Do I need travel insurance for a Schengen visa?
Yes. Every short-stay applicant must hold travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 of cover, valid in all Schengen states and for the whole stay. It must cover emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in case of death. A missing or inadequate policy is one of the grounds on the standard refusal form.
The rule is Article 15 of the Visa Code, and the Common Information Sheet for India repeats it word for word. There is no exemption for short trips, for young travellers, or for people with an Indian health policy. The visa office wants a certificate that says, in its own words, what the Visa Code requires.
What must Schengen travel insurance cover?
Emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in case of death, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. The policy must be valid in every Schengen state, not only the one you apply to, and for every day of the stay. The certificate should name the traveller and show each of these points.
| Requirement | What the certificate must show |
|---|---|
| Minimum cover | EUR 30,000, stated in euro or as an amount that clearly converts above it |
| Territory | Valid in the entire Schengen area, not just the country you apply to |
| Period | Every day of the stay, from the day you enter to the day you leave |
| Risks | Emergency medical treatment, emergency hospital treatment, repatriation for medical reasons, repatriation of remains |
| Name | The traveller's name as on the passport, one certificate per traveller |
Read each line against your certificate before the appointment. "Worldwide excluding USA" covers Schengen; "Europe: Italy" does not. A policy in rupees with a sum insured that converts to less than EUR 30,000 on the day of the appointment is short, even by a few hundred euro.
Which dates should the policy cover?
Cover the trip you are asking for on the form: from your arrival date to your departure date, inclusive. Buy the policy to match the dates on your application, not the dates on a flight reservation you might change. If the visa is issued for a longer validity than your trip, you still only need cover for the stay itself.
For a single-entry or double-entry visa, the policy must cover the stay in full. A one-day gap at either end is enough for the officer to tick the insurance ground. If your plans move after issue, the policy is what you must update, because the visa dates will not.
How does insurance work for a multiple-entry visa?
If you apply for a multiple-entry visa, you need a policy covering your first intended visit at the time of application, and you sign the statement in the form confirming you will hold insurance for later trips. You do not insure two or five years upfront. Each later trip needs its own valid policy at the border.
This is the part of the rule people miss when they ask for a five-year visa. The application is checked for the first trip only; the promise covers the rest. Whether you get the multiple-entry visa at all is governed by the India cascade (Decision C(2024) 2434): a two-year visa after two visas lawfully used in the previous three years, then five years. Insurance does not decide that; travel history does.
How much does Schengen travel insurance cost in India?
We do not quote premiums. The price depends on the traveller's age, the trip length, the sum insured and the insurer, and it changes often. For the visa, what matters is not the price but that the certificate states EUR 30,000, the whole Schengen territory, the exact dates, and the four risks above.
Check the certificate before paying, not after. Insurers issue a "Schengen visa" format certificate for exactly this reason; ask for it by name.
Is Schengen travel insurance refundable if the visa is refused?
That depends on the policy's cancellation clause, not on any visa rule. Read it before buying. The visa fee itself is not refunded on refusal, so the insurance clause is the only part of the cost you can protect. Keep the refusal form; insurers that do refund will ask for it.
The mistakes that turn a valid policy into a refusal reason
- The gap. Policy from the 10th to the 20th, flights landing on the 9th. Match the dates to the form.
- One country. A policy valid only in the applying country. It must be valid across the Schengen area.
- The wrong sum. Sum insured in rupees that converts below EUR 30,000. Ask for EUR 30,000 or more, in euro.
- Missing repatriation. A medical-only policy without repatriation, including of remains. All four risks must be named.
- Wrong name. A group policy that lists the family under one name. One certificate per traveller, spelt as on the passport.
- Bought for the booking, not the trip. You changed the dates on the form but not on the policy.
Where insurance sits in the whole file
Insurance is one line of the list for India adopted by the European Commission on 4 July 2025; it is the easiest line to get right, yet people often get it slightly wrong. The rest of the list, from the three-month stamped bank statement to the two years of income tax return acknowledgments, is in the document checklist. A free readiness check asks the date and cover questions per traveller and flags the gap before the officer does.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), Article 15 (travel medical insurance), Annex VI (refusal form).
- Common Information Sheet for Schengen visa applicants in India, published by the Schengen member states' missions in India (minimum cover, territory, duration, multiple-entry rule and statement).
- Commission Implementing Decision C(2024) 2434 of 18 April 2024 (multiple-entry visa cascade for applicants in India).
- Commission Implementing Decision C(2025) 4379 of 4 July 2025, Annex I: list of supporting documents to be submitted by visa applicants in India.