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Greece · visa health insurance

Health insurance in Greece for Americans

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Medicare and most US employer plans stop working once you land in Greece. Type D national visas (FIP retirement, digital nomad) require travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000, the whole Schengen area, for your full stay, including emergency care, hospitalisation, and repatriation. We arrange residence-grade cover built around that requirement, with higher limits and no US treatment included.

Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.

The rule in writing

“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.”

Official source: Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mfa.gr) national-visa documentation — Last verified:

Why your US coverage stops at the border

Medicare does not cover routine care once you're outside the United States, and that includes Greece. If your plan is Medicare, moving abroad means starting from zero on health coverage the day you land. See our guide on Medicare abroad for the specifics.

US employer plans and marketplace policies are not much better here. They are built around US provider networks and US residency, not a Greek address, so they don't travel with you in any useful way. More importantly, they are not the kind of policy a Greek consulate is asking for when you apply for a visa. Trips home are a separate question worth planning for; see what happens if you need care back in the US.

Greece's two moments: the visa rule and the permit stage

The first moment is the visa application itself. National (type D) visas for Greece require travel medical insurance with a minimum sum insured of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area, for the full length of your stay, covering emergency care, hospitalisation, and repatriation (mfa.gr, verified July 2026). Retirees typically apply through the FIP visa route; remote workers usually go through the digital nomad visa.

The second moment comes later, at the residence permit stage. Applicants report that a permit office can ask questions about your insurance certificate that go beyond the visa minimum, and this appears to sit at the discretion of the individual office rather than a fixed national checklist: a case question, not a checkbox. Because of that, a person confirms the certificate for your office before you buy.

What we arrange for Americans

We arrange residence-grade travel medical cover built to clear the €30,000 visa minimum with room to spare, at limits between US$1,000,000 and US$2,000,000. Cover starts the same day, with no medical exam, and comes with a 14-day cooling-off period. Children aged 0-17 are covered at a flat rate, and new applicants are accepted up to age 70, or 80 on the Essential plan.

Two limits worth knowing plainly: pre-existing conditions are excluded, and treatment inside the United States is not covered; plan for trips home separately. Before you buy, a person confirms the certificate for your office, since permit-stage requirements can vary. See what these policies cost by age, check the Greek healthcare system guide, or go straight to a quote. Our checklist walks through the whole application.

Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s. US domestic and Medicare cover does not travel with you — see the questions below.

Cover levels that meet the rule

Benefits are public, and so are the 2026 prices: your exact rate depends on age.

Standard

From $1,133/yearabout $94/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $853/yr

Adds everyday outpatient care — GP and specialist visits, prescriptions, and tests — to hospital cover.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • GP, specialist, medication & lab tests (US$750 each)
  • Outpatient surgical to US$25,000
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Pre- & post-hospitalisation cover

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Scope: No dental or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose StandardSee your price by age →

Fully Comprehensive

From $1,906/yearabout $159/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $1,439/yr

The highest level: full-cover room, uncapped surgeon fees, routine dental, and the largest limits.

  • US$2,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Full-cover private room & board
  • Full surgeon, professional & outpatient cover
  • Routine & major dental (after 6-month wait)
  • Wellbeing check-ups & vaccinations to US$500

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Choose Fully ComprehensiveSee your price by age →

See your exact price by age →

Budget options — limited cover

Essential Health

From $392/yearabout $33/mo billed annually

A budget plan for accident and emergency care in state hospitals only. Not full private health cover.

  • US$100,000 maximum plan limit per year
  • Unforeseen accident & emergency care only

Scope: State hospitals only, accident/emergency only. No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing cover. Not a substitute for full private health insurance on a visa application.

Choose Essential Health →

Major Medical

From $721/yearabout $60/mo billed annually

Hospital-focused cover: inpatient treatment, surgery, and emergencies, worldwide outside the US.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Theatre, ICU, and emergency-room cover (full)

Scope: No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose Major Medical →
  • Treatment is covered worldwide, excluding the United States.
  • Pre-existing conditions are excluded — including conditions you did not know about.
  • Evacuation & repatriation is an optional benefit that costs an additional premium.
  • Prices are Regency’s 2026 rates for the EU region: per person, per year, billed annually, starting at adult age 18 — your exact price depends on age. Children 0–17 pay a flat rate on every plan.
  • Plans run in 12-month terms and renew at the anniversary; the age limits shown apply to new applicants.

Common questions

Does Medicare cover me in Greece?

No. Medicare does not cover routine care outside the United States, so it does not apply once you are living in Greece. You need a separate policy for your visa and for daily coverage.

What insurance do I need for a Greece visa as an American?

A national (type D) visa application requires travel medical insurance with a minimum sum insured of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area, for your full length of stay, covering emergency care, hospitalisation, and repatriation.

Will my US health insurance be accepted for a Greek residence permit?

That depends on the individual permit office, and it appears to be a case question rather than a fixed national checklist. A person confirms the certificate for your office before you buy, since what satisfies the visa rule is not automatically what a permit office will ask for later.

Does your policy cover treatment if I go back to the US?

No, treatment inside the United States is not covered under these policies. If you expect to need care on a US trip, that is a separate question to plan for alongside your Greece cover.

Get a certificate that meets the published rule

Tell us your destination, visa, and who’s moving. Our team reviews it against the current requirement and calls you with a quote — no obligation.

Cover underwritten by Regency Assurance · every rule on this site cited and dated · a person calls back within one business day.

Before you request a quote: cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States, and pre-existing conditions are not covered — including conditions you did not know about. We say this up front so a quote is worth your time.

Keep reading

Guides for this move