Travel insurance 2026: what Schengen requires, and domestic trips too

Travel insurance is something people buy at the last minute because "the embassy requires it", then never read.

This article answers the three things worth knowing before you click buy: what cover level is actually mandated, the exclusions that stop a claim, and how domestic cover differs from international.

Photo: Khaosaming — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Schengen visas: €30,000, and what it must include

This is the case where travel insurance is a legal requirement, not a choice.

A Schengen visa application must show travel insurance covering medical costs of at least €30,000, roughly 1,500,000 baht, under EU Regulation 2019/1155.

The conditions usually overlooked:

• It must cover repatriation, not only treatment — which is why some cheap policies fail assessment.
• It must cover every Schengen country, not only the one you apply through, since Schengen is an open-border area of 29 states.
• It must span the whole stay, including travel days out and back.

⚠️ The €30,000 figure is not arbitrary. It is the EU's estimate of what serious emergency treatment plus repatriation can reach — which is useful information for anyone travelling to a country that does not require it, since treatment abroad does not get cheaper just because insurance is not mandated.

And that ratio is what makes travel insurance obviously worthwhile: premiums start in the low hundreds of baht per trip against cover in the millions. Few financial products have a ratio that clear.

Your existing health insurance does not work abroad

A misconception that stops people buying:

• Most Thai health policies cover treatment inside Thailand only. Check what your policy states as its territorial limit.
• Universal coverage and social security cannot be used abroad.
• Even policies that do cover treatment abroad usually exclude repatriation, the largest cost when something serious happens, since it can require an air ambulance and accompanying medical team.

⚠️ Before travelling, open your health policy and find the words "territorial limit". If it says Thailand, then the moment the aircraft leaves the ground you have no cover at all. See our health insurance article.

What travel insurance covers

Photo: Wei-Te Wong — CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

When comparing plans, look at the first two categories first, because they are the risks that can bankrupt a family. Lost baggage and delays are inconvenience, not catastrophe.

⚠️ A plan advertising "baggage cover up to 50,000 baht" with a medical limit in the low hundreds of thousands has its priorities inverted.

The exclusions that stop claims

Photo: Manrat Thiusthas — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The section nobody reads, and the one that decides whether you are paid:

• Pre-existing conditions are a standard exclusion in almost every policy. With a chronic condition, find a plan that states cover explicitly — do not assume.
• High-risk sports and adventure activities — diving beyond a stated depth, skiing, climbing, bungee jumping, paragliding. Many things holidaymakers do routinely sit in the exclusions and need an add-on.
• Incidents while intoxicated, including accidents where police record alcohol involvement.
• Riding a motorcycle without the correct licence, which is extremely common on Southeast Asian trips.
• Pregnancy beyond a stated stage.
• Travel into areas under an official advisory.
• Non-emergency treatment, such as continuing care or a planned procedure.

⚠️ The motorcycle exclusion is the one Thai travellers hit most often on nearby trips. Renting a scooter without an international permit or the correct licence class means an accident claim cannot be paid at all — despite being one of the top risks of the whole trip.

How domestic travel cover differs

People assume domestic trips need no insurance, which is half right — because what domestic cover provides is a different thing entirely:

So domestic travel cover is not bought for medical costs, since your baseline entitlement works nationwide. It is bought for two things:

1. Accident compensation and private-hospital treatment while on the road, useful when far from the facility your entitlement is registered to.
2. Trip cancellation cover, which has real value once you have paid for non-refundable domestic flights or accommodation.

⚠️ The clearest case for a domestic trip is a long drive or a rainy-season trip, because the main risk is a road accident rather than illness. See our long-weekend trips near Bangkok and Thailand road trip guide.

If something happens abroad, in order

The order differs from home, because step one is not going to the nearest hospital:

1. Call your insurer's emergency assistance line first (if not critical), because many policies have networks that settle directly. Walking into a hospital outside the network can mean paying the whole bill yourself.
2. If it is critical, treat first, then notify the insurer as soon as possible — every policy allows for genuine emergencies.
3. Keep every document — a medical certificate stating the diagnosis, original receipts, itemised charges, and a police report for accidents or theft.
4. Photograph every document immediately, before paper gets lost or ruined in transit.
5. Report theft or loss within 24 hours. Almost every policy sets this window, and no police record means no claim.
6. For delayed baggage, get the airline's PIR form at the airport, not afterwards.

⚠️ Step 1 is where people lose the most money. Fronting hospital costs abroad can run into hundreds of thousands or millions of baht, and even if reimbursed later you need that money in hand at the time.

⚠️ On step 3: receipts must be originals and itemised. A lump-sum receipt with no breakdown usually triggers a request for more documents, which is very hard to satisfy once you are home.

Which trip needs which cover

⚠️ The row people overlook most is elderly travellers. Many plans step the premium up by age band and some decline above a certain age. If you are taking parents abroad, check this before booking flights, not before flying.

When to buy, and how to choose

Buy as soon as you book anything non-refundable, not the day before you fly, because trip-cancellation cover runs from the purchase date. Buy late and you are paying for cover already spent.

A checklist before you click buy:

1. Is the medical limit adequate for the destination? Expensive-healthcare countries deserve limits well above the minimum.
2. Does it include repatriation, and at what limit?
3. Are your planned activities excluded? Especially diving, skiing and riding a motorcycle.
4. Does it span every day of travel, out and back?
5. Is there 24-hour emergency assistance in Thai? The most valuable feature when something happens in a country whose language you do not speak.
6. Are the documents in the form the embassy wants? For a visa, that means English and the limit stated in euros or a clear equivalent.

Common mistakes

Buying the day before departure — losing the cancellation cover entirely.

Assuming existing health insurance works worldwide. Usually it does not.

Choosing the cheapest plan without checking the medical limit. Below the visa threshold it may be rejected; at exactly the threshold it may be inadequate for expensive destinations.

Not reading the activity exclusions, then renting a scooter or going diving.

Not carrying the emergency number and policy number. Photograph them and send a copy to someone at home.

Not keeping receipts and medical records. Overseas medical claims need originals with itemised detail.

Forgetting cover applies to emergencies only. Continuing care or a planned procedure is not covered.

Summary

1. Schengen requires €30,000 (~1.5 million baht) including repatriation.
2. A country not requiring it does not mean treatment is cheaper there. Use the Schengen figure as a benchmark.
3. Most Thai health policies do not work abroad — check the territorial limit before you travel.
4. Motorcycle and high-risk-sport exclusions are where Thai travellers most often cannot claim.
5. Domestic cover is not about medical costs but accidents and cancellation.
6. Buy when you book, not when you fly.

Sources

• Roojai — how much cover a Schengen visa requires
• Allianz Ayudhya — insurance for Schengen visa applications
• Chubb — Schengen travel insurance meeting visa criteria
• gettgo — choosing travel insurance for a Schengen visa
• Wikipedia — Schengen Area (number of member states)

The €30,000 minimum follows EU Regulation 2019/1155 for Schengen visa applicants. Document requirements vary between embassies, so check with your destination's embassy before applying. Policy cover and exclusions differ by insurer and plan. This is general information, not advice on a specific policy.