Schengen Travel Insurance

Travelling abroad is expensive. From visa to travel and accommodation costs, it is necessary to consider these when planning and budgeting the trip. There, however, are certain circumstances where these expenses might spiral out of control due to unexpected risks.

These risks can range in terms of severity and frequency. For example, losing checked-in baggage is of mild severity but happens often. On the other hand, hostage scenarios are infrequent but exceptionally severe. Insurance offers financial protection from these risks and enables travellers to ensure their well-being by availing themselves of medical facilities. 

There are several benefits linked with having insurance when travelling to Europe. These benefits are essentially the coverages offered by insurance providers to safeguard the policyholder from incurring financial loss and additional expenses due to these risks. Add to these the peace of mind and confidence it offers, and the importance of buying an insurance policy increases twofold.

Here are a few benefits of opting for insurance from Niva Bupa when travelling to Europe:

• Allowing the traveller to get a visa for entry into the country
• Offering cashless claims for medical emergencies
• Providing coverages for financial protection from risks
• Enabling access to proper healthcare facilities
• Protecting travellers from personal liability

Buying travel insurance has no particular eligibility criteria. However, specific basic requirements must be considered when purchasing insurance, which are as follows:

• Adults should be between the ages of 18 and 70.
• Dependent children can be up to the age of 25.
• Travellers must possess and furnish mandatory documents like copies of passports, visas, income proof, and other relevant papers.

Wherever you travel to, you can purchase travel insurance for Europe from India within just a few minutes. Niva Bupa has made this process simple and intuitive, and whether you are a first-time buyer or someone who has bought insurance before, just by following these steps, you too can get the protection you need to travel the world with confidence.

• Visit the Niva Bupa website and click on “Travel Insurance”.
• Fill out the details requested in the portal, and choose whether you will go on a single trip or travel as a student.
• Choose the country you will be travelling to from the dropdown menu, choose the date of departure and return and confirm with your phone number.
• After filling out all these details, click “view plans.”
• This will take you to a page where you can input the traveller’s details.
• Once that is done, click “Next” and choose the right plan for your needs. Change the sum insured to the amount you want to insure your trip for and select any add-ons.
• Click on “Next” after this and fill out the relevant information along with the medical declaration to purchase the plan of your choice.
• Once the payment is complete, the policy will instantly appear on the portal and be emailed to you.
  

This table covers the specific inclusions and exclusions offered by Niva Bupa. It, however, is not exhaustive and might have some additions or removals depending on your particular circumstances. For example, a student traveller is offered several additional coverages such as pre-existing medical conditions coverage and sponsor protection to ease their study experience. 

When travelling, facing the impact of various risks is time-consuming enough, so we offer a simple and convenient claim experience at Niva Bupa. We aim to help you travel with the utmost peace of mind with a straightforward claim process.

Here are the steps to request a claim with Niva Bupa.

• To raise a travel insurance claim, you need first to contact your insurer, Niva Bupa.
• In case of overseas travel, you may also contact the global Third-Party Administrator.
• You can raise a claim online, through mail, or even physically. You can do so both while overseas or when you return to India.
• You must submit a duly filled claim form along with the required documents based on the type of claim—for example, loss of baggage, trip cancellation, medical emergency, or death.

Besides this, one can make two types of claims in the case of a medical emergency

Niva Bupa is partnered with Europ Assistance, a global third-party administrator, to provide cashless claims to hospitals and healthcare centres worldwide.

• The customer intimates the claim to Europ Assistance via a toll-free number or email.
• The TPA - Europ Assistance will contact the customer and provide them with the required Schengen travel insurance details.
• Europ Assistance will then initiate the GOP (Guarantee of payment) process with the hospital where the customer will receive treatment.
• Europ Assistance will ask for the documents from the hospital or the customer and, after assessing the claim, will send them to Niva Bupa for approval/rejection/query/investigation.
• Our medical team will approve the claim by e-mail.
• The GOP will be released to the hospital as per the amount claimed.
• The hospital will contact the Europ Assistance team if any additional amount is required.
• At discharge, documents will be sent to Europ assistance and approved accordingly.
• After discharge, the hospital will send the documents to Europe Assistance for settlement to the hospital.
  

• Claim form
• KYC
• Cancelled cheque of the proposer
• Discharge summary
• Final bill along with break up
• Payment receipt
• All investigation reports 

As an Indian citizen travelling to Europe, you must carry certain documents when entering any country in the Schengen area.

• An Indian Passport valid for at least three months post the intended date of leaving the Schengen area.
• A valid Schengen Visa
• Evidence of the purpose of entry (Business purposes, vacation, study, etc.)
• Bank statements or other proof of finances showcasing your means of staying in the country
• Proof of accommodation
• Return ticket
• Invitation letter (If invited by a resident or organisation in the EU) 
  

There are various types of visas for Europe depending on the purpose and times of travel. Here is a list of the different types of visas one can avail of when visiting a European country.

• Transit Visa
• Tourism Visa
• Visa for visiting family or friends
• Business Visa
• Visa for Journalists
• Visa for culture and sports activities
• Visa for official visits
• Study Visa
• Visa for medical reasons

Other than this, there are single-entry, double-entry, and multiple-entry visas depending on how often a traveller can go in and out of Europe within a certain period.