Hi Everyone,
I just received a "Get Ready for Your Trip" email from American Airlines and looked through the Travel Restrictions. There was a section stating that all travelers to France need Health Insurance to cover 30,000 Euros. Is anyone familiar with this? This must be pretty new, although this is my first trip there since the pandemic. I traveled to Switzerland and Italy last year no problem though.
Leaving on Thursday, so if this is true I have to get to work.
Thanks.
Dianne
I am going to Paris in two weeks so this makes me a little nervous. Have not heard anything about mandatory health insurance.
For some reason, I thought that health insurance was strongly encouraged but not yet mandatory,
I hope that some experienced and knowledgeable forum members will answer you soon.
Don't know if this is accurate or not:
Hello Dianne
I am flying Delta and I went to their site. Same message as yourself about needing health insurance to cover 30,000 Euros but Delta did not send to me. Said something about updated March 2026 so it must be new that health insurance is required and no longer optional.
I will be calling Allianz tomorrow.
Unless one has comprehensive out of country emergency medical insurance through one’s employer, credit card (factoring in pre-existing conditions coverage), or other ongoing resource, I would think all travellers would be wise to get coverage. Residents of EU (+ Norway and perhaps 1 or 2 others) countries have a form of reciprocity when travelling to other EU countries but that doesn’t help the rest of us. My spouse’s hospital bill in Aix-en-Provence for a 5 day stay last October after a collapsed lung was €7000. Not to mention he was not cleared for air travel for a number of days after discharge so there were additional expenses and non refundable costs covered.
Claire, a 5 night hospital stay in the US would be $500,000 so it's all perspective. I will say our "urgent care" equivalent trip to the doctor in France was about 100 euro; reimbursed promptly by the GeoBlue international medical plan we purchased for our trip. The policy cost was more than our medical expenses, but had it been something significant like you and your husband experienced, is clearly why everyone should get a policy such as you did and we did.
KD believe me I know:) Canadians are taught from a young age to not cross the shared border, for even a day trip, without emergency medical insurance. Yes Urgent Care in Europe is quite inexpensive. My spouse’s post discharge x-ray was €27. But why pay 1000s in any denomination for an emergency hospitalization if insurance is available to provide coverage?
Claire, absolutely agree.
I am on the phone waiting to speak to a Delta Rep. I have a 20 plus minute wait. I could get a call back but my ring is broken and I missed a previous call. I am listening to some really awful loud music.
I agree that it is best to have health insurance but I believed it to be optional and only now am I finding out that it is required.
I want to confirm with a Delta Rep that it is required and see what they might suggest.
I have paid for Allianz flight insurance when I booked my flight with Delta but I am guessing that I am going to have to call Allianz directly to add health coverage.
Dianne and others
I spoke to. a Delta rep who had a beautiful and very strong British accent.
She told me that health insurance was NOT required on my international flight. I did not need health insurance to enter France.
Nevertheless I am going to call tomorrow to add on health insurance just to be safe.
Dianne, I suggest that you call American. And then would you come back to this discussion and let me know what they said.
I am going to call Allianz but I may also try Geo Blue.
Bostonphil, given your previously mentioned health issues and financial constraints, if you don’t currently have out of country emergency health insurance, I strongly encourage you to consider it.
Ok, arrived in France Wednesday April 15 on a Delta flight from Seattle. I was directed to go thru one of the new EES kiosks at CDG 2E.
One of the questions on the electronic form was do you have health insurance. They also ask if you have a return ticket, a place to stay and enough money to cover your needs during your visit. NO proof was asked for any of this you just pick yes or no.
When I buy my ticket through Delta I always get the supplemental insurance thru Allianz. It’s fairly inexpensive and an easy purchase. You can add it at any time before the flight.
To my knowledge this is not really a new thing. Passport control officials have always been able to ask these questions. I am sure they are doing some kind of assessment based on where you are arriving from. I expect travelers from the US are not scrutinized as much as folks from countries where there might be more of an overstay issue.
After registering, the line I was in was channeled to an agent who did not say a word to me except “Passport”.
I’ll add that so far whether you’re sent thru the EES kiosks in 2E seems entirely random. I don’t think anyone can count on either way.
The health insurance requirement is not something to panic over. First look to see if your airline provides an inexpensive option.
A requirement to have some type of health coverage in most countries is not new, it has always been a part of a Visa or Visa Waiver travel requirement. The only difference, is now, with EES, they are having you attest to the fact, previously the border official usually did not ask (usually just asked how long you were staying, where you were going, the purpose of your visit, etc.)
Everyone should have some type of coverage, either your regular health insurance or a travel policy through a company, or credit card coverage.
There was a discussion a while back where someone linked documents showing that health coverage is not a requirement under the Schengen agreement, while true, it is a requirement in a number of Schengen countries (Keep in mind, while countries have the Schengen agreement, each country is still responsible for determining entry to their country), including, in this case, France.
I doubt you would ever be asked to provide proof, but you could. I for example believe my insurance company would reimburse me, at least to some extent, I carry my insurance card, so I answer "yes". I entered through Amsterdam last week, the question was not asked.
They also may ask if you have sufficient funds for the trip, if you have a return ticket or proof of onward travel, health status (if you appear ill or injured), and a host of other questions.
Thanks Pam for your experience.
If you are on Medicare, some supplemental policies and advantage policies have $50,000 international lifetime benefit. That should satisfy France's mandatory insurance requirement. As you probably know, Medicare A and B only provides US coverage.
Whether or not medical insurance is now required to enter some countries, be careful if you have pre-existing conditions. You may not be covered for pre-existing conditions if you did not buy travel insurance within 14 days (or there abouts) of your first trip payment. Companies and policies vary. Last year GeoBlue, aka BCBS Global Solutions, did not have a deadline prior to departure to cover pre-existing conditions when purchasing annual coverage (first trip). Allianz did for per-trip insurance. Check your policy or read the policy docs online if you are purchasing travel insurance later.
Also, evaluate your risk cost if you need medical evacuation home if you become sick or injured. Many of us buy a separate medical evac policy that will get us home to the hospital of choice instead of the nearest suitable facility as some travel insurance policies state. There are a lot of threads on this topic; use the Search feature.
(Sorry if this rambles. I'm tired and it's past my bedtime.)
Claire
You are right. I will be calling Allianz Tuesday or Wednesday. I have also heard positive things about Geo Blue.
Horsewoofie…you are right about the Medicare Supplement. I specifically have one that has International coverage so that does qualify. I think it might be ‘F’??
For those worried, please check your Medicare supplement first. If someone is on a Medicare Advantage plan this may have no coverage but it’s worth looking at.
Hi Pam
I bought insurance through Allianz when I booked my flight but I believe that it only covers air.
I spoke to a Delta rep this evening. I was told that health insurance is not required but I was also told that if I wanted to purchase health insurance for international travel, I had to do it separately. I could not buy it through Delta.
I was going to call Allianz to see about adding health insurance.
Someone else also mentioned Medicare F. How do I find out about Medicare F?
You should have an email link to your Allianz plan and you can look at it instead of having to call.
Ok, I just looked at my Allianz policy purchased thru Delta when I booked.
Here is what it says:
“Emergency Medical/Dental
Coverage
You have to pay for emergency medical or dental while on
your trip.
Dental Care maximum sublimit - $500.00
One-Time Deductible - $50.00
$50,000.00”
The copy/paste did not format well but it is a max payout of $50,000 for medical. This satisfies the requirement for entering France.
These requirements are not new. They have been mandated by Schengen zone rules for many years. They include:
More specific to medical insurance requirements:
You must have an insurance certificate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death.
I am covered.
Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit this but I never looked at my Allianz policy. I assumed that it only covered my flight.
Pam, I never saw your post until after I called Allianz this morning.
Allianz was nice enough to send me a proof of insurance email.
I always have a crisis before every trip. I hope this was it
Feel so much better.
Our OP has never returned to the discussion.Maybe she realized that her flight insurance also included health insurance.
It was very reasonable. I think I only paid $86 for my trip insurance.
Thank you Tocard and everyone else who was so helpful.
Pam.looking forward to your TR.
Tocard, I have everything that I need to enter France and maybe anywhere else in the world, at least for now.
Pam, I have Supplement F. Chose it for the coverage but it is also the most expensive policy. F is now closed to new participants. G is the alternative but not exactly the same.
Remember that most international medical facilities will not bill your insurance direct. Insurance will reimburse, so hold on to all receipts. I read that if the bill is large your travel insurance might negotiate for payment direct to the hospital. Lots of variables.
If you have medical insurance at home, travel insurance is often secondary insurance, not primary.
I carry two physical credit cards and a back up in Apple Wallet. All with limits that should cover emergencies.
“Pam, I have Supplement F. Chose it for the coverage but it is also the most expensive policy. F is now closed to new participants. G is the alternative but not exactly the same.”
Yes, I think I looked last time it was open enrollment. I’ve had the plan for 10+ years and am pretty sure it’s the one that is not available to new participants.
“I carry two physical credit cards and a back up in Apple Wallet. All with limits that should cover emergencies.”
Me, too I realized when travel started back up after Covid that I wanted access to as much credit limit as possible.
“I always have a crisis before every trip. I hope this was it”
But this wasn’t actually a crisis. You have coverage. When you bought your ticket and the Allianz policy you got an immediate email with your policy information. It’s probably in your messages. I move all my emails about a trip into a separate email folder so I can go back and access them if needed. The insurance need is not a new requirement. Most people are never asked at the border. BTW although Delta is my airline of choice and I feel their folks are relatively well-trained, I believe the rep you talked to gave you some mis-information.
Pam,
Looking forward to some TR's.
I have a folder for Paris and did move all emails Paris related into the folder.
I need to learn to read my policies and documents. I don't.
Pam, when you said something about the Rep: were you talking about the Delta Rep who I spoke to last night. She told me that I do not need health insurance to enter France. What she should have told me was that my health insurance was included in my Allianz policy.
Maybe she was trying to tell me that but did not make it clear.
She put me on hold for a couple of minutes and came back on the phone and said "I have good news for you" and then went on to tell me that I did not need health insurance to enter France. But again, she probably should have told me that my health insurance was included when I bought Allianz through Delta.
This has always been the policy but I don't know of anyone who has ever been asked to show proof as a tourist; if you get a long term visa you do have to who such paperwork. I think it is one of those things that COULD be asked for but never is without cause.
Most US insurance policies by employers have some international coverage; Medicare doesn't but many Medigap policies do. I think they cover up to 60K lifetime for trips of 60 days or less. (and if your trip is more than 60 days, the entire trip is then not covered by such policies). We have an annual Allianz policy which covers all the usual things including medical. More important than medical insurance is having evacuation insurance in case you need to be airlifted home. Medjet Assist and Air Med are two companies that provide just this. Travel insurance policies often do not.
If anyone is interested, these are the actual requirements for entry to the EU Member States:
Article 6: Entry conditions for third-country nationals:
For intended stays on the territory of the Member States of a duration
of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails
considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay, the entry
conditions for third-country nationals shall be the following: (a)
they are in possession of a valid travel document entitling the holder
to cross the border satisfying the following criteria: (i) its
validity shall extend at least three months after the intended date of
departure from the territory of the Member States. In a justified case
of emergency, this obligation may be waived; (ii) it shall have been
issued within the previous 10 years;(b) they are in possession of a valid visa, if required pursuant to
Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 (25), except where they hold a
valid residence permit or a valid long-stay visa;(c) they justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay, and
they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of
the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or
transit to a third country into which they are certain to be admitted,
or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully;(d) they are not persons for whom an alert has been issued in the SIS
for the purposes of refusing entry;(e) they are not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal
security, public health or the international relations of any of the
Member States, in particular where no alert has been issued in Member
States’ national data bases for the purposes of refusing entry on the
same grounds.
The amount of misinformation regarding stuff like this is staggering.
It's seldom a bad idea to have health insurance, but good grief, if one posts a response to a question like this one ought to do good research rather than throwing out urban legends.
RE 'urban legends' -- note that the EES questionnaire includes the question about health insurance; try ticking no and see what happens.
janettravels44
I wonder what has happened to someone who clicked "no" to the EES question about having health insurance. No one has posted about doing this and what happened.
Although I found that I am covered by Allianz, I called American Express to see if I have any coverage through my card.
I do not but if I had to purchase international health insurance through American Express, it would have cost me $30.00 for my week in Paris. I had no idea that is was so cheap. I was expecting it to cost in the hundreds. That is probably because I usually take a cruise and my insurance for my last one through Norwegian was over $300.00. The previous ones with Norwegian were over $200.00. Last one was a long cruise in Asia and the most expensive one yet for insurance.
In the future, I think that I am going to check with Allianz before insuring my cruise vacation through Norwegian.
From the AXA website (a company offering travel medical insurance):
Having travel and/or medical insurance is not a requirement to be eligible for ETIAS/EES authorization
As Claire said, most, if not all,Canadians will not leave our borders without good medical and trip cancellation insurance.
We used to pay BCAA $5 for insurance to be able to cross the border to go shopping for the day many years ago.
It’s expensive to buy here now, especially if you have some existing health conditions, but no one wants a big bill for an incident on a trip because of no pre planning to insure themselves.
I’ve used mine twice in recent years.
Mine costs around CAN$900 for a year and that’s just medical insurance.
I consider it part of my travel budget.
Trip cancellation and interruption is through my credit card plan.
Why tempt fate?
Sure, many countries will charge you much less for treatment of minor conditions, but what about medevac, extra accommodations and meals, if needed, etc?
I’d rather not take that chance, thank you.
I’m always a bit gobsmacked when I read about travelers saying “Oh, Italy/France/UK will pay if I get sick, so I don’t need to spend money on medical insurance.” 🤦🏻♀️
Bostonphil: please get travel medical insurance.
I'm a newbie to Medicare. When I signed up for my supplement, I asked the agent I was working with about coverage when out of the country. Her advice was to get separate coverage per trip.
I guess if you are a permanent nomad, that advice might be different?
S J
As far as I can tell, I am covered through Allianz but I am trying to learn more.
I have a medicare advantage plan through United Health Care. United also offers Safe Trip which is for travel out of the Untied States. I am going to give them a call to see what they offer.
So you buy a yearly plan for $900 a year Canadian dollars. Is that just for you and how many times a year do you travel? Is it just for international travel?
Her advice was to get separate coverage per trip. I guess if you are a permanent nomad, that advice might be different?
Most of the coverage in the various Medicare supplements that have some international coverage is limited, something like a max of $50,000, which is a lifetime limit.
That may be fine for minor issues, but what is missing would be evacuation insurance, if you could not fly coach back to the US.
Most frequent travelers of Medicare age probably would look at a yearly travel health policy, and perhaps a separate evacuation plan.
Bostonphil:
That $900 covers me for unlimited trips up to thirty days each, to anywhere.
I usually try to get two trips in every year to get my money’s worth.
This year I’m aiming for three, if you-know-who stops playing you-know-what with the world’s oil markets.
I have made two claims on it over the years: once when my husband got ill and we had to cancel a trip last minute, and once when I got Covid while on a trip and had to stay and pay for an extra four days before being well enough to travel home.
Absolutely worth the price I paid for insurance.
Paul
I just spoke to a rep at United Health Safe Trip
I got a quote of $75 for 20,000 dollars medical plus something for medical evacuation and something else was covered as well. It seemed to be good and complete coverage.
However France now wants you to carry 30,000 dollars in medical.
The rep tells me that in my age group, they only offer 20,000 dollars.
So could I buy two separate policies to make the 30,000 dollars that France requires?
S J
And your husband also has to pay $900, correct? I
Does it cover your air travel or is that separate?
A lot of people on forum travel several times a year and sometimes for long vacations.
I can see where it is worth it.
And you say you have had good experiences with your plan when having to make a claim.
Be aware that some medical evacuation coverage simply gets you to a place that can provide the necessary medical work—not necessarily getting you home just because you are more comfortable with the facilities or doctors there. So maybe it would get you to a bigger hospital in Paris from Brittany or something like that. Read the fine print if this is important to you.
before simply buying whatever insurance your airline is offering, go to squaremouth and do some comparison shopping. You'll see a whole range of coverages and prices, and can figure out what you want. Insurance has many options and possibilities.
Also consider getting evac from Medjet regardless of other coverage you might have (there's an AARP discount)
Apologies to the OP, who leaves tomorrow, it seems this thread has wandered off to address other posters' situations. I hope that you got the info you needed to sort out the requirements and that you're packed and ready to go. Bon voyage.
Dianne: have a great trip.
FWIW: I have been to France twice in the past 7 months and was not asked about travel insurance.
And never asked in any other country at all , in all my years of travel.
Perhaps let us know if you were indeed asked about it on your trip?
I think that Dianne in Boston who is leaving tomorrow must have gotten the information that she needed through the discussion that we have been having..
Bon Voyage, Dianne!
@Phyllis: You said upthread : “So could I buy two separate policies to make the 30,000 dollars that France requires?”. You HAVE the amount France requires with your Allianz policy you purchased when you bought your ticket from Delta. Whether that is enough to meet any medical needs you might have in France is a separate issue.
@SJ- Do you have health insurance was a question I was asked on the EES screen last week when I entered France. No proof was required and the actual person at the Passport Kiosk did not ask me anything except Passport.
a 5 night hospital stay in the US would be $500,000 so it's all perspective.
My mom had two surgeries in 2024, was in the hospital for about a month combined, the amount billed was about $525,000, her responsibility was $125.
