This is a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic: in principle optional, travel insurance covering any costs related to illness on site is becoming compulsory to visit certain countries. The list is growing from 6 states to 23 to date. And this is certainly just the start.
Before the health crisis, only China, Cuba, Mongolia, Russia and Saudi Arabia demanded a document proving that you are covered. From now on, leading tourist destinations will require it for any entry into their territory: Thailand, Cambodia, Brazil, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Lebanon (see the complete list in end of article).
Concretely, the authorities of the states concerned require an insurance certificate with the mention "Covid" guaranteeing the coverage of any on-site costs related to the disease: quarantine in a hotel, medical repatriation ... The document will be checked on more often when boarding the plane, or would condition obtaining the visa.
Different obligations depending on the country
While some of these 23 countries simply impose "health insurance" without further details, most of them therefore claim that the costs of health, hospitalization or repatriation be covered if you contract the coronavirus on square. The insurance certificate must mention this coverage in black and white. It must therefore be expressly requested from your insurer or the insurer of your bank card (Visa, MasterCard, etc.).
Another constraint to be aware of now, a minimum amount of support is often required. Thailand, for example, requires health costs to be covered up to ... more than € 100,000. For its part, Costa Rica requests that the accommodation costs in the event of a fortnight be covered up to € 2,000. Problem, almost no insurer covers this expense, with the exception of excessively expensive local insurance, which must be taken out when arriving on site. The vagueness therefore dominates for the moment, while international tourism is picking up again.
"We learn every week that a new country requests a travel insurance certificate with coverage of Covid-19 costs," says David Dumont, president of Insurly, a travel insurance comparator. Some travelers discover at the last moment that insurance is compulsory. Fortunately, it is often possible to subscribe until the day before departure. "
A specific request to be made at the time of subscription
Not all travel insurance covers Covid-19. And when they do, it is not necessarily indicated in black and white on the certificate. You must therefore request it at the time of subscription.
“70% of travel insurance currently sold relates to travel to a country that has made health insurance compulsory. We have therefore integrated the information related to the Covid insurance certificate in our comparator, ”says David Dumont.
Are you covered by your credit card insurance?
Most bank card travel insurance covers medical costs in the event of an epidemic, but not always costs in the event of imposed confinement. They can therefore be used to travel to countries that do not require a specific Covid certificate. "For the 23 countries concerned by the certification obligation, it is recommended to make a request before the trip, directly with the insurance company of your bank card", recommends David Dumont.
Airlines and tourist destinations start to launch their own insurances
This is probably just the start. To boost traffic, some airlines such as Emirates or, more recently, Virgin Atlantic, provide “free” travel insurance covering health costs related to Covid-19. Airlines aren't the only ones concerned with returning travelers. Turkey has officially launched health insurance covering Covid for tourists. It costs between 15 and 23 euros, but with ceilings of 3,000 euros to 7,000 euros, much lower than the ceilings of specialized travel insurance.
The complete list of 23 countries now requiring a certificate of travel insurance with the mention "Covid" (as of September 15)