Travel health insurance for a guest is not a recommendation but a formal requirement of the visa package, and the specifications are fairly strict. Check them before buying, because an unsuitable policy sends the entire package back.
Why your guest needs insurance
No Schengen visa is issued without health insurance. The requirements are formally set: a minimum level of cover, validity for the whole stay and across the whole area.
✓ Verified: 01/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
I took out a policy for Germany only, since the visit was to us. The visa section returned the package — the whole Schengen area is required.
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Lea recommends:
Match the policy dates against the visa application before submitting. A single day’s discrepancy is the most common reason for a return.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is insurance mandatory for the visa? ▾
Yes, proof of travel health insurance is part of the compulsory package for a Schengen visa. Without it the application is not accepted, and the host’s formal obligation does not replace this point — they are two separate requirements.
What must the policy cover? ▾
A minimum sum insured is laid down in the rules on issuing Schengen visas; the policy must be valid throughout the Schengen area and cover the entire stay, including emergency treatment and repatriation.
Who pays — the guest or the host? ▾
The law does not say: either can take out and pay for the policy. In practice the host often does, because arranging it from Germany is simpler and the requirements are known in advance.
Does insurance replace the host’s formal obligation? ▾
No, and nor does the obligation replace insurance. The declaration covers subsistence including illness costs; the policy shifts most of that risk to an insurer. The visa section looks at both documents.