Zurich
Zurich is a travel insurance for the DE market with online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
For outpatient treatments, the insured normally must pay the bill directly at the point of care and then submit receipts to DKV for reimbursement. For inpatient stays, prior contact with the 24-hour emergency hotline (+49 221 57894005) is strongly recommended; if pre-authorization for repatriation is obtained, 100% of the additional transport costs are covered. Without prior authorization, only 80% of repatriation additional costs are covered. Ambulance or emergency transport by recognized rescue services is covered; taxi rides are not.
Geographic scope
DE
Worldwide; holiday trips up to 42 days per trip, business trips up to 7 days per trip. Coverage does not apply in Germany (the insured's country of residence). Travel warnings by the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) may result in coverage restrictions.
Unique selling points
- Repatriation is organized and covered not only when strictly medically necessary but also when merely medically advisable, giving broader protection than many competitors.
- No health questionnaire or risk assessment is required at purchase, ensuring immediate, unconditional coverage for all customers regardless of health history.
- Coverage begins immediately upon contract conclusion with no waiting period, including on the very day of departure.
- Free 24-hour international emergency hotline (+49 221 57894005) provides worldwide physician referrals, assistance coordination, and repatriation organization at no extra cost.
- The product is backed by DKV, Germany's largest private health insurer, providing best-in-class claims processing and medical network expertise behind the Zurich brand.
Coverage limits
Medical treatment costs abroad
Covered
100% reimbursement of medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatment costs abroad for acute illness or accident, including medications, medical aids, and auxiliary materials. Treatment must be by a licensed physician in the country of stay. No individual monetary cap stated in sources.
SourceEmergency medical treatment abroad
Covered
Covers emergency medical treatment for acute illness or injury occurring during travel, including physician and hospital fees charged at private-patient rates. Zurich partners with DKV to cover costs that the statutory or private German health insurer would not bear abroad.
SourceInpatient hospital treatment abroad
Covered
Covers costs of medically necessary inpatient hospital treatment abroad for acute illness or accident. Insured has free choice of hospital licensed in the country of stay. Prior notification to the 24-hour helpline is recommended before or at admission.
SourceOutpatient treatment abroad
Covered
Covers costs of medically necessary outpatient physician visits abroad for acute illness or accident. Insured typically pays the invoice at the point of care and then submits receipts for reimbursement.
SourceEmergency dental treatment abroad
Covered
Covers pain-relieving (schmerzlindernde) dental treatments abroad. All other dental services, dental prosthetics, laboratory work, and materials are not covered. Only emergency pain relief is insured.
SourceTransport to nearest doctor or hospital
Covered
Covers transport to the nearest doctor or hospital by recognized rescue services. Taxi rides are not covered.
SourceMedical repatriation / evacuation to Germany
Covered
Covers medically necessary and medically advisable repatriation from abroad to the insured's permanent residence or a hospital in Germany. Organized by Zurich/DKV. 100% of additional transport costs covered if the 24-hour hotline is contacted first and pre-authorization obtained; without prior authorization, only 80% of additional costs are covered. Repatriation of accompanying insured persons also covered.
SourceRepatriation of remains / burial abroad
Covered
In the event of death abroad, the insurance covers either the repatriation of the deceased to Germany or burial costs in the country of death, up to a maximum of EUR 10,000.
SourceSearch and rescue costs
Not offered
Search and rescue costs are not explicitly mentioned as a covered benefit in the verified Zurich/DKV travel medical product sources.
SourceCOVID-19 treatment abroad
Covered
Acute COVID-19 illness occurring during travel is treated as any other acute illness and is covered as a medically necessary treatment. The Zurich trip cancellation product explicitly covers serious illness during pandemics including COVID-19; the travel medical product covers acute treatment of illness including infectious disease abroad.
SourcePre-existing / chronic conditions
Conditional
Acute exacerbations of pre-existing conditions that arise unexpectedly during travel are covered. However, treatments that were already known to be necessary before departure (foreseeable/planned treatments) are excluded. Routine treatment of chronic diseases is typically classified as foreseeable and is therefore not covered. No health questionnaire or risk assessment is required at the time of purchase.
SourceWinter sports injuries
Conditional
Injuries resulting from winter sports (e.g. skiing, snowboarding) that arise as an acute accident during travel would be covered as an acute accident consequence under the standard travel medical benefit. Specific winter sports are noted as a risk group; special rules may apply. No dedicated winter sports add-on is mentioned in sources for the travel medical product.
SourceAdventure / extreme sports
Conditional
Sporty and adventure activities resulting in acute injury are generally covered as acute accident consequences. Specific exclusions for high-risk sports are not enumerated in the available sources; the product page notes that 'sportspeople' may constitute a risk group with special rules. Confirmation of specific exclusions requires review of the full DKV policy terms.
SourcePregnancy complications
Conditional
Unforeseeable, acutely occurring pregnancy complications are covered, including premature births before the end of the 36th week of pregnancy and miscarriages. Routine pregnancy care, planned delivery, abortion, and postnatal illness (Wochenbetterkrankungen) for a pregnancy known before departure are explicitly excluded.
SourcePersonal liability abroad
Excluded
Personal liability is not part of the Zurich travel medical (Auslandskrankenversicherung) product. Zurich offers a separate private liability product (Privathaftpflicht) which extends to stays abroad as long as the insured maintains primary residence in Germany.
SourceLegal assistance abroad
Not offered
Legal assistance is not mentioned as a benefit of the Zurich travel medical product (Auslandskrankenversicherung).
Source24/7 international emergency assistance hotline
Covered
Free 24-hour international emergency hotline (+49 221 57894005) reachable worldwide, organizing medical assistance, referring to physicians abroad, coordinating hospitalizations and repatriation, and providing assistance with replacement of lost travel documents.
SourceKey conditions
Assistance call deadline
The insured is strongly advised to contact the 24-hour emergency hotline (+49 221 57894005) immediately in the event of serious illness, hospitalization, or before any repatriation. Without prior authorization from the hotline, only 80% of repatriation additional costs are reimbursed. Full 100% reimbursement of repatriation costs applies only when the hotline pre-authorizes the transport.
Unauthorized treatment
For repatriation without prior authorization from the DKV/Zurich hotline, only 80% of the additional transport costs are reimbursed. For all other medically necessary treatments (outpatient and inpatient), no specific penalty for not contacting the hotline first is stated, but insured must submit original receipts and the insurer may reduce reimbursement if costs are disproportionate.
Purchase while abroad
The insurance must be concluded before departure from Germany. Retrospective purchase from abroad is not possible. Last-minute purchase is possible even on the day of departure as long as the insured has not yet left Germany.
Chronic conditions
Routine treatment of chronic diseases abroad is typically classified as 'foreseeable' and is therefore not covered. However, if a chronic patient experiences an acute unforeseeable deterioration of their condition while abroad (e.g., a heart attack in a patient with hypertension), the acute treatment costs are covered.
Pregnancy
Unforeseeable acute pregnancy complications, including premature births before the end of the 36th week of pregnancy and miscarriages, are covered. Routine pregnancy care, planned delivery, abortion, and postnatal illness (Wochenbetterkrankungen) where the pregnancy was already known before departure are explicitly excluded.
pre_existing_conditions
No health questionnaire or risk assessment is required at purchase. Treatments for conditions already known to require medical attention during the planned trip are excluded. Acute, unforeseeable exacerbations of pre-existing conditions occurring during travel are covered.
coverage_duration_limit
Coverage applies to holiday/leisure trips of up to 42 consecutive days and business trips of up to 7 consecutive days per trip. The policy is an annual contract covering an unlimited number of trips within one policy year, provided each trip does not exceed the stated duration limit. If a covered insurance event is still ongoing at the end of the 42/7-day limit and the insured is demonstrably unable to travel (Transportunfähigkeit), coverage continues until transportability is restored.
Where to buy
Policy specifics
Medical repatriation
Coverage for medically necessary return transport to home country in case of serious illness or injury abroad
No waiting period for medical coverage
Travel medical insurance provides immediate protection upon purchase with no waiting period
24-hour emergency medical assistance
24-hour multilingual emergency hotline providing physician referrals and coordination of medical assistance abroad
Trip cancellation coverage
Coverage for cancellation costs when trip must be abandoned due to illness, injury, or death of insured or family member
Pre-existing medical conditions disclosure
Insured must declare all pre-existing medical conditions at time of policy purchase for coverage to be valid
Advance physician notification requirement
Insured must contact Zurich Assist helpline as soon as possible in case of illness or injury while traveling to arrange medically necessary care
Medically fit to travel requirement
Insured must be medically fit to travel and must not travel against medical advice for coverage to apply
Trip duration maximum
Single trip policies have specified maximum duration limits; extended trips may require different coverage