Travel Insurance is Required?
That’s right! If you plan on traveling solo to another country, you might be surprised to find out that certain countries require travel insurance if you want to get past their borders.
So which countries require travel insurance? Read on to find out!
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Countries That Require Travel Insurance
1. Schengen Visa Countries (Most of Europe)
**NOTE: U.S. citizens are not required to have travel insurance if they are staying for less than 90 days within a 180-day period. Travel insurance is required for many countries if staying past this limit, but not all.**
The Schengen Area includes about 27 different countries in Europe that are part of the European Union (this number could change depending on political situations).
Even if you’re coming from the United States, if you plan on doing any sort of travel through Europe, it’s highly recommended to consider travel insurance just in case.
2. Cuba
Unlike the Schengen area, where certain travelers may not need travel insurance to enter,.
Cuba makes it a mandatory requirement that every traveler have travel insurance before entering the country.
You may even be asked to provide proof on arrival, and if you don’t have travel insurance on arrival, you would have to pay for travel insurance once you arrive in Cuba.
3. Iran
Iran is another country that makes it mandatory for all travelers to have travel insurance.
The thing that makes Iran stand out among other countries is that many international travel insurance companies do not include Iran in their coverage due to sanctions.
If Iran is on your bucket list of solo travel destinations, you would have to get travel insurance that specifically covers Iran.
4. Antarctica
Were you planning on taking a tour to experience Antarctica?
If you plan on taking a tour to one of the quietest places on earth, you will have to have travel insurance.
Specifically, you would have to show proof of medical insurance from another country if you wanted to take any tours to Antarctica.
5. Qatar
Qatar is another country in the Middle East that requires all foreign travelers to have travel insurance.
Luckily, insurance is quite inexpensive in Qatar, costing about 50 Qatari riyals, which is roughly $14.
This insurance can be purchased before or on arrival when traveling to Qatar.
Insurance purchased in Qatar would need to cover your entire stay and be recognized as a valid insurance provider by the Qatari government.
This is why every traveler (especially solo travelers) should have travel insurance.
Having travel insurance could help you avoid small setbacks that could stop you from traveling to the places where you need to be.
6. Russia
Are you fascinated by Russian history? Or maybe you just love brutalist architecture.
If so, then you’ll have to purchase travel insurance, as it’s mandatory for all foreign travelers who want to visit Russia.
Just like many other countries on this list, travel insurance needs to cover your entire stay while also having a specific amount of coverage.
This amount could change, so it’s best to look up information on an official government site to find the most up-to-date information.
7. Seychelles
Known for being the smallest African country, the Seychelles is an archipelago with over 100 islands located in the Indian Ocean southeast of East Africa.
All foreign travelers to the Seychelles are required to have travel insurance and may need to show proof of insurance when boarding the plane.
You may also need to show proof of insurance on arrival.
8. Jordan
Were you looking to visit the ancient city of Petra? or marvel curiously at the Dead Sea?
If you were thinking of traveling to Jordan, you should also look into getting travel insurance since it’s required for all foreign travelers to have travel insurance.
9. Nepal
Did you know that Mt. Everest is situated right on the border between Nepal and China?
If that makes you more interested in traveling to Nepal, just know that travel insurance is required to enter this Hindu-Buddhist country.
10. Ukraine
Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, it isn’t recommended to travel to Ukraine at all, but if for some reason this doesn’t stop you, just know that Ukraine is another country that requires travel insurance from all foreign travelers.
Locations That Require or Highly Recommend Travel Insurance
Some areas within certain countries actually require travel insurance, even though the host country itself may not require it.
Other countries out there may not require travel insurance, but having travel insurance is highly recommended.
If you plan on traveling solo, knowing about these places could help in planning ahead while also giving you a list of potential places that you might find interesting.
1. Svalbard, Norway
It isn’t required to have travel insurance to travel to Svalbard, but it’s highly recommended to do so.
Svalbard is an archipelago in Norway located about halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
Since these Arctic islands are so remote with limited medical facilities and a harsh climate, you can imagine why travel insurance is highly recommended for travel to Svalbard.
2. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
The Galapagos Islands are designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Known for having multiple species of animals found nowhere else on Earth, the Galapagos Islands were known to be crucial to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Attracting tourists, scientists, researchers, and nature lovers the world over.
If you plan on visiting the islands, it’s important to know that travel insurance is required to visit this Ecuadorian archipelago.
3. Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
While not very close to Chile itself, Easter Island is a special territory governed by Chile.
Even though the island itself isn’t known for having extreme climates or dangerous environments,.
It’s recommended to have travel insurance just because of how remote the island is.
The closest inhabited island is Pitcairn Island, which is over 1,000 miles away.
Although the population of Easter Island is around 7,700, you wouldn’t want something to happen and end up wishing you had purchased travel insurance.
4. Bhutan
Bhutan is a landlocked country located on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas.
It’s no longer required to have travel insurance to travel to Bhutan, but it’s still highly recommended due to the country not having the most advanced public healthcare system.
Bhutan is no longer labeled a third-world country, but it’s still considered a developing country with a harsh winter climate and rugged terrain.
For these reasons, it’s still strongly recommended to purchase travel insurance before making your way to Bhutan.
5. Faroe Islands
Another archipelago, the Faroe Islands, are a group of 18 volcanic islands halfway between Iceland and Norway.
Known for having mountainous and rugged terrain, it isn’t required to have travel insurance to visit the Faroe Islands.
It is, however, strongly recommended since hiking is one of the main activities for tourists, and accidents are more likely to happen in a place with a terrain such as this.
While the Faroe Islands are equipped with their own healthcare system, healthcare on the islands can be expensive for non-locals.
6. Socotra, Yemen
Socotra is located in the Arabian Sea. It’s the largest island of the Socotra Archipelago, which includes three smaller islands.
Travel insurance is not required but definitely highly recommended, as Yemen is known for being a high-risk destination due to armed conflicts, kidnappings, and diseases.
If, for whatever reason, this doesn’t scare you away from traveling to Socotra, you’ll find that Socotra has some of the most unique animal and plant life in the world.
Due to its biodiversity and cultural heritage, Socotra is labeled a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
7. St. Helena
One of the most isolated inhabited places in the world, St. Helena is a volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Offering historical significance and unique biodiversity you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Due to St. Helena being so remote, it’s highly recommended to have travel insurance.
The island itself has limited medical facilities; if you were to have some kind of serious accident or illness, you would have to be evacuated off the island, which would be quite expensive.
More Advice on Other Locations That Recommend Travel Insurance.
While there are many other examples of places where travel insurance isn’t required, many of these places strongly recommend travel insurance.
The reason for this could be anything from harsh environments to diseases to which your body may not be accustomed.
Even things like armed conflicts and differences in culture could lead you into a mishap where travel insurance could alleviate some of the financial burden.
The list above is just a small list of unique places that could give you ideas of where to travel next while also thinking about the implications of why you should have travel insurance.
What To Consider When Thinking About Travel Insurance?
Although some countries require travel insurance, different situations may cause these requirements to change.
This also goes for countries that don’t require travel insurance.
You wouldn’t want to visit a country that doesn’t set requirements for insurance just to find out on arrival that an incident occurred, and now you’re unable to enter the country at all.
To avoid situations like this, it’s always best to have travel insurance beforehand in the event something were to happen.
Some travelers overlook small details like this and end up running into problems where they’re unable to do anything to help the situation.
So if you have the means, you should definitely consider purchasing some type of travel insurance to avoid costly mishaps during your travels (especially if you plan to travel solo).
Read more tips and other helpful advice at Traks&Paks.com.
