Travel Insurance in India 2026: What Is Covered, What Is Not and How to Pick the Right Plan

Good travel insurance in India for 2026 pays your hospital bills abroad, gets you home in an emergency, and refunds money you lose if a trip is cancelled or your bags go missing. The single most important part is emergency medical cover, because a hospital stay overseas can cost lakhs in a day. For a Schengen (Europe) visa you must have at least EUR 30,000 of medical cover, which is about Rs 33 lakh, and the embassy checks this. Plans start cheap, from around Rs 22.5 a day with insurers like Tata AIG, so cost is rarely the real problem. The real problem is buying a plan that does not actually help when you need it.

Look first at the medical cover amount. For Europe or Asia, a sum insured of USD 100,000 to 250,000 is sensible. For the USA, where care is the most expensive, pick USD 500,000 or more. Check that the plan includes emergency evacuation and repatriation, which means flying you home or to a proper hospital. Since IRDAI rules, every travel plan must also cover COVID-19 hospitalisation, so confirm that line is there.

Next, read the trip cancellation clause. It refunds non-refundable bookings only for covered reasons like your own illness, an accident, or a death in the family, and you must show original invoices and a proof such as a medical certificate. Baggage loss cover pays for checked-in bags lost by the airline and gives a small amount for essentials if bags are delayed, but it will not pay for items left unattended or for baggage lost inside India before you fly.

Know what is not covered. Most plans exclude pre-existing illnesses unless you declare them and pay extra, travelling against your doctor's advice, claims linked to alcohol or drugs, and adventure sports like skiing, scuba diving or high trekking. If your trip has any of these, buy the add-on.

Buy only from an IRDAI-regulated Indian insurer. You get a 30-day free-look period on policies bought online to cancel and get a refund, and the law says the website cannot tick the cover by default for you. If a claim is wrongly rejected, complain on Bima Bharosa (bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in) or call 155255; the insurance ombudsman can pass binding awards up to Rs 50 lakh for non-life claims. This is general information, not advice, so check the official policy document before you buy.

Pick high medical cover with evacuation, match the sum insured to your country, and read the exclusions before you pay.