Is travel insurance compulsory?

Travel insurance isn't compulsory in most countries but the Australian government says it's as important as a passport.

Jessica Prasida's headshot

By

Jessica Prasida

Updated

Fact checked

Key takeaways

  • Travel insurance generally isn't compulsory for tourists. But it's a really bad idea to not have it.
  • There's an old saying: "If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford travel".
  • The risks of not having travel insurance are massive, but travel insurance is relatively cheap.

Is travel insurance compulsory?

Most countries don't require you to have travel insurance to enter as a visitor. However, there are some visas that do require you to have cover for the duration of your trip. These are generally longer term or working visas.

That said - it's a really bad idea to travel without travel insurance. The cost of medical care overseas can be REALLY expensive if you don't have coverage, especially if you need a medical evacuation back home. We're talking prices of over $100,000 or more in some cases.

Travel insurance isn't that expensive, and the peace of mind is worth it.

Which countries can't you enter without travel insurance?

There are a few dozen countries that require a minimum level of medical travel insurance before you can enter as a tourist. These include countries like Belarus, Cuba, Qatar, Turkey, Israel, Fiji and many more.

You'll also need travel insurance for longer term visits to countries like Australia, Canada and the Schengen countries, which include most countries in western Europe. The requirements will change based on your visa.

We can't list all of the countries that require you to have travel insurance, so you'll need to check the details of the visa you're entering the country on.

Tim Bennett's headshot
Compulsory travel insurance - worth every penny

"I lived in Canada for a couple of years under a work visa, and it was compulsory to get travel insurance for the entire trip. Luckily, there was a long term policy from Fast Cover made for my exact visa. I was lucky that I didn't need to make a claim, but the covid pandemic happened while I was over there. The cost of getting cover was more than worth it - Australia doesn't have a reciprocal health care agreement with Canada, so I would have had to pay all my medical expenses out-of-pocket if I didn't have cover and something went wrong."

Insurance expert

How much travel insurance do I need?

When travel insurance is compulsory, there will be minimum standards. Generally you need enough cover to pay for your medical costs as well as repatriation, if you need emergency evacuation back to Australia.

That's also the minimum travel insurance you should be taking out whenever you travel internationally. Basic medical travel insurance isn't that expensive, but can save you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars if something goes wrong.

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Why get travel insurance even when it's not compulsory?

A night in hospital in a country such as Singapore or the United States of America (USA) could end up costing you almost $900 and $750 a night respectively. Travelling to these countries without travel insurance is like playing with fire.

Top 6 most expensive destinations to have an emergency

DestinationHospital stay per night
Singapore$893
United States of America$751
Hong Kong$722
The Netherlands$671
Canada$603
Germany$561

Other medical expenses you must be aware of

Other medical emergency expenses that you should be aware of include:

  • Ambulance fees
  • Medication
  • Inpatient and outpatient treatment
  • Doctor consultation fees
  • Food and incidentals
  • Accommodation for travelling companions

Frequently asked questions

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Publisher

Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification. See full bio

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