On this page we answer the most common and important questions about our travel insurance in connection with the corona pandemic. Please check the General Insurance Conditions (AVB) on which your insurance is based. These form the basis for your claims. The following FAQs should serve as a guide.
Coronavirus – in which cases does the travel insurance provide?
Quick access
General questions
What does the insurance cover look like if I book a trip now?
Protection in the event of insured events that cannot be traced back to a pandemic
Travel insurance protects you if you have to cancel your trip due to an unexpected and serious illness. This also applies if you fall ill with COVID-19 during your trip.
How can I avoid infection?
Comply with the safety advice
It is crucial that you wash your hands thoroughly several times a day. You should not cough or sneeze into your hand but instead into your elbow or a tissue. Immediately dispose of such tissues in a closed bin and air out the space you are in for 5 to 10 minutes three times a day if possible. In addition, you should stay at home if you have a fever or cough.
Additional information is available in the HanseMerkur Health Portal
Where can I find current information on COVID-19?
Important websites
Current information on COVID-19 can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)
Questions about the pandemic on the World Health Organization (WHO) site
Information on travel restrictions
Questions about single-trip travel insurance
Will my premium be reimbursed if my trip is cancelled by the tour operator or if there is a ban on entering the country of my destination?
Depends on the travel insurance
The premium for cancellation insurance is not reimbursed if the tour is cancelled by the operator or if the tour does not take place due to a ban on entering the country of your destination. The protection provided by the cancellation insurance takes effect starting at the point in time at which the insurance was booked, so this benefit has already been provided.
With the single-trip insurance packages Travel and Travel Premium, the benefits that apply from the start of the trip (medical expenses insurance, trip interruption insurance, etc.) are reimbursed on a pro rata basis.
Questions about cancellation insurance
Does the cancellation insurance cover illness with COVID-19?
Insured event
In addition to unexpected and serious illness, the cancellation insurance also covers illness with COVID-19.
What happens if it is no longer possible to travel to the region of your holiday – because your holiday destination is in a security zone, because a ban on travelling to your holiday destination has been imposed or because your hotel is temporarily closed, for example?
Not an insured event
You are entitled to a reimbursement of payments already made to the tour operator, the hotel or the landlord of the holiday home. With cancellation insurance, cover is excluded due to the pandemic situation.
Can I use my cancellation insurance if the authorities do not ban all travel from other countries to the holiday destination but instead impose severe restrictions through safety measures?
Not an insured event
The Federal Council has issued a strong recommendation that all non-urgent travel to other countries be avoided, as there is a worldwide risk of infection with COVID-19. As the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11.03.2020, no insurance cover is provided for this. However, travel insurance still protects you in case of events that are not due to the pandemic and that are included in the insurance cover.
Please contact the respective service provider or tour operator to discuss additional options.
Questions about trip interruption insurance
Can I cancel a trip because of a theoretical danger or fear of infection?
Not an insured event
Every traveller has the right to withdraw from their trip, but tour operators and other service providers such as hotels and airlines are generally entitled to charge the cancellation fees agreed at the time the contract was concluded.
Trip interruption insurance protects you if you have to interrupt your trip due to an unexpected and serious illness, and this also applies if you are ill with COVID-19. However, fear of becoming ill or a high risk of infection do not constitute an insured event under travel interruption cover.
Will the additional costs be covered if I am not actually ill myself but am unable to travel or return due to a quarantine situation?
No assumption of costs is possible
Since the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the current COVID-19 situation as a pandemic, the additional costs generally cannot be covered by the trip interruption insurance. If you are on a package holiday, please contact your tour operator, and if you booked the individual components of your holiday separately, please contact your service providers (hotel, airline, etc.).
Questions about medical expenses insurance / insurance for foreign-national visitors
What does insurance cover under the medical expenses insurance/insurance for foreign-national visitors look like in the event of an infection with COVID-19?
Generally insured
If you have taken out medical expenses insurance with HanseMerkur, you are comprehensively protected while you are abroad. If you are infected with COVID-19 during your trip abroad, you are generally insured against expenses for medically necessary treatment.