LumenWhat travel medical insurance do I need for a Spanish Schengen visa?
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The Visa Code requires travel medical insurance covering repatriation for medical reasons or death, urgent medical care and emergency hospital treatment. It must be valid in all Schengen states, cover the whole planned stay, and give at least €30,000 of cover. For a multiple-entry visa, it only has to cover the first planned visit.
Key facts
| What | The law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What it must cover | Repatriation for medical reasons or death; urgent medical care; emergency hospital treatment | Visa Code, art. 15(1) |
| Minimum cover | €30,000 | Visa Code, art. 15(3) |
| Where it must be valid | In the territory of the Schengen states | Visa Code, art. 15(3) |
| How long | The whole planned stay or transit | Visa Code, art. 15(3) |
| Multiple-entry visa | Must cover the first planned visit; you sign a declaration about later trips | Visa Code, art. 15(2) as amended by Reg. 2019/1155 |
| If you don’t have it | Ground for refusing the visa | Visa Code, art. 32(1)(a)(vii) |
What the law requires
The Visa Code says applicants for a uniform (Schengen) visa must prove they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance covering any costs of repatriation for medical reasons or death, urgent medical assistance and emergency hospital treatment during their stay. The insurance must be valid throughout the Schengen states and cover the entire planned stay or transit, with minimum coverage of €30,000.
The Spanish Consulate General in London’s guidance says the same and adds that the cover can be €30,000 or its equivalent in local currency.
Multiple-entry visas
If you apply for a multiple-entry visa, the law only asks for insurance covering the first planned visit. You sign the declaration in the application form that you know you need travel medical insurance for later stays. The London consulate’s guidance says you undertake to buy insurance for future trips.
If the insurance is missing
Not providing proof of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, where required, is one of the listed grounds for refusing a visa (Visa Code, art. 32(1)(a)(vii)).
Related questions
- Extending a visa-free stay in Spain: the application needs travel insurance with the same cover as for a short-stay visa, valid for at least the extension period (RD 1155/2024, art. 49(2)(d)).
Sources
- Reglamento (CE) n.º 810/2009, Código comunitario sobre visados (Visa Code), art. 15 and art. 32(1)(a)(vii), original text, DO L 243 of 15.9.2009 (Spanish edition, BOE copy) checked 2026-10-25
- Reglamento (UE) 2019/1155 amending the Visa Code, art. 1 point 11 (art. 15(2)), DO L 188 of 12.7.2019, applies from 2 February 2020 (Spanish edition, BOE copy) checked 2026-10-25
- Consulate General of Spain in London: Schengen visas, 'Required documents' 4 (page dated 6 September 2024) checked 2026-10-25
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (immigration regulation), art. 49(2)(d) (consolidated text, BOE) checked 2026-10-25
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