Frequently asked questions

Insurance for foreign guests can be taken out up to 5 days after entry into Switzerland. Corona travel insurance must be taken out no later than 3 working days after booking or up to 30 days before departure. All other travel insurance can be booked at any time before the start of the trip (with or after booking the trip).

As a general rule, travel insurance can only be taken out before a trip starts (exceptions may apply for some travel insurance policies).

If your trip lasts longer than originally planned through no fault of your own, HanseMerkur International will extend your insurance cover until the end of your trip.

The annual travel insurance (Travel 365) is automatically renewed for another year unless it is terminated in a timely manner (one month before the renewal takes effect).

Single-trip travel insurance (Travel/Travel Premium) offers cover for exactly one trip If you plan to travel several times a year, the annual travel insurance (Travel 365/Travel 365 Premium) is a good option.  

A family is considered to be two adults and any accompanying children up to the age of 21, irrespective of the family relationship, but not more than a total of seven persons. At least two persons must be insured per family insurance product.

Please add all of the costs associated with your trip up, for example the cost of your hotel, flight and rental car.

In cases involving cancellation insurance, the insurance cover starts when the insurance is taken out (provided the insured person has received the policy). For all other types of insurance, the insurance starts at the earliest when the individual embarks on the trip (for health insurance for travel abroad, this is when the border with a foreign country is crossed).

For cancellation insurance, your insurance cover starts when you take the insurance policy out. For all other types of insurance, it starts upon commencement of the trip. The trip is considered to be commenced once you enter the booked and insured means of transportation, or enter the booked and insured property.

There are no termination periods for single-trip travel insurance. The insurance ends when the trip ends.

Annual contracts tacitly renew for successive terms of one year each, unless the contract is terminated by the policyholder with one month’s notice prior to their expiry.

You can find the termination periods in the General Conditions of Insurance

In general, our insurance policies do not feature any excess in the event of a claim.

Persons at risk are people other than the insured person who can also trigger an insured event. The term “persons at risk” only includes the insured person himself or herself, the insured person’s relatives and the insured person’s carers, as well as individuals who booked and insured the trip together with the insured person.

We want our insurance to be easy for you to understand. As a result, we explain what is meant by an “unexpected serious illness” and provide you with examples. Please note that the list of examples is not exhaustive. Cover is provided for an unexpected serious illness. The illness has to be “unexpected” and “serious”. We will start by defining the criterion “unexpected” and will then provide examples of “serious” illnesses.

Scenario 1: Any illness that occurs for the first time after you take out the insurance and book the trip is considered to be unexpected. 

Scenario 2: The insurance also covers a recurring illness if you have not undergone treatment for this illness in the last two weeks before taking out the insurance. 

Scenario 3: If you have not undergone treatment for a pre-existing illness in the last six months before taking out the insurance, an unexpected deterioration in this illness is also insured. 

Regular medical check-ups to determine your state of health do not count as treatment. The check-ups are not carried out for any specific reason and do not serve to treat the illness. 

Examples of serious illnesses (not exhaustive):

• The treating doctor has certified that the person concerned is not fit to travel.
• The health impairment certified by the individual’s doctor is so severe that the insured person is unable to make use of the planned main travel service due to the symptoms and ailments associated with the illness.
• This illness suffered by a person at risk, as certified by the doctor, requires the presence of the insured person. 

Examples of an “unexpected serious illness” for the purposes of travel cancellation insurance (not exhaustive): 

• The insured person takes out insurance for a trip they have booked. Shortly before embarking on the trip, they suffer a heart attack for the first time. 
• The insured person’s mother is diagnosed with pneumonia after the insured person takes out the insurance and books the trip. Her illness means that the mother is dependent on care provided by the insured person. 
• The insured person has an allergy at the time the insurance is taken out. The insured person has not undergone treatment for the allergy in the last six months before the insurance was taken out. They have a severe allergic reaction before embarking on the trip. The treating doctor classifies them as unfit to travel due to the severity of the allergic reaction. 

Examples of an “unexpected serious illness” for the purposes of trip interruption and emergency insurance (not exhaustive): 

• The insured person takes out insurance for a trip they have booked. They suffer a heart attack for the first time during the trip. 
• After the insured person takes out the insurance and books the trip, the insured person’s mother is diagnosed with pneumonia during the insured person’s trip. Her illness means that the mother is dependent on care provided by the insured person. 
• The insured person has an allergy at the time the insurance is taken out. The insured person has not undergone treatment for the allergy in the last six months before the insurance was taken out. They have a severe allergic reaction during the trip. The treating doctor recommends that they return home early due to the severity of the allergic reaction.

Cover is not provided for all conceivable scenarios. Examples of scenarios that are not classed as an “unexpected serious illness” (not exhaustive): 

• The insured person suffers from a condition that typically involves relapses (e.g. multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease). In the last six months before taking out the insurance or booking the trip

Our Swiss emergency call centre is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support you in the event of an emergency during your trip. The experts provide you with advice on aspects such as choosing doctors or hospitals, or can organise repatriation. If an emergency happens during your trip, call: +41 43 550 21 21

In the event of a claim, we need the following documents and information as a general rule:

• Copy of the booking confirmation issued by the tour operator
• Copy of the proof of insurance
• Bank account details (to transfer the reimbursement amount)
• Policyholder’s address

Depending on the type of insurance, special documents – you can find further information in the notice of claim section. When making a claim, please only submit graphics and photos that are easy to read by e-mail and send them exclusively as e-mail attachments.

Please send the full documents to:

HanseMerkur International AG
Postfach
9475 Sevelen
Switzerland

E-mail: claims@hansemerkur.ch

If you are involved in an accident during your trip, proceed as follows:

1. Consult a doctor immediately
2. In emergencies, contact our emergency call centre on: +41 43 550 21 21
3. Report the accident in writing or by telephone without delay at: Report claim

If a trip is rebooked, HanseMerkur International will reimburse the rebooking costs incurred up to the amount that would have been incurred if the trip had been cancelled.

If the trip is rebooked without an insured event up to 42 days before the start of the trip, HanseMerkur International will reimburse the costs of the rebooking up to a maximum of CHF 30 per person or object.

You should start by submitting your invoices for medical treatment abroad to your compulsory health insurance (HIA). Next, send the statement of benefits issued by your HIA, including the supporting documents, to HanseMerkur International.

To make a legal expenses travel claim, start by calling our service centre on: +41 43 550 21 25. We will then forward you to our partner Orion Rechtsschutz-Versicherung AG.

Contact our Swiss emergency call centre on +41 43 550 21 21. The experts will work with you to clarify the situation and organise the necessary assistance.

When you take out HanseMerkur travel insurance in the booking section of our website, we guarantee the very highest level of security when handling your data.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a generally recognised encryption protocol for data transmission on the Internet. SSL ensures that your data is sent over the Internet in encrypted form and that it is protected from unauthorised access and manipulation.

HanseMerkur International adheres to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI), a neutral global standard for credit card payments. Compliance with the PCI standards means that your credit card payment is even better protected and helps to combat fraud.

These binding security standards ensure that HanseMerkur International does not come into contact with or process your credit card details at any time.

Pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diners Club International). The amounts will be collected as soon as you book the insurance for policies involving a single payment. In cases involving annual insurance policies, the first premium is collected immediately and any renewal premiums are collected on the next due date, which depends on the contract inception date.

You can also opt to purchase the insurance on account. We will then send you an invoice by e-mail once you have completed your booking. The invoice amount falls due for payment immediately.