Voluntary Health Insurance Board (trading as Vhi Healthcare)
Vhi
Vhi is a travel insurance for the Ireland market with online purchase and limited assistance availability.
Direct payment
Where possible, claims for overseas emergency medical treatment are settled directly with the medical provider once your domestic Private Medical Insurance overseas limit (minimum €65,000) has been exhausted; for non-Vhi hospital plan members this is handled by your own private medical insurer's assistance company up to their benefit limit and then by Collinson Insurance Solutions Europe Limited (CISEL) above that limit. You remain responsible for paying the policy excess to the insurer unless the optional Excess Waiver has been purchased, and no transport or accommodation costs are covered unless pre-authorised by the insurer.
Geographic scope
Worldwide, in the Zone (1, 2 or 3) selected and paid for at purchase
Zone 1: Europe, Mediterranean countries, Russia, Turkey, Israel and nearby territories including Ireland and Great Britain. Zone 2: All countries worldwide excluding the USA, Canada and most Caribbean nations. Zone 3: All countries worldwide, including Zone 1 and Zone 2 (i.e. also the USA, Canada and the Caribbean).
Unique selling points
- Emergency medical expenses cover of up to €10,000,000 per person, far above typical market minimums.
- Automatically covers pre-existing/chronic medical conditions up to the full medical expenses limit for insured persons under 80, unlike most standard travel insurance policies.
- A wide range of sports and activities (cycling, go-karting, tandem skydiving, motorcycling up to 125cc, and more) is automatically covered at no extra premium, without needing to buy a specialist sports add-on.
- Policy cover automatically extends at no extra cost if you are unable to return home as planned due to a covered event, until you can travel home or are admitted to hospital in Ireland.
- Optional Excess Waiver add-on lets you remove the standard €95 per-section policy excess entirely.
Coverage limits
Emergency Medical Expenses (In-Patient)
€10,000,000
Covers additional medical expenses up to €10,000,000 per person if you become ill or suffer an injury during your trip and need in-patient treatment, once your domestic Private Medical Insurance overseas cover (minimum €65,000) has been exhausted. Medical expenses incurred in Ireland are not covered.
Emergency Medical Treatment
€10,000,000
Cover for treatment which cannot wait until you return home from an unexpected illness or injury abroad, up to the combined €10,000,000 Emergency Medical Expenses and Medical Repatriation limit, once domestic Private Medical Insurance overseas cover has been exhausted.
Hospital Benefit
€1,000
Pays a cash benefit of €25 for each full 24-hour period you are hospitalised as an in-patient, up to a maximum of €1,000, provided you have a covered claim under your private medical insurance policy.
Outpatient Expenses
€500
Covers out-patient emergency medical treatment expenses (e.g. GP visits, prescribed medication, radiology/pathology not eligible under your domestic Private Medical Insurance) incurred during a trip, up to €500 per person.
Emergency Dental Treatment
€500
Emergency dental work for the relief of pain only is covered, but sits within the overall €500 Outpatient Expenses limit rather than as a separate additional sum insured.
Medical Transport
Covered
Covers the cost of an ambulance or the first taxi journey to a medical facility, telephone charges up to €50, and taxi fares to/from a medical facility for treatment or medication up to €50; the cost of medically appropriate transport to a hospital/clinic is separately capped at €200 in total under the Outpatient Expenses section.
Medical Repatriation / Evacuation
€10,000,000
Included within the combined €10,000,000 Emergency Medical Expenses and Medical Repatriation limit: if you are not well enough to continue or return home as planned, the insurer arranges repatriation to Ireland or transfer to another medical facility using the means it considers most appropriate, once pre-authorised.
Overseas Funeral Costs or Repatriation of Remains
€10,000
In the event of death outside Ireland, covers either the cost of a funeral in the country of death or the cost of repatriating remains to Ireland, up to €10,000, with all arrangements made by the insurer; costs not authorised by the insurer are not covered.
Search and Rescue
Excluded
Search and rescue costs billed to you by a government, regulated authority or private organisation in connection with looking for and rescuing you are explicitly excluded under the Emergency Medical Expenses and Medical Repatriation section.
COVID-19 Treatment
€10,000,000
COVID-19 illness is treated as any other illness under the €10,000,000 Emergency Medical Expenses limit, but the cost of COVID-19 tests is excluded except when the insurer is arranging your medical repatriation. Separately, Cancelling Your Trip and Cutting Short Your Trip cover apply where a medical practitioner certifies you (or specified others) too ill to travel, or hospitalised/deceased, following a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions
€10,000,000
Pre-existing/chronic medical conditions are automatically covered up to the full €10,000,000 medical expenses limit, provided the insured person is under 80 when cover starts and the condition is covered by their domestic Private Medical Insurance plan with adequate overseas cover. Conditions, and conditions indirectly linked to them, are excluded entirely for anyone aged 80 or over when cover starts.
Winter Sports Upgrade
Optional
Available as a paid Winter Sports Upgrade: Ski Equipment and lost/stolen lift pass up to €750, Ski Hire up to €400 (€30 per 24 hours), Ski Pack up to €1,000, Piste Closure up to €600 (€50 per 24 hours), and Avalanche/landslide delay cover up to €600 (€50 per 24 hours).
Sports and Activities Cover
Covered
A wide range of sports and activities (e.g. archery, cycling, canoeing/rafting up to grade 4, go-karting, motorcycling/mopeds up to 125cc, tandem skydiving, sailing within 12 nautical miles of the coast) is automatically covered at no extra premium, provided recommended safety equipment and instructor guidance is followed. Personal Accident and Personal Liability cover is excluded for certain listed activities (e.g. bungee jumping, jet boating, riding animals), and there is no cover under any section (other than Cancellation) for higher-risk activities such as scuba diving below 30 metres, rock climbing, or motor racing.
Pregnancy Complications
€10,000,000
Pregnancy and medical conditions arising from pregnancy are covered under the general medical expenses limit provided you will not be more than 28 weeks pregnant (24 weeks for multiple births) when your trip is due to start, and a medical practitioner or midwife confirms you are fit to travel.
Personal Liability
€2,000,000
Covers compensation you are legally liable to pay for accidental bodily injury or death, or accidental damage to property belonging to a third party, occurring during your trip, up to €2,000,000 in total for the policy (not per insured person), plus reasonable pre-agreed legal costs.
Legal Expenses Cover
€25,000
Pays reasonable and necessary legal costs, up to €25,000 (policy total), to undertake a civil action for damages if someone else causes you bodily injury or death while on a trip, provided you obtain the insurer's agreement to pursue the action before starting proceedings.
Emergency Assistance Line
Conditional
Dedicated emergency medical assistance contact numbers are provided (Vhi Assist/Eurocross International for Vhi Hospital Plan members, or your own private medical insurer's overseas assistance company for others), but the policy does not explicitly state 24/7 availability for these lines. The separate non-medical claims and assistance helpline is confirmed to operate only Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm GMT.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
You, or someone acting on your behalf, must contact your private medical insurance assistance provider as soon as you are aware you will be admitted as an in-patient for at least one night's stay; failure to do so promptly limits reimbursement to the costs that would have applied had you contacted them straight away.
Unauthorized treatment
Costs for repatriation, additional accommodation/travel, or funeral arrangements that are not pre-authorised by the insurer are not covered, and any treatment or costs considered not medically necessary (in the opinion of the treating doctor or the insurer's doctor, with the insurer's doctor taking priority) are excluded.
Purchase while abroad
You cannot purchase this policy after leaving home for a trip taken solely within Ireland. For trips outside Ireland, you may purchase the policy up to the point you board your transportation for international departure, provided you are not already aware of a reason to make a claim.
Chronic conditions
Pre-existing/chronic medical conditions are automatically covered up to the full medical expenses limit provided you are under 80 when cover starts and your domestic Private Medical Insurance plan covers the condition with adequate overseas cover; if you are 80 or over, existing conditions and any conditions indirectly linked to them are excluded entirely.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy and related medical conditions are covered provided you will not be more than 28 weeks pregnant (24 weeks for multiple births) at the start of your trip and a medical practitioner or midwife confirms you are fit to travel; if not fit to travel or beyond these limits, a claim can instead be made under Cancelling Your Trip provided the policy/trip was booked before you knew you could not travel.
Pre-existing condition exclusions
Unlike most travel insurance policies, Vhi MultiTrip automatically covers pre-existing medical conditions up to the full sum insured for medical expenses, provided the policyholder is under 80 at the start of cover and the condition is covered under their domestic Private Medical Insurance plan with sufficient overseas cover; this does not apply to anyone aged 80 or over.
Coverage duration limit
Trip duration depends on age at the start of the policy: up to 64 years - standard 60 days (extendable to 90 or 180 days) in Zone 3; 65-79 years - standard 30 days (extendable to 60, 90, 120 or 180 days) in Zone 1 or Zone 3; 80+ years - maximum 30 days in Zone 1, 21 days in Zone 2, and no cover at all in Zone 3. The maximum total across all trips is 180 days per year.
Documents
MultiTrip Travel Insurance Rules - Terms and Conditions (1 February 2025)
Terms & conditions
MultiTrip Travel Insurance Rules - Terms and Conditions (1 May 2025)
Terms & conditions
MultiTrip Travel Insurance Rules - Terms and Conditions (1 September 2025)
Terms & conditions
Vhi MultiTrip Under 65 - Insurance Product Information Document (V8)
IPID
Policy specifics
Pre-existing Conditions Cover
Unlike most travel insurance, MultiTrip includes cover for pre-existing conditions up to full limit of medical cover, provided domestic private medical insurance has overseas cover and condition is covered under that plan
SourceMedical Repatriation
Cover for repatriation to Republic of Ireland after emergency medical treatment, applicable once domestic private medical insurance exhausted
SourceAge-Based Trip Duration Limits
Trip duration varies by age: up to 60 days for under 65 years; 30-90 days for 65-79 years (with premium); 5-21 days for 80+ years depending on zone
SourceWar and Hostility Exclusion
Cover excluded for claims arising from war or warlike activities, including cancellation, curtailment, travel delay, missed departure. Medical emergencies unrelated to hostilities still covered.
SourceDomestic Private Medical Insurance Requirement
Mandatory requirement: purchaser must hold current domestic private medical insurance (Irish or otherwise) with minimum €65,000 overseas medical cover. No cover under any section if requirement not met.
SourceVhi Assist Coordination
For Vhi Healthcare members, emergency medical treatment must be coordinated through Vhi Assist (overseas assistance arm of domestic hospital plan) for coverage to apply
SourceClaims Notification Timeline
Insured must notify Vhi MultiTrip Claims Department in writing within 60 days of return home of any event that may lead to a claim exceeding €500
SourceTrip Commencement and End Requirement
Trips must commence and end in the Republic of Ireland. Cover does not apply to trips that begin or end outside Ireland.
SourceDFA Travel Advisory Restriction
Policyholder must not travel against Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advice. If cause of claim is related to DFA advisory, cover may be denied unless specific exemption obtained.
Source