Health and Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads: Choose Your Coverage and Avoid Pitfalls

You live between several countries and need health coverage suited to this lifestyle. This guide helps you distinguish international health insurance from travel insurance, understand what the Schengen area requires, and spot exclusions before signing. You'll also learn which documents to gather after theft or assault and how to challenge your insurer's refusal.

We've completed this guide with advice from Cécile Chardonnet, health insurance broker at Aexpat and expat in Kuala Lumpur, gathered during our live on October 8, 2026. Her examples help you ask the right questions; applicable coverage remains that of your contract^[1].

International Health Insurance or Travel Insurance: Which Should You Choose?

Two families of contracts exist. Travel insurance mainly covers occasional trips and unexpected events during a stay. International health insurance, often called expat insurance, is for those living or working abroad long-term. With AXA Global Healthcare, coverage follows you, whether you split your life between two countries or travel further^[2]. The same insurer offers five coverage levels, tailored to your needs and budget^[2].

The geographic zone covered affects the price. AXA, for example, lets you exclude the United States, which can lower your premium, since healthcare there is often more expensive^[2]. Even then, most of its plans still cover emergencies in the United States^[2]. If you never go there, it's worth asking each insurer you consult.

Country of Residence and Coverage Zone: Two Points to Check

In the live, Cécile Chardonnet explains that your declared country of residence can affect your premium and how assistance is organized. A plan advertised as covering many countries isn't enough to validate your itinerary. Before permanently changing destinations, ask if the contract needs adjustment. For stays outside the zone, check the authorized duration and remaining coverage: possible emergency coverage doesn't mean all care is covered^[1].

You can also work with a broker. Nomad Insurance presents itself as a broker working with several international insurers and offering contracts for digital nomads and long-term travelers^[3]. These are commercial pages: they describe an offer, they don't guarantee it. Contracts, prices, and limits aren't compared here, due to lack of independent sources. Compare the general terms of contracts, not the promises on landing pages.

Cécile Chardonnet describes, at Aexpat, support in choosing a contract and filing reimbursement requests. She notes that this service is paid by a commission from the insurer, with no extra fees for clients. This describes how Aexpat works: ask each intermediary which insurers they compare, how they're paid, and what follow-up they offer after purchase^[1].

Can You Extend Your Contract if Your Trip Continues?

This is a point Cécile Chardonnet invites nomads to verify from the start. Extending a stay may require renewal or a new policy, with a new medical review depending on the contract. Ask especially what happens if treatment begins during your trip: will you continue to be covered after expiration, under what conditions, and with what steps? Check this before your coverage ends^[1].

What's Required by Destination

Schengen Area

If you're a national of a country subject to the short-stay visa, the European visa code (EU Regulation 810/2009, Article 15) requires, to obtain this visa, travel medical insurance with minimum coverage of €30,000^[4]. It must cover repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care, emergency hospitalization, or death, be valid throughout the Schengen area, and for the entire stay duration^[4]. This requirement stems from the European visa code, applicable to Schengen members: you'll find it, for example, in Spain^[5], Estonia^[6], or Portugal^[4].

If you're exempt from a visa, this minimum isn't required by this article, but the rules that apply to you aren't detailed here: check them on the consulate or government website of your destination country before you leave.

Japan

In Japan, no travel insurance is mandatory for tourists on short stays in 2025–2026^[7]. The country is considering making travel insurance mandatory to cover unpaid medical expenses left by uninsured visitors, but as of June 2026, no law had been enacted^[7]. The Embassy of Japan in the United States officially recommends purchasing international travel insurance before any trip^[7]. Check the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country just before departure to see if the rule has changed.

What Travel Insurance Contracts Cover (and Don't Cover)

According to Service Public, assistance coverage typically includes repatriation, transportation, and hospitalization in case of illness or injury^[8]. It can also provide a round-trip ticket for a family member if you're hospitalized without repatriation possible, for a duration set in your contract^[8].

Before signing up, check what you already have. An insurance contract (auto, home) or a credit card may include assistance services, and Service Public advises verifying your existing coverage to avoid duplicating it^[8]. Legal protection, which covers legal fees in case of disputes with an agency, airline, or hotel, is often included in credit card contracts^[8].

For a credit card, don't assume coverage lasts three months. In the live, Cécile Chardonnet mentions different durations and conditions depending on the offer. Check the maximum duration per trip, the required departure location, who is insured, and when applicable, whether you must pay for the trip with the card. Get the specific conditions for insurance and assistance in writing^[1].

For medical care, according to Service Public, the European Health Insurance Card is essential if you're traveling to a country in the European Economic Area or Switzerland^[8]. Outside Europe, coverage depends on the country: check with your health insurance provider^[8].

Start Date, Waiting Periods, and Maternity: Plan Ahead for Care

The contract start date and the end of a waiting period are two different milestones. As Cécile Chardonnet explains, some benefits may become available later than others, especially for routine care, vision, or dental. Ask, benefit by benefit, when expenses will be covered. An active contract doesn't mean all its benefits are immediately available^[1].

If you're planning a pregnancy, check maternity coverage before signing up. Cécile Chardonnet mentions waiting periods of 10 to 12 months for the contracts she discusses; this isn't universal. Confirm what's covered for prenatal care, delivery, and complications, as well as limits and coverage dates. Signing up after becoming pregnant doesn't guarantee coverage for that pregnancy^[1].

Pitfalls, Scams, and Things to Watch For

• Countries covered: your destination must be on the list of countries covered by your assistance and insurance benefits^[8]. A digital nomad changing countries must repeat this check at each new destination.
• Preexisting conditions: AXA Global Healthcare indicates that generally it doesn't cover preexisting conditions, with its plans covering issues that appear after enrollment^[2]. Don't generalize: ask for the exact clause in each contract. In our live, Cécile Chardonnet also describes decisions made case-by-case after reviewing the medical questionnaire: exclusion, surcharge, or denial. Answer questions accurately and get coverage conditions in writing before enrolling^[1].
• End of employer coverage: at AXA, if you leave your employer, a continuity option lets you stay covered, including for existing health issues, under the new contract's terms^[2]. It's valid only 120 days after leaving the group plan; after that, continuity is no longer guaranteed^[2]. Individual benefits also differ from group coverage^[2].
• Theft: the insurer may request an official complaint number; check your contract's requirements. In Spain, the denuncia number is required by insurers^[9].
• Nomadic Device Insurance: don't confuse it with health insurance. It covers electronic devices you take outside your home (phone, computer)^[10]. Common exclusions are theft without forced entry and devices over 5 years old^[10]. The deductible, the amount you pay out of pocket if you file a claim, is a key factor to consider^[10]. According to CNP Assurances, you have 5 business days to report a claim, or 2 days in case of theft; check the deadline in your own policy^[10].
• Conditions to confirm: country exclusions and high-risk sports, waiting periods, maximum duration outside your country of residence, and renewal terms vary by policy. Ask for written confirmation for your itinerary and situation^[1].

In Case of Emergency: Theft, Assault, or Urgent Situation

Hospitalization: Who to Contact and Who Pays the Bill?

In the live session, Cécile Chardonnet distinguishes between administrative follow-up by the broker and emergency assistance from the insurer. In a medical emergency, contact local emergency services first and have them contact the assistance service as soon as the situation allows. The broker can help, but they don't replace medical staff or the service that authorizes coverage^[1].

She describes a process where the hospital sends the insurer a medical report and cost estimate to obtain a payment guarantee. Direct settlement remains subject to your policy and the insurer's approval—don't assume it's automatic. Keep your policy number and assistance contact information accessible, and give a copy to someone you trust. For planned hospitalization, verify in advance whether prior approval is required^[1].

In Spain

Call 112 for immediate emergency or 091 for the national police, then file a denuncia (official complaint) at the police station^[9]. Without violence or intimidation, you can also file a complaint online on the Policía Nacional website^[9].

In Mexico

Call 911 if in immediate danger, then go to the nearest Ministerio Público to file a denuncia and get the folio de denuncia, the incident number required by insurers^[11]. Online complaints are available in some states^[11].

Everywhere

Block your bank cards immediately using the number on the back of your card or your bank's app^[9]. In some countries, emergency services may be very limited: before you go, check your country's travel advisories for your destination and contact your travel insurance to get assistance^[12]. Keep your policy's assistance number somewhere other than your phone, in case it gets stolen.

Dispute with Your Insurer

Start with a written complaint, by mail or email, to your insurer^[13]. If you don't get a response after more than two months, or if the response doesn't satisfy you, you can contact the consumer mediator designated by your insurer^[13]. This must be done no later than one year after your complaint^[13].

The mediator's contact information is in the information notice or general terms provided when you sign the policy^[13]. Most insurance companies and mutual insurers have designated the Insurance Mediator, which you can contact preferably online^[13]. These rules apply to insurers subject to French law; for a policy with a foreign insurer, look for the complaint procedure in their general terms.

Checklist Before You Go

• Choose between travel insurance and international health insurance based on how long you'll be away.
• Confirm your declared country of residence, coverage area, and conditions for stays outside the covered zone^[1].
• Check your entry requirements (Schengen with visa: minimum €3,500).
• List coverage already provided by your bank card and other policies.
• Read clauses about pre-existing conditions, waiting periods, high-risk sports, and maximum duration outside your country of residence.
• Check how to extend your policy, especially if treatment begins during your trip^[1].
• If you're planning a pregnancy, check the maternity coverage and its effective date^[1].
• Save your assistance, reimbursement, and broker contact information; share your policy reference details with a trusted person^[1].
• Keep your policy, invoices, and proof of coverage in digital copies, stored outside your phone.