A family trip in Dubai, a business trip to Europe or a study semester in Australia. Each journey from India brings different expectations among individuals. Besides packing backpacks and completing visa applications, arranging travel insurance is also now followed as a routine step. The right policy aligns with how you travel, where you go and what you value.

In this context, we’ll discuss what a trip insurance policy offers for Indian passport holders so that you can plan your itineraries in a more detailed way.

Main Coverage Components for Indian Travellers

Most of the travel insurance online or offline plans for international trips from India provide the following offerings:

● Medical Expense: The medical expenses are related to hospitalisation, day care treatments, dental care and emergency medical cover.
● Trip Interruption: The trip interruption cover acts as a financial buffer for non-refundable transactions. Some of the common reimbursements include flight and hotel cancellations.
● Loss of Baggage or Passport: If in an overseas destination, your baggage and passport are lost, the insurer provides you with financial assistance so that you can reissue these documents without any hassle.
● Delays of Baggage: The insurer also compensates for delays in the arrival of checked-in baggage. 
● Flight Delays: If your flight is being delayed, the insurer provides compensation for meals, refreshments and accommodation used while waiting for the flight.

If you are looking to purchase travel insurance, then you can choose HDFC ERGO’s travel insurance. They provide all of the above core components of the trip insurance for Indian travellers. Besides that, they have a wide 1 lakh+ network of hospitals globally for trip insurance.

Online Purchase and Policy Activation

Purchasing international travel insurance India offers convenience, but you should also note the following factors:

● Purchase Window: Trip insurance policies are usually bought up to 48 hours before departure or right after the ticket booking. A pre-trip purchase ensures you get the complete benefit from such policies.
● Duration of the Trip: Make sure that the policy you’ve purchased covers your whole trip duration so that you remain secured from unforeseen medical or trip-related events abroad.
● Geographical Zones Compliance: Individuals planning a trip to the Schengen region of Europe must have travel insurance with a minimum cover of EUR 30,000. Thus, always verify if the region you intend to visit has any insurance-related compliance to be followed.
● Trip Duration Limits: Most of the standard travel insurance trips cover up to 180 or 365 days per trip. For longer stays, like a student travel visa, the duration of coverage may exceed up to two years.

Claim Process for Indians Abroad

If you face any interruption in your trip related to flight/baggage or health issues, contact the insurer’s assistance team immediately. Here’s a quick step-by-step process for you to get started with making claims:

● Step 1: Use the toll-free number or collect call number provided to your policy document. Keep your policy number and passport ready. For medical emergencies, call the insurer before getting into a hospital. The assistance team can direct you to a network hospital of the insurer.
● Step 2: This step is specifically for hospitalisation. For making claims, you’ll have two options: cashless or reimbursement claims. In cashless claims, the insurer directly settles the bill with the insurer. For reimbursement, you make the payment and later it is reimbursed to you by the insurer.
● Step 3: In order to report lost baggage or trip cancellation, contact the insurer and follow their instructions for taking further steps.
● Step 4: You have to collect all essential documents and submit them to the insurer for both hospitalisation and trip-related claims. In such situations, you may need to submit a claim form, a policy report copy, passport copies showing immigration stamps and additional related documents.
● Step 5: After all documentation, the insurer transfers the reimbursed amount into your account or directly settles with the healthcare provider.

Final Thoughts

Trip insurance provides multiple benefits for Indian passport holders. Some of the main benefits include emergency medical expenses, dental expenses, personal accident, baggage or flight delays compensation. In some regions, it is also mandated to have health insurance for visitors. Thus, a trip insurance keeps you compliant with regulatory aspects as well as ensures complete protection from major travel and health-related concerns.