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I will be going to Denmark for 4 months. During this time I will be covered by insurance through work. In the middle of the 4 months I want to go on holiday to France for 2 weeks. However, it seems that normal travel insurance only covers you if your trip starts and ends in your home country (in this case the UK).

Is it possible to buy personal travel insurance when you don't start or end the trip at home?

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  • Which country are you from and buying your insurance from? I have done travel insurance from the USA that covered the scenario you ask without any problems.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:04
  • @SheikPaul I am from the UK. I was going to buy insurance from the UK but I don't actually mind where I get it from as it long as it covers me.
    – Simd
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:05
  • You should have no problems whatsoever. Does your work insurance terminate for the time you are off work? Did you check with your insurance carrier? USA insurance rules may be different from Europ/UK so I will defer answering to someone else from Europe.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:12
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    How can a "Yes or no", "Is X possible" question be "too broad"... If there are lots of options, that's the answer to the question, not a reason to close it!
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:48
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    You should also note that EHIC will cover you on France.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Feb 28, 2017 at 16:34

1 Answer 1

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Yes, there are some options (these are based on browsing Columbus Direct purely because they're the last travel insurance company I used for travel from the UK, other suppliers are available/may be better etc):

  • Get a single-trip policy with Denmark as your "Country of Residence". For example, http://international.columbusdirect.com/travel-insurance/single-trip-travel-insurance?countryOfResidence=DNK

    Unfortunately Columbus aren't a good bet for you here, since you'll only have been in Denmark for 2 months:

    You must have been a resident of this country [your insurance's 'Country of Residence'] for at least 3 months.

    ...but other companies might have different restrictions.

  • Get a single-trip multi-destination policy covering the whole four-month period, Denmark and France, with UK as your country of residency. This is probably the simplest option, but might not be the most cost effective. From their FAQ:

    Am I still covered if I’m travelling to more than one country?

    Single Trip policies: When you get a quote online, you will be asked to choose your destination from a drop down list on the first page of the quote. If you are travelling to more than one country, select 'Yes' to the question 'Are you going to more than one country?' above the destination box - this will allow you to choose from broader geographical regions, e.g. Europe or Worldwide.

  • Get a year-long multi-trip travel policy, for all trips to Europe, starting before you go to Denmark, with the UK as your country of residence. These are usually quite good value for money and will cover any other trips in the year. From the same FAQ:

    Am I still covered if I’m travelling to more than one country?

    ...Annual multi-trip policies: Please select the geographical region which encompasses all of your planned trips when obtaining a quote online. If at any point during the year you plan a trip which falls outside the regions stated on your policy - please contact us to ask about amending your policy.

  • Get a policy from an international provider with no country of residency restrictions. This is a bit of a last resort option because this is a bit of a niche market and so it can be expensive. For more on this see From whom can I buy travel insurance if I don't “live” anywhere?

My personal recommendation would be the Europe year-long multi-trip option for simplicity and potential savings over the year if you travel again, and it also might help if travel-specific things aren't covered by your workplace insurance, for example, lost baggage when travelling between the UK and Denmark.

Alternatively you might prefer to shop around for narrower policies if you're on a very tight budget and won't travel again.

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  • How do they define "country of residence"? Do I need to have been in Denmark for some time (6 months?) before travelling?
    – Simd
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:24
  • "at least 3 months", it's in the bit I quoted above (I took that quote from the popup under the (?) icon on their form)
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:25
  • Oops, I only just noticed you'd be going after only 2 months in Denmark! Maybe a different company has a different policy, will update the answer...
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:26
  • @eleanora Okay, answer updated
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Feb 28, 2017 at 15:39
  • The multi-trip and multi-destination policies are not a way to evade residency requirements. If you are establishing a long term base in Denmark it is hard to argue that you are not resident there, particularly if you don't own property in the UK or cannot otherwise demonstrate some permanent connection to the UK. It is important to understand what the insurer regards as "residence" before buying these options. When making a claim you do not want the insurer to wriggle out of it on the basis that they regard that you were not resident in the UK during your trip.
    – Calchas
    Feb 28, 2017 at 20:19

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