The Schengen Visa is a great way for non-EU citizens to discover the many diverse cultures and climates of Europe. It is generally the easiest way to secure a visa that allows you to travel throughout nearly all countries in Europe freely and without any hassle between borders.
If you’ve ever considered applying for such a Visa and feel that you require some extra information and advice about the process of getting your Schengen Visa, read on!
Background
The Schengen Area began in 1985 when some European countries decided to abolish their internal border controls with surrounding countries. It allows for free movement of people and goods between such countries. This paved the way for a better travel experience for both Europeans and non-Europeans.
By obtaining the Schengen Visa, you can obtain only one visa which will cover you for your travel or backpacking holiday across Europe. For non-EU natives, this provides an excellent opportunity as you no longer need to worry about obtaining multiple different visas for your European trip.
Thanks to the Schengen Visa, if one of the Schengen countries grants you entry to the Schengen Area, there will be no further formalities at its borders with order Schengen Area Member States. Therefore, you need to only apply once for this Visa which will allow you to easily travel to multiple countries across Europe.
For information on the different types of Schengen Visas available, click here.
Countries in the Schengen Area
The Schengen Area countries cover nearly all of Europe. It covers you for travel in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Not all of the above counties participate in the EU, so do bear in mind that the Euro currency may not be applicable to all of the countries that you may visit. For example in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland you will need to use their national currencies instead. But, the Schengen Area offers the advantage that nearly all participating countries use the Euro which can save you a lot of hassle and money involved in exchanging your currency to the local currency in each different country.
Note: There are some parts of Europe not participating in the Schengen Area. These countries are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom. This means that you will need to obtain visas for these countries separately if you wish to travel to one of them.
If you have obtained a separate Visa for the UK, you may be able to travel to and from Ireland with that visa if you meet certain requirement which you can examine here.
Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa Requirements
Did you know that people from outside of the EU cannot travel to the Schengen area without having travel insurance?
For those from within the EU, this is not an obligatory requirement. But, if you come from anywhere else in the world outside of the EU, you must ensure that you have travel insurance for your trip to the Schengen Area in order to gain entry to the zone.
After spending quite a lot of money having arranged your Schengen Visa and flights to Europe, make sure you are not caught out at the external border control where you could be denied entry if you do not have travel insurance for your trip.
In order to meet the Schengen Visa Insurance Requirements, your travel insurance policy must have a minimum medical insurance cover of €30,000. The policy must also cover emergency medical evacuation and repatriation costs in the case of death. These requirements are important to note as if you opt for a substandard travel insurance policy, you will not be permitted to enter the Schengen Area.
Below is an extract from the Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009, which entered into effect on 5th of April 2010:
“Applicants for a uniform visa for one or two entries shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States.
The insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person’s intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000”
Schengen Visa Travel Insurance Exclusions
As with any travel insurance cover, there are some main exclusions from a common Schengen travel insurance policy. The main ones to bear in mind are pre-existing health conditions, high-risk sports (such as skiing or scuba diving), and travel to high-risk countries that may be experiencing war or natural disaster at the time.
If you want to take out travel insurance cover for the above, you may need to add on cover for these situations separately as they are generally not covered by Schengen Area travel insurance.
Finding the best Schengen Visa Insurance
If you are unsure about where to find the right Schengen travel insurance policy for you, look no further. With the Ucompare comparison tool, you can find the cheapest travel insurance for Schengen Visa trips in Europe. Ucompare offers only high-quality and cheap Schengen travel insurance policies which comply with the minimum requirements as stated above.
If you’ve always wished of traveling around Europe, why wait any longer? Let Ucompare assist you in finding the cheapest travel insurance for Schengen Visa requirements.
Start the process of getting your Schengen Visa and discovering all that Europe has to offer. And, don’t forget to purchase your travel insurance policy before you go!
