Comparison · all eight destinations
Visa insurance rules compared: what each country actually tests
By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026
The comparison
Summary cells compress the quoted rule shown for each country further down. Where a country publishes no figure, the cell says so rather than guessing one.
| Country | Published figure | What it actually tests | Territory required | Deductible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | None published | Private health cover for the full stay, medical and hospitalisation, valid in France | France, whole visa period | Commonly refused on core cover |
| Italy | €30,000 (widely handled to) | Hospitalisation and repatriation for the full visa year | Italy and the Schengen area | Zero commonly expected in year one |
| Spain | None published | Insurer authorized to operate in Spain — the registration line, not the benefits | Spain | None permitted (also no copay, waiting period or limit) |
| Portugal | €30,000 (practical bar) | Urgent medical care and repatriation at the consulate; full health cover later at AIMA | Schengen-wide | Not specified |
| Greece | €30,000 | Emergency care, hospitalisation and repatriation | Whole Schengen area, full duration of stay | Not specified |
| Malta | None published | One full year, premium paid in advance | EU including Malta, and the UK | Not specified |
| Germany | None published | Equivalence with statutory benefits under §11(1–3) SGB V, on an open-ended contract | Germany | Not specified |
| Austria | None published | All risks, benefits provided in Austria, claims payable in Austria | Austria | Not specified |
The rule in each country's own words
Quoted so you can check the summary above against the source. “Official source” appears only where a citable official document states the rule; where the rule is assembled from consulate practice and documented applicant reports, it says “Based on”.
France
“For a long-stay visa (VLS-TS), you must hold private health insurance covering your full stay in France. Travel insurance and short-stay Schengen policies are not accepted.”
“Consulates commonly refuse policies with a deductible (excess) on the core cover. Applicants report rejections over deductible clauses; the certificate should show cover without a disqualifying deductible.”
In practice: Travel and short-stay Schengen policies are not accepted.
Official source: France-Visas (france-visas.gouv.fr) & FrenchEntrée long-stay guide — Last verified: · Routes: VLS-TS visitor (long-stay), Another long-stay visa, Visitor / retiree visa
Italy
“The elective residence visa is widely handled to the €30,000 Schengen insurance standard — hospitalisation and repatriation cover for the full visa year — though published consulate checklists vary: some ask for cover of 100% of medical expenses, and requirements differ by consulate.”
“For the first year, consulates commonly expect zero deductible or co-pay and repatriation cover — practice varies by consulate, and no published checklist states a deductible rule outright.”
In practice: Published consulate checklists vary — some ask for 100% of medical expenses.
Based on: Official esteri.it consulate checklists (Chicago, Boston et al., which vary) & widely-applied Schengen standard — Last verified: · Routes: Elective residence (ERV), Digital nomad, Retirement, Another long-stay visa
Spain
“Spain requires health insurance “contracted with an insurance entity authorized to operate in Spain” for the non-lucrative and digital-nomad visas — with no deductible, no copayment, no waiting period and no coverage limit. Most international policies fail this rule on registration grounds.”
In practice: The strictest published rule of the eight. Most international policies fail on registration alone.
Official source: Consulates General of Spain (Los Angeles & London) — official visa requirements — Last verified: · Routes: Non-lucrative visa (NLV), Digital nomad, Another long-stay visa
Portugal
“Portugal’s national-visa documentation page requires valid insurance covering urgent medical care and possible repatriation. In practice, consulates and visa centres commonly apply the €30,000 Schengen standard (Schengen-wide validity, urgent care, hospitalisation, repatriation), and some US visa centres ask for a full year of validity — treat €30,000 as the practical bar, with the published national-visa rule as the floor.”
“At the AIMA residence-permit appointment after arrival, travel-grade insurance is no longer enough: applicants show full health insurance valid in Portugal, or registration with the public SNS. Applicants consistently report this second stage catching them out.”
In practice: Two stages. Travel-grade cover that passed the consulate is refused at the AIMA appointment.
Official source: Portuguese MFA visa portal — national-visa documentation (vistos.mne.gov.pt); €30,000 = the MFA’s published Schengen-visa standard, commonly applied in practice — Last verified: · Routes: D7 (passive income / retiree), D8 (digital nomad), Another long-stay visa
Greece
“Greece’s national (type D) visas require travel medical insurance with minimum cover of €30,000, valid for the whole Schengen area and the full duration of stay, covering emergency care, hospitalisation, and repatriation.”
In practice: Four conditions in one sentence. Repatriation is the one most often missing.
Official source: Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mfa.gr) national-visa documentation — Last verified: · Routes: Financially independent (FIP), Digital nomad, Another long-stay visa
Malta
“Malta’s Nomad Residence Permit requires health insurance covering the EU (including Malta) and the UK, for one full year with the premium paid in advance. Travel insurance is not accepted — but a foreign health policy that meets the requirements is explicitly acceptable.”
In practice: A foreign policy is explicitly acceptable. Monthly billing fails the paid-in-advance condition.
Official source: Residency Malta Agency — Nomad Residence Permit health-insurance policy — Last verified: · Routes: Nomad Residence Permit, Another residence route
Germany
“For Germany’s national visa, health insurance must include the benefits statutory-insured persons are entitled to under §11(1–3) SGB V, and the contract must be open-ended — no expiry or cancellation clauses tied to age, employment, or residence status. Travel insurance is insufficient.”
In practice: No figure at all — it benchmarks against its own public system. The contract clause fails more files than the benefits do.
Official source: German Federal Foreign Office — health insurance in the national visa procedure — Last verified: · Routes: Freelance / self-employment, EU Blue Card / work, Another national visa
Austria
“Austrian residence permits require health insurance that provides benefits in Austria and covers all risks, with claims payable in Austria — a stricter standard than a Schengen travel policy.”
In practice: A scope and settlement test rather than a figure. Raising a limit buys no compliance.
Official source: migration.gv.at & oesterreich.gv.at — residence-permit general conditions — Last verified: · Routes: Settlement permit, Another residence permit
What this means when you choose a policy
The practical lesson of the table is that shopping on cover amount alone only works in three of these eight countries, and even there it is the floor rather than the answer. Everywhere else the deciding factor is structural: who underwrites the policy, what category of product it is, whether the contract expires, where claims are paid, or how you paid for it.
That is why a policy can be refused in one country and accepted in another with no change to its benefits. It also means moving your plan between destinations is not automatic — a policy bought for a Greek application is not a policy that satisfies Spain.
If you already hold something, the free policy check reads it against the published rule for your destination. If you are starting from scratch, find your level or see real prices by age. To print what your certificate must say, use the visa checklist.
Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s. Covered Abroad is an insurance introducer, not an insurer. We cannot extend cover beyond the policy wording. We log rule changes as we find them on updates.