Insurance Entry Requirements

Required to enter, not just recommended.

Insurance is sometimes a legal entry, visa, or residence-permit condition — not merely protection. Schengen visa applicants, tourists entering Georgia, foreign visitors to Cuba and the Galápagos, and Turkish residence-permit applicants need proof; the United States, Switzerland and Japan impose no general tourist requirement. See Travel Insurance for coverage types and buying guidance.

Legally Required — Entry, Visa or Residence Permit

In these five cases, proof of insurance is a formal condition rather than general advice. The trigger differs by destination: nationality and visa status, a trip to a specific territory, or a residence-permit application.

Schengen Area29 countries
Visa applicants
Anyone applying for a Schengen visa must show travel medical insurance before the visa is issued — the requirement sits inside the visa application, not a border check. Visa-exempt nationalities (the US, UK, Canada and most others on short trips) are not checked for it on arrival, but the same coverage protects against the same costs either way.
Minimum coverage€30,000
Must coverMedical emergencies, hospitalization, repatriation
Valid forEntire Schengen area, full length of stay
Legal basisEU Regulation 810/2009, Art. 15
GeorgiaTourists entering from 1 January 2026
Tourist entry
Tourists entering Georgia must carry health and accident insurance for the whole stay. The policy can be electronic or on paper and must be in Georgian or English. The law includes narrow exemptions for categories such as diplomatic and special-status travelers; ordinary tourists should not assume an exemption.
Minimum coverageGEL 30,000
Must coverHealth and accident expenses
Valid forEntire stay, including arrival and departure dates
Proof formatPaper or electronic, in Georgian or English
CubaForeign visitors
Foreign visitors
Cuba requires foreign visitors to have non-Cuban medical insurance. Coverage is often included in airline tickets on flights originating in the United States; confirm that with the airline before departure. Travelers without accepted coverage can buy an official local policy after arrival. Ordinary US health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted for care in Cuba.
CoverageMedical insurance valid in Cuba
Before departureConfirm whether the airline ticket includes it
No proof?Buy a local policy at the airport
Legal basisCuban Resolution 168/2010
EcuadorForeign tourists entering the Galápagos
Galápagos entry
Mainland Ecuador has no general tourist-insurance requirement. The Galápagos special regime is different: foreign tourists must have private health insurance before entering the province. Confirm acceptable proof with the airline or tour operator before the domestic flight from Quito or Guayaquil.
Mainland tourist entryNo insurance required
Galápagos IslandsRequired for foreign tourists
Coverage typePrivate health insurance
Legal basisGalápagos Special Regime law, Article 49
TurkeyResidence permit applicants only
Residence permit
Tourists do not need to show a special insurance policy at the border for a short stay. Residence-permit applicants are a different case: they must document qualifying coverage for the full period requested, unless an official exemption or an accepted public or reciprocal-health arrangement applies.
Tourist stay under 90 daysNo insurance proof required for entry
Residence permit (ikamet)Qualifying health coverage required
Coverage periodMust span the requested permit duration
CheckedAt the residence permit application
Not Required — But the Bill Can Wreck the Trip

Nothing below is a general tourist-entry requirement. All three are places where a hospital visit can cost more than the trip and a home-country health plan may provide limited or no overseas coverage.

United StatesNo entry requirement
The US has no general insurance requirement for tourists. Medical care can be exceptionally expensive for someone paying without insurance, and a home-country plan may exclude or sharply limit US treatment. Confirm both emergency-care and medical-evacuation coverage before departure.No general tourist-entry requirement
SwitzerlandSchengen visa rule only
Switzerland carries no general visitor-entry insurance mandate beyond the Schengen visa-applicant rule (€30,000 minimum — see above). Healthcare is expensive, so visa-exempt travelers should check that their policy's medical and evacuation limits are adequate rather than treating the Schengen minimum as a target.No requirement beyond the Schengen visa rule
JapanNo tourist-entry requirement
Japan does not currently require tourists to show private medical insurance at entry; its foreign ministry strongly recommends buying it. Immigration can scrutinize a returning visitor with reported unpaid medical bills, but a broader pre-entry insurance mandate remains a policy proposal rather than a current entry rule. Check your own plan carefully — US Medicare and Medicaid do not cover care in Japan.Recommended, not required for entry

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