The short answer: if you live in the EU, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers necessary state healthcare across Europe, but not private clinics, the flight home or a cancelled trip, and it is no substitute for rescue cover on the mountain, so you still need travel insurance. For a one-off holiday, Heymondo is the most straightforward choice and has the highest medical limits. For open-ended travel or remote work, SafetyWing and Genki both accept almost any nationality and residence, and both can be bought after you have left. If you live in the EEA and want a classic backpacker policy with cancellation cover and medical screening, True Traveller’s EU policy is the one to price.
Where you live, rather than your passport, decides most of this. Below we explain how the EHIC works, how each insurer defines “home”, and which policy fits which kind of trip.
The EHIC: what it does and does not cover
The European Health Insurance Card is issued free of charge by your national health insurer or health service, not by a private company. The European Commission’s EHIC page sets out the rules: it gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, on the same terms as people insured in that country.
What the card does not do matters more:
- No private care. The Commission is explicit that private healthcare is not covered, so a private clinic in a ski resort or tourist area will bill you in full.
- No flight home. Return flights to your home country are not covered, let alone a stretcher or medical escort.
- No safety net for mountain rescue. The card covers state healthcare only, and some rescue costs fall outside it. In France, communes may recover the cost of rescue on ski areas from skiers, according to a French government answer to the Senate in June 2025; in Austria, the ÖAMTC air rescue service says health insurers pay only for transport down to the valley after a mountain sports accident, leaving the rest to the patient or a private insurer.
- Local co-payments apply. If residents pay a share of the bill, so do you.
- No planned treatment. Travelling in order to get treatment is not covered.
- Nothing outside Europe, and nothing for cancellations, lost luggage or delays.
The Commission itself says the EHIC “is not an alternative to travel insurance”. Treat it as the first layer: it can keep a minor hospital visit in Spain or Austria cheap, while your travel policy handles everything else.
Eligibility compared: SafetyWing, Heymondo, Genki and True Traveller
| SafetyWing (Nomad Insurance Essential) | Heymondo | Genki (Traveler) | True Traveller (EU policy) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who can buy | Any nationality except Cuban citizens, travelling outside home country | Anyone travelling outside their home country | Any nationality, any country of residence | Residents of the EEA, Switzerland and listed European countries |
| Age limit | 14 days to 69 | 69 for trips up to 29 days; 49 for 30+ days, Annual and Long Stay | 0 to 69 | 75 single trip, 65 multi-trip |
| Buy after leaving home | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes, with a 48-hour wait |
| Cover in home country | Emergencies on short visits home after 90 days | None | Emergencies for six weeks of each home stay, after at least four weeks abroad | Not a home-country policy |
| Top medical limit | US$250,000 | US$10m (Premium) | €1,000,000 | €10m |
| Cancellation cover | None on Essential; up to US$300 per trip on Complete | Yes, if bought within seven days of first booking | No | Yes |
| Pre-existing conditions | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded if treated or diagnosed in the prior year | Screened, may be covered |
| Regulated in | Puerto Rico (insurer) | Spain (broker, DGSFP J3422) | Liechtenstein (insurer Squarelife) | Insurer IPA S.A. (AXA) |
| Price from | Set by age band, billed every four weeks; on quote | US$2.49 a day, Thailand, Medical plan | €52.50 a month at age 24 | On quote |
Facts in this table were checked against each provider’s own pages and help centres on 29 October 2026.
SafetyWing: the subscription for people on the move
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance Essential is open to anyone aged 14 days to 69 who is travelling outside their home country, regardless of citizenship, with one exception: Cuban citizens cannot buy it. That means a German, a Pole or a Brazilian living in Lisbon can all buy it. It renews every four weeks until you stop, you can start it from anywhere, and there is no deductible on Essential.
The catches for European buyers are the limits and the insurer. Essential’s US$250,000 medical cap is low by European standards, evacuation is capped at US$100,000 over your lifetime, and the insurer is domiciled in Puerto Rico, so EU complaint schemes do not apply. The USA needs an add-on. Home-country cover is limited to emergencies on short visits home, and only once the plan has run for 90 days: up to 30 days per visit on four-weekly billing, or 90 days per visit if you pay for 364 days up front. SafetyWing prices by age band, so your figure appears once you enter your age. Complete, the pricier plan, checks eligibility against your country of residence, which by default is wherever you spend more than 183 days a year.
Suits: remote workers and long-term travellers who want rolling cover and do not need high limits. Read our SafetyWing review.
Heymondo: holiday cover from a Spanish broker
Heymondo is sold by Smart Insurance Correduría de Seguros, a Barcelona broker supervised by Spain’s DGSFP, with policies placed with insurers including Inter Partner Assistance (AXA) and Iris Global. It says its insurance is available to anyone travelling outside their home country, and it is the closest thing here to a traditional single-trip policy, with cancellation cover, baggage and medical limits up to US$10m on Premium.
For an EU resident, the important rules are timing and age. Cancellation cover only applies if you buy within seven days of your first trip booking. The age limit is 69 for trips up to 29 days, but drops to 49 for trips of 30 days or more, Annual and Long Stay. And there is no cover in your home country, so it is a holiday policy, not a health plan. Contracts follow Spanish law, but disputes go to the courts of your own country of residence.
Suits: EU residents on holidays and trips of a few weeks who want high medical limits and cancellation cover. Read our Heymondo review.
Genki: European health cover with no residence test
Genki, a Cologne company, sells health insurance underwritten by Squarelife Insurance AG of Liechtenstein, an EEA insurer. Genki says its products are open to any nationality and any country of residence, and you can sign up while already abroad without a postal address. Genki Traveler costs from €52.50 a month at age 24, pays up to €1,000,000 and charges a €50 deductible per case.
Home-country cover is the key difference. Traveler covers emergencies in your home country for the first six weeks of each stay, provided you had been abroad for at least four weeks beforehand. Genki stresses that Traveler sits alongside public healthcare at home rather than replacing it. Genki Native is the step up for people who have moved abroad for good, though Genki notes it does not replace statutory health insurance that some countries require. Traveler covers health only: no luggage, gadgets or cancellation.
Suits: nomads and long-stay travellers who want an EEA-regulated insurer and broad sports cover. Read our Genki review.
True Traveller EU: the backpacker policy for EEA residents
True Traveller sells a separate EU policy through True Traveller s.r.o. in Prague for residents of the EEA, Switzerland, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino and Serbia, with access to long-term medical care at home. Medical cover is €10m, activities are generous and conditions are screened online. It can be bought after departure with a 48-hour wait.
Suits: EEA-based backpackers, trekkers and long-haul travellers who want traditional cover, including cancellation. Read our True Traveller review.
Living in the EU without an EU passport
Most travel insurers care where you live and are registered for healthcare, not where your passport comes from. A Canadian in Berlin or an Australian in Barcelona who is covered by the local health system can usually buy a local or pan-European travel policy as a resident. If you are not yet registered in a national system, you may not have an EHIC at all, which makes high medical limits more important. Genki and SafetyWing are the simplest options in that position, because neither asks for a fixed residence on their entry plans.
Which policy for which trip
- A fortnight in Thailand or Mexico: Heymondo, for high medical limits and cancellation cover.
- A ski week in the Alps: your EHIC plus a policy with winter sports cover; see our winter sports insurance guide.
- Six months working from Lisbon, Bali and Medellín: SafetyWing or Genki Traveler.
- A year backpacking with a trek in Nepal: True Traveller’s EU policy.
- Moving abroad permanently: international health insurance such as Genki Native or Cigna Global.
- A trip to the USA: the highest medical limit you can get; SafetyWing needs an add-on and Genki Traveler includes only seven days of emergency cover per US stay unless you upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
Is the EHIC enough for travel in Europe?
No. It covers medically necessary state healthcare on local terms, but not private clinics, return flights, cancellation or lost luggage, and some mountain rescue costs fall outside state healthcare. The European Commission says it is not an alternative to travel insurance.
Does the EHIC work in Switzerland and the UK?
Yes. The European Commission lists Switzerland and the United Kingdom among the countries where the EHIC can be used, alongside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Can I buy SafetyWing if I live in the EU?
Yes. Essential is open to any nationality except Cuban citizens, as long as you are travelling outside your home country. You can buy it before or after you leave.
Does Heymondo cover me in my home country?
No. Heymondo covers you only while you are outside your home country.
Which travel insurance covers me when I visit home?
Genki Traveler covers emergencies for the first six weeks of a home stay after at least four weeks abroad. SafetyWing Essential covers emergencies on short visits home once the plan has run for 90 days.
Do I need travel insurance if I have private health insurance at home?
Check your policy. Some private health plans include emergency cover abroad, but few cover repatriation, cancellation or belongings, and limits outside Europe can be low.
