Belfius Insurance NV/SA (abbreviated Belins NV), trading as DVV Verzekeringen / DVV assurances
DVV
DVV is a travel insurance for the Belgium market with no online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
The medical expenses guarantee is supplementary: benefits are only payable after the reimbursement available from the health insurance fund (mutuelle/ziekenfonds) or another institution has been exhausted.
Geographic scope
Worldwide, except the vehicle guarantee which is limited to geographic Europe
The accident/illness (medical) guarantee is valid worldwide. Only the vehicle guarantee is restricted to a defined list of geographic European countries (e.g. EU member states, UK, Switzerland, Norway, western Turkey). Insured persons must normally reside in Belgium.
Unique selling points
- A modular 'tailor-made' formula where the customer selects the specific guarantees and amounts (accident/illness, vehicle, cancellation, baggage) rather than being locked into one fixed package.
- Worldwide medical and accident/illness coverage regardless of destination, with only the vehicle guarantee limited to geographic Europe.
- A combined 'extra costs' package of up to 10,000 EUR bundling repatriation, hospital-standby travel/accommodation and search & rescue costs into a single guarantee.
- A replacement-driver benefit that covers the cost of a stand-in driver if the insured driver cannot drive home due to accident or illness and no other insured person can take over.
- Veterinary cost cover abroad (up to 65 EUR) for a travelling dog or cat that falls ill or is injured during the trip.
Coverage limits
Medical expenses
Covered
Medically justified treatment costs (care, medicines, hospitalization, first prosthesis, functional prostheses, cosmetic surgery) following a covered accident or illness abroad are reimbursed up to the amount agreed in the special conditions, after a 25 EUR deductible; for insured persons aged 70 or older at the first medical consultation the agreed amount is halved.
Emergency medical treatment
Covered
Immediate medically justified treatment costs abroad following a covered accident or illness are covered as part of the medical expenses guarantee, up to the agreed amount, after a 25 EUR deductible.
Hospitalization
Covered
Hospital admission costs following a covered accident or illness abroad are included among the reimbursable medically justified treatment costs, up to the agreed amount.
Outpatient treatment
Covered
Outpatient care and medicine costs following a covered accident or illness abroad are included among the reimbursable medically justified treatment costs, up to the agreed amount.
Emergency dental treatment
10% of insured sum
The first dental prosthesis is reimbursed up to 10% of the insured amount per tooth; contact lenses and eyeglasses are explicitly excluded.
Medical transport
€10,000
Medically required transport of the injured/ill insured person, including transfer between hospitals, plus the return travel of accompanying insured family members, is covered. This is one of several benefits sharing a single 10,000 EUR aggregate cap for all insured persons combined (Art. 13 'Extra kosten').
Medical evacuation
€10,000
The mode of transport for repatriating a sick or injured insured person is determined by the treating physician based on medical necessity. This benefit shares the same 10,000 EUR aggregate cap (for all insured persons combined) as the other 'extra kosten' benefits (transport, accommodation, replacement driver, search & rescue, etc.).
Repatriation of remains
€10,000
Transport and repatriation costs of the mortal remains to a funeral home in Belgium, plus the return of accompanying insured family members, are covered within the shared 10,000 EUR aggregate cap for all insured persons combined; if burial takes place abroad, an additional lump sum of 325 EUR is paid for the return trip of a Belgium-resident relative attending the funeral.
Search and rescue costs
€2,000
Search and rescue costs if the insured gets lost or disappears are covered up to 2,000 EUR per person; this is a sub-limit within the shared overall 10,000 EUR 'extra kosten' aggregate cap for all insured persons combined.
COVID-19 treatment
No limit stated
Not specifically mentioned in the reviewed terms and conditions or IPID documents.
Pre-existing conditions
Excluded
Coverage for illness does not apply if the illness already existed before the outward journey; likewise, aggravation of the consequences of an accident due to pre-existing injuries or illnesses is excluded unless the insured proves there is no causal link.
Winter sports cover
Optional
Snow skiing is on the list of dangerous sports excluded by default (except snow-hiking/skiwandelen in Belgium, which remains covered); it can only be insured if expressly stated in the special conditions and an additional premium is paid. Off-piste skiing and ski jumping remain excluded in all cases.
Adventure/dangerous sports cover
Optional
Dangerous sports such as mountaineering, bobsleigh, canyoning, hang-gliding, deep-sea diving, combat sports, parasailing, rappelling, skeleton, speedsailing, caving, steeplechase, parachuting, water-skiing and gliding, as well as profit-generating sport, are excluded by default and can only be insured if expressly stated in the special conditions with an additional premium; decompression sickness from deep-sea diving remains excluded in all cases.
Pregnancy complications
Excluded
Normal or premature delivery, miscarriage, and all pregnancy care are excluded from the accident/illness medical guarantee.
Personal liability
No limit stated
No personal (civil) liability guarantee is described in the reviewed travel medical/accident policy documents.
Legal assistance
No limit stated
No general legal assistance (rechtsbijstand) guarantee is described for the medical/accident cover; a separate criminal bail-bond guarantee exists under a different module of the policy (see product-specific constraints).
24/7 assistance
No limit stated
The reviewed documents do not state whether a dedicated 24/7 emergency assistance line exists; general customer service is recommended to be called between 9:00-11:30 and 13:00-17:00, with an automatic answering system outside those hours.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
Any accident/claim must be reported in writing within 8 days of its occurrence (except in case of force majeure); a claim is no longer admissible one year after the event.
Chronic conditions
Aggravation of the consequences of an accident due to pre-existing injuries or illnesses is excluded, unless the insured proves there is no causal link between the aggravated risk and the claim.
Pregnancy
Normal or premature delivery, miscarriage, and all pregnancy care are excluded from the accident/illness guarantee.
Pre-existing condition exclusions
Coverage does not apply if the illness already existed before the outward journey, particularly where there was a real danger of rapid worsening before the contract was concluded.
Coverage duration limit
Illness cover applies to costs incurred abroad during the planned trip duration; if the insured must remain abroad beyond that for medical reasons, cover extends until the day of return to Belgium.
Policy specifics
Medical expenses limit
Coverage for medical treatment costs during travel; stated as 2,500 EUR per person for basic accident and illness coverage
SourceSearch and rescue costs
Coverage for search and rescue, repatriation, and replacement driver costs up to 10,000 EUR for all insured persons combined
SourcePre-existing conditions exclusion
Claims resulting from illness or condition that existed before the contract date are not covered
SourceCriminal bail bond guarantee
If the insured is detained abroad for an unintentional offence and a criminal bail bond is demanded, the insurer provides personal surety or advances the required security, up to a maximum of 25,000 EUR for all insured persons combined; this is a separate module from the medical/accident guarantee.
SourceFranchise for medical expenses
A deductible of 25 EUR applies to medical treatment costs for accidents and illness
SourceGeographic coverage scope
Medical and accident coverage is worldwide; vehicle insurance is limited to geographic Europe only
SourceMedical repatriation
Covers costs for repatriation from abroad following accident or illness; included in search and rescue cost limit of 10,000 EUR
SourcePregnancy-related exclusions
Normal or premature delivery, miscarriage, and pregnancy care are not covered
SourceVision correction exclusion
Contact lenses and eyeglasses are explicitly not covered under medical expenses
Source