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I am PhD student and am going to apply for a Romanian Visa in Paris. I asked the Romanian Embassy for required documents. The embassy has suggested to have medical insurance. Since I am traveling to Romania for only 9 days, I would prefer to spend not many euros on medical insurance.

Could you suggest cheap medical insurance? I would prefer to purchase online rather than visiting to any travel agent.

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  • What country are you traveling from? If it's the US, do you have medical insurance in the US?
    – Doc
    Jun 7, 2012 at 17:00
  • I live in Paris, France. Jun 7, 2012 at 18:59
  • @PankeshPatel You mean you're traveling to Romania, right? What is your current health insurance in France? It might be valid for a short trip elsewhere in Europe. Jun 7, 2012 at 22:03
  • I have Vital card, but I do not have EHIC. I would prefer to get health insurance for my current Romanian trip. Any suggestion for health insurance ? Jun 8, 2012 at 14:08

2 Answers 2

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If you have health insurance that's valid in one country in the European Union (plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), you are usually covered in all of the EU. All you need to do is get a European health insurance card (EHIC); this is free and you can apply online. The EHIC entitles you to medical coverage in the country you travel to, for trips lasting up to a year.

In French, the EHIC is called carte européenne d'assurance maladie. You can get it online from the Ameli website.

Note that there may be “unusual” circumstances in which you cannot get an EHIC. In particular, if your health coverage in France does not come from a French provider, your coverage might not extend to other countries; check with your provider.

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  • Many Many thanks for this information. I have just realized that I do not have EHIC. I have Vital card. And Since EHIC will take some time. So, I would prefer to take health insurance for the moment. Would you suggest health insurance ? Jun 8, 2012 at 14:06
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    @PankeshPatel There's no point in buying health insurance if you're already covered. I think you can get a temporary card on the spot if you apply in person, otherwise you can get an EHIC in the mail in about three weeks (apply online on the Ameli website). A lot of credit cards offer travel insurance in case you get hit by something major and need to be repatriated. For such a short trip, you won't need any long-term health care (if you're taking medecine, get enough for the trip before leaving). I wouldn't bother with anything more, even if you can't get the EHIC in time. Jun 8, 2012 at 20:04
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    The health part of a travel insurance usually covers more than your 'home' health insurance while traveling, and it is always better to be over insured than under insured. Not all (or even not many) European credit cards have a travel cover.
    – Willeke
    Jun 2, 2019 at 14:10
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As explained in the other answer, you are nominally covered with the European Health Insurance if you live in Europe. Sadly the public medical system in Romania is not as good as that in many other European countries, and there may be supplemental fees.

Therefore I'd recommend taking out additional insurance. A health insurance policy for travel is typically around 10 Euros for an entire year.

Also, the EHIC card only works if you are in the public health insurance of a European country. Since you need a Visa, I assume that you are not an EU citizen (or you wouldn't need one).

If you have private health insurance, e.g. from your home country, it will not qualify for the EHIC thing. However it may still cover treatment in all of the EU, you'd have to check your insurance contract.

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