Tourist health insurance
Health Insurance for Visas — Turkish or European
Visa-related health insurance, also known as travel insurance, is a mandatory document when applying for a visa, whether Turkish or European. This article lists and addresses most of the questions related to this type of insurance, covering its key features and details following this table of contents:
What is visa health insurance for the Turkish or European visa
Is obtaining tourist insurance for the visa mandatory
What are the benefits or features of tourist health insurance for the visa
Where can I get tourist insurance, or insurance for obtaining the Turkish or European visa
What is the duration or validity of visa health insurance for the Turkish or European visa
What documents and information are required to obtain travel insurance for the visa
How much does it cost to get travel health insurance to Turkey
What situations are covered by travel/visa insurance
What situations are not covered by visa travel insurance
Important information before buying tourist insurance
What Is Visa Health Insurance for the Turkish or European Visa?
This is mandatory insurance for those wishing to obtain the Turkish visa, and it covers the holder while traveling, whether for medical matters or, God forbid, cases such as flight accidents, flight delays, lost luggage, and other situations a traveler may encounter. It goes by several common names, including:
Tourist medical insurance
Travel insurance to Turkey
Tourist insurance
International travel insurance
Special insurance for the Turkish visa
In Turkish it is called "Seyahat Sağlık Sigortası," and in English "Travel Health Insurance" — both meaning the same thing described above in Arabic.
Is Obtaining Tourist Insurance for the Visa Mandatory?
As mentioned, it is mandatory and a core document required when applying for a Turkish visa, whatever its type — student, tourist, or visit visa. It is mandatory both for the Turkish visa and for European visas.
What Are the Benefits or Features of Tourist Health Insurance for the Visa?
It has many advantages and benefits, listed here in order:
First and most important, it is a core document required when submitting an application for a Turkish or European visa.
Cases of food poisoning during the flight.
Coverage of costs for medical conditions during the flight.
Costs of treating emergency and sudden conditions.
Transportation costs to the nearest health center in medical cases.
In cases of death, the cost of repatriating the deceased to the country where they will be buried.
Compensation for losses from cancelled and delayed flights.
Compensation for lost luggage and belongings for travelers.
Where Can I Get Tourist Insurance, or Insurance for Obtaining the Turkish or European Visa?
You can obtain it from several sources, the most important being:
Well-known, accredited companies, where the purchase is made online and you receive an electronic PDF file — a printed copy is enough to keep on hand. We, Hallak Turkey Services Company, are happy to provide this service, and our prices for tourist health insurance are always competitive.
Offices affiliated with embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions that offer this service.
The embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions themselves, if they do not have a dedicated visa office.
What Is the Duration or Validity of Visa Health Insurance for the Turkish or European Visa?
It can be obtained for a period ranging from ten days to a year, depending on the length of stay in the country whose visa you are applying for, such as Turkey. It is advisable to coordinate precisely between the time of the visa application, the travel date, and the required insurance duration.
What Documents and Information Are Required to Obtain Travel Insurance for the Visa?
To request the visa health insurance, all you need to do is send a copy of your passport or travel document, provided it has more than six months of validity remaining. A copy of the Turkish residence permit is also required if the insurance is for a visa application from Turkey to another country, such as a European country. After that, specify the duration you want for the visa health insurance, for example one month. Specify which country you are traveling from and to. You will then be asked to specify the insurance start date, matching the visa application date and the travel date. You pay the insurance cost and receive your policy. This process to obtain the insurance will take up very little of your time — only ten to twenty minutes.
Note: you can request travel health insurance that includes COVID-19 treatment coverage or without it, naturally with a difference in pricing.
How Much Does It Cost to Get Travel Health Insurance to Turkey?
The cost of visa tourist insurance varies depending on whether it includes COVID-19 treatment or not, the age of the traveler, and the insurance duration. Generally, the average price is around 45 to 60 euros, and the insurance amount is non-refundable whether the visa is refused or granted.
What Situations Are Covered by Travel/Visa Insurance?
As mentioned, it covers emergency incidents and situations related to general health. We detail some of them below:
Compensation for trip or ticket cancellation: if the trip is cancelled due to force-majeure reasons unrelated to the traveler, and in line with the reasons explicitly stated in the visa's tourist insurance policy, the traveler is compensated for the costs incurred as a result. Cancellation of flights related to security conditions, weather conditions, or civil unrest and disturbances is compensated according to the extent of the traveler's loss. If the trip is disrupted after the traveler has already departed, for whatever reason, the traveler is compensated for the loss incurred.
Treatment for emergency situations: if the traveler experiences a medical emergency or a sudden health issue during their trip, the travel health insurance covers all costs related to this emergency, from examinations to medication, or transporting the patient to the nearest medical facility.
Special personal accidents: if the traveler is involved in an accident during travel that results in death or disability, God forbid, all costs are covered by the insurance company with which the traveler is insured.
Loss of luggage and personal belongings: in the event personal belongings, such as luggage or passports, are lost or damaged during travel, the tourist insurance covers all related expenses and costs.
If luggage is delayed by more than 12 hours, the travel health insurance covers all compensation related to this situation.
Compensation for lost items such as money, valuables, credit cards, travel tickets, and receipts lost during the trip.
What Situations Are Not Covered by Visa Travel Insurance?
We cover this briefly and simply, and it may vary from one company to another: chronic and intractable illnesses with a prior medical history — not developed after purchasing the insurance — such as diabetes, cancer, and so on; the insurance covers only a small part, limited to severe acute episodes requiring urgent intervention. Childbirth during a flight is a rare occurrence, and most insurance companies do not cover it, though some companies may include it, at a significantly higher and different cost. Conditions resulting from alcohol or drug use. Treatment of health conditions resulting from reckless or careless acts, such as dangerous sports.
Important Information Before Buying Tourist Insurance
Visa tourist insurance is different from the health insurance required for obtaining Turkish residence, so after entering Turkey, if you wish to obtain residence in Turkey, you will need to purchase separate residence-specific insurance.
The duration of the visa tourist insurance should cover both the visa period and the period of stay in Turkey.
If you want insurance with higher coverage or coverage for certain exceptional situations, please explain them and speak with the company so they can recommend the best and most suitable option for your case.
When you purchase discounted travel health insurance, don't expect too much — the insurance price is entirely tied to the value of the compensation it covers in cases of accidents and problems.