Insurance while abroad
Do I need insurance?
Yes. It is mandatory per Erasmus+ guidelines and when you sign your grant agreement you confirm that you have a valid insurance for the period of your exchange.
We do not check the policies under normal circumstances, as we are trusting you that you will make the responsible decisions. However, please be aware that Erasmus+ Project Manager has the right to refuse granting you your financial support for the exchange should you not have a proof of valid insurance.
Please note that the insurance needs to cover the whole period you are abroad. That means that travel days need to be included! We always recommend adding some additional days should the period change. That way you don’t need to make a new expensive extra policy.
Who pays for it?
You yourself are responsible for making sure you have insurance for the period of your exchange and also paying for it.
If you are a frequent traveler, we recommend making a whole year insurance, as this comes out much cheaper.
Please note that insurance can also be based on a credit card, as some banks offer cards with travel insurance. If you don’t have it, turn to your provider and see if that would be more beneficial for your lifestyle and travelling habits.
What type of insurance is needed?
It’s mandatory to have
– travel insurance, which covers travelling AND medical needs
– accident insurance (e.g. you get into accident and need to stay in hospital for a week and your family member comes to visit you)
– liability insurance (e.g. you break someone’s phone by accident)
Erasmus+ does not dictate how big do the bases (e.g. 100 000€ for medical, 300€ for baggage etc.) need to be, just that you have it.
It’s also strongly encouraged to have European Health Insurance Card, as this gives you free emergency help in any EU country. You can order it from here: European Health Insurance Card | Estonian Health Insurance Fund
Proof of insurance
As mentioned earlier, under normal circumstances no proof in the form of a document showing the policy is needed. However, we do need the policy number, the name of the insurance company and the length of the insurance. Those details will be on your grant agreement which you will be signing.
If you use your credit card as an insurance, please make sure it covers all the necessary categories. In case of credit card insurance we need also the name of the bank, the policy number (either your credit card policy or a separate number they have for travel insurance) and the end date of your card.
If you are unsure about what type of insurance you need or if the host institution demands some type of separate insurance, please contact Ellika: ellika.eero@ebs.ee.