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What does the Schengen rule say?
Article 15 of the EU Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009) requires short-stay visa applicants to hold travel medical insurance with minimum cover of €30,000.
The policy must cover any costs of repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment or death during the stay, and be valid throughout the Schengen states for the whole stay. The Schengen area has 29 countries: 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025; Ireland and Cyprus are not full members.
- The insurance should in principle be bought in the country where your parent lives; if that is not possible, it can be bought elsewhere, and the same conditions apply if someone else buys it for them.
- The consulate checks that a claim against the insurer could be recovered in a Schengen state.
- For a multiple-entry visa, the policy must cover the first trip, and your parent signs a statement on the application form that they will need insurance for later trips.
How do Schengen, Ireland and the UK compare?
Only the Schengen visa sets a minimum insurance amount; Ireland requires insurance on arrival without publishing a minimum, and the UK does not require it at all.
A Schengen visa does not cover Ireland or the UK, so a trip that takes in more than one needs a visa for each. In the UK the NHS charges visitors from outside the EEA 150% of the standard rate for hospital care after A&E, and says visitors should have medical or travel insurance for the whole visit.
| Rule | Schengen short stay | Ireland | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical insurance required | Yes, shown with the visa application | Yes, must be carried on arrival | No |
| Minimum amount | €30,000 | None published | None |
| What it must cover | Medical repatriation, urgent care, emergency hospital treatment, death | Medical or travel insurance; detail not published | Not applicable; hospital care charged at 150% |
| Where it must be valid | All Schengen states, for the whole stay | Not specified | Not applicable |
| When it is checked | By the consulate, before the visa is issued | If the visa officer asks, and at the border | Not checked; travel insurance not used as evidence |
Where does your parent apply, and what does it cost?
Your parent applies at the consulate of the Schengen country where they will spend the most time, or the first country they will enter if stays are equal.
The visa fee is €90 for adults, and a visa service centre may add its own fee. Applications are normally decided within 15 days, which can extend to 45 days if more checks are needed. A Schengen visa allows a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. National embassies in Nigeria and Ghana publish their own checklists: the German Embassy in Abuja asks for health insurance with minimum cover of €30,000 valid for the whole trip and the whole Schengen area, and Norway's pages for Nigeria and Ghana say the policy should normally be bought in the home country.
What must the insurance certificate show?
The certificate should prove every condition in Article 15, because the consulate judges the application on the document in front of it.
Some consulates go further. The Czech Embassy in New Delhi, for example, accepts insurance bought in India only from companies on an approved list applied by Schengen consulates there, so check the page of the consulate your parent applies to before buying.
How do you check the insurer is genuine?
Check that the company selling the policy is licensed by the insurance regulator where your parent lives: NAICOM in Nigeria or the National Insurance Commission (NIC) in Ghana.
After the recapitalisation deadline under Nigeria's Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025 passed on 31 July 2026, NAICOM had confirmed 48 insurance companies and two reinsurers as meeting the new capital requirements by 14 August 2026. Ghana's NIC, the regulator under the Insurance Act 2021 (Act 1061), has a page for verifying that a company is licensed before you pay. For a parent who lives in Nigeria, Kinship offers doctor calls and check-ins anywhere in Nigeria, with a Kinkeeper, the named person who coordinates.
Questions people ask
Is €30,000 the most a Schengen policy needs to cover?
No. €30,000 is the minimum set by Article 15 of the EU Visa Code. A policy with higher cover meets the rule as long as it also covers the whole stay, all Schengen states, and repatriation, urgent care, emergency hospital treatment and death.
Can I buy the insurance in the UK or Europe for my parent?
Article 15 says applicants should in principle insure in their country of residence, and elsewhere only if that is not possible. The same conditions apply when someone else buys the policy for them, so check with the consulate before buying abroad.
Does a Schengen visa let my parent visit Ireland?
No. Ireland is not in the Schengen area and keeps its own visa rules, so a parent from Nigeria or Ghana may need an Irish visa even with a Schengen visa. Irish rules require evidence of medical or travel insurance on arrival.
Does my parent need insurance for a UK visit visa?
No. The Home Office lists travel insurance among documents not to use as evidence for a visit visa. NHS hospital care is still charged to visitors at 150% of the standard rate, and the NHS advises visitors to have insurance.
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Sources
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code), Article 15, 13 July 2009, Official Journal 15 September 2009
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs, Applying for a Schengen visa, 2 December 2025
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs, Schengen area, 27 May 2025
- German Embassy Abuja and Consulate General Lagos, Schengen visa checklist, accessed November 2026
- Norway in Nigeria, Visitor visa: hand in your documents, accessed November 2026
- Norway in Ghana, Visitor visa: hand in your documents, accessed November 2026
- Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi, Travel medical insurance, accessed November 2026
- Irish Immigration Service, How to apply for a short stay C visit or tourist visa, updated 29 May 2026
- Citizens Information, The Schengen Area, updated 13 October 2025
- Home Office, Guide to supporting documents: visiting the UK, updated 8 October 2026
- NHS, Visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), reviewed 22 January 2026
- The Gazette (News Agency of Nigeria report), NAICOM confirms 43 insurers, reinsurers meet NIIRA 2025 capital requirements, 3 August 2026
- National Insurance Commission Ghana, official website, accessed November 2026
- Arise News, NAICOM closes insurance recapitalisation as 48 firms meet new capital rules, 14 August 2026
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This page is information, not advice. Kinship wrote it from the sources listed above and checked it on the date shown. It is not medical, legal, financial or insurance advice, and it does not take account of any one person's circumstances. Decisions about treatment belong with the person and their doctor; decisions about money, insurance or immigration with the person and a qualified adviser. Our platform terms apply.