borders. Henceforth the checks on persons is only carried out at the time of crossing of the external border of a Member State, which then acts on behalf of all of the other States of the Schengen area. Schengen visa insurance is essential to issue Schengen visa.

The main insurance requirements that consulates require while issuing the Schengen visa are

(a) The insurance company must have a representative office in Europe
(b) The medical evacuation/repatriation coverage must be at least US $37,500
(c) The insurance plan must be valid throug out the duration of stay in the Schengen states