Vhi
Vhi is a travel insurance for the IE market with online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
For emergency in-patient medical claims, Vhi MultiTrip settles costs directly with the medical provider once your domestic private medical insurance overseas cover is exhausted. Additional transport and accommodation costs must be pre-authorised by the insurer before they are incurred. For non-medical claims, settlement is made directly to the insured person by bank transfer. The insured is responsible for providing correct bank account details.
Geographic scope
IE
Zone 1 (Europe/Israel/Tunisia/Cape Verde), Zone 2 (Worldwide excl. USA/Canada/Caribbean/Mexico), Zone 3 (Worldwide). Trips must begin and end in the Republic of Ireland.
Starting from
€63
Unique selling points
- Up to €10,000,000 per person in-patient emergency medical cover — one of the highest limits available on any annual multi-trip policy in Ireland.
- Pre-existing medical conditions are automatically covered up to the full medical limit for insureds under 80, with no separate medical screening or declaration required at purchase — unlike most standard travel insurance policies.
- Complimentary LoungeKey™ airport lounge access is included for all policyholders whenever their flight is delayed by more than one hour, at no additional cost.
- Annual multi-trip policy covering unlimited trips throughout the year with a single premium, available to Irish residents from age 18 up to and including age 80+, with worldwide zone options.
- Online claims can be submitted 24/7 via Vhi.ie/claims with fast payment targeted within approximately 10 days, backed by Ireland's largest health insurer trusted by 1.2 million members.
Coverage limits
Emergency Medical Expenses (In-patient)
Covered
Covers additional medical expenses for in-patient emergency treatment received abroad once the insured has exceeded their domestic private medical insurance overseas cover limit (minimum €65,000). No excess applies to this section. Medical expenses incurred in Ireland are not covered.
Emergency Medical Treatment Abroad
Covered
Covers emergency treatment that cannot wait until the insured returns home, with the aim of ensuring the insured is well enough to return to Ireland. Cover applies once domestic private medical insurance overseas expenses are exhausted or €65,000 (whichever is higher). Cover includes ambulance or taxi fare to the first medical facility, telephone charges up to €50, and taxi fares to/from medical facilities up to €50.
In-patient Hospitalisation
Covered
In-patient hospitalisation costs are covered up to €10,000,000 per person per incident under the Emergency Medical Expenses and Medical Repatriation section. Cover applies only after domestic private medical insurance overseas limit is exhausted. A hospital benefit of €25 per full 24 hours is also payable up to a maximum of €1,000.
Outpatient Expenses
Covered
Covers outpatient emergency medical treatment expenses incurred during a trip, including GP visits, medical consultations not eligible under domestic private medical insurance, prescribed medication, radiology and pathology fees not eligible under domestic PMI, emergency dental work for pain relief only, and taxi fares to/from medical appointments up to €50. Also covers one medically appropriate transport to hospital or clinic up to €200. Excess: €95 per person per claim.
Emergency Dental Treatment
Covered
Emergency dental work for the relief of pain only is covered as a sub-benefit under Outpatient Expenses, subject to the €500 per person outpatient limit and €95 excess. There is no separate standalone dental benefit limit.
Medical Transport
Covered
Covered as part of Emergency Medical Expenses: includes ambulance costs or taxi fare for the first journey to a medical facility, and taxi fares to/from a medical facility for treatment or to collect prescribed medication up to €50. Under outpatient, one medically appropriate transport to hospital or clinic is covered up to €200 in total under the policy. Additional accommodation and travelling expenses up to €3,000 per trip are also covered when considered medically necessary and pre-authorised.
Medical Repatriation / Evacuation
Covered
If there is a valid in-patient medical claim, the policy covers medical repatriation or evacuation costs when arranged by the insurer, using the means deemed most appropriate based on medical condition. If the insured refuses repatriation instructions, all cover under the policy ends. Costs must be pre-authorised; the insured or their representative must contact the insurer as soon as they are aware of in-patient admission for at least 1 night.
Overseas Funeral Costs or Repatriation of Remains
Covered
In the event of the insured's death outside of Ireland, covers either the cost of a funeral in the country where the insured died, or the cost of bringing the remains back to Ireland. The insurer makes all funeral or repatriation arrangements. Costs not authorised by the insurer are not covered. No excess applies.
Search and Rescue
Excluded
Search and rescue costs billed to the insured by a government, regulated authority or private organisation in connection with locating and rescuing the insured are explicitly excluded under the Emergency Medical Expenses and Medical Repatriation section.
COVID-19 Medical Treatment
Covered
Emergency medical treatment for COVID-19 is covered under the standard emergency medical expenses section up to €10,000,000 in-patient and €500 outpatient, subject to the same conditions as any other illness. COVID-19 tests are excluded except where the insurer is medically repatriating the insured. Written confirmation of a positive lateral flow test is accepted as evidence for COVID-19 claims.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Conditional
The policy automatically provides cover for pre-existing medical conditions (those experienced at time of purchase or in the past) up to the full medical limit, provided the insured is under 80 when cover starts and the condition is covered under the insured's domestic private medical insurance plan with overseas cover. Persons aged 80 or over are not covered for any claims directly or indirectly related to pre-existing conditions. Cover is excluded for terminal illness, unfitness to travel, travel for medical treatment, or travel against medical advice.
Winter Sports Upgrade
Optional
Winter sports cover is an optional paid upgrade. When purchased, it covers ski equipment (owned or hired) that is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed up to €750 (excess €95); ski hire up to €30 per 24 hours (max €400); ski pack (school, lift pass, hired equipment) up to €1,000; piste closure €50 per 24 hours (max €600); avalanche €50 per 24 hours (max €600). Winter sports trips are covered for a maximum of 21 days. Standard on-piste skiing and snowboarding activities are included in the standard sports coverage, but the equipment/financial benefits require the upgrade.
Sports and Activities Cover
Covered
The policy automatically covers a wide range of sports and activities without additional premium, provided the activity is accessible to the general public and does not require specialist training or qualifications. Cover requires use of recommended safety equipment and compliance with safety procedures. Activities such as scuba diving (up to 30 metres), abseiling, bungee jumping (tandem), kayaking/rafting (up to grade 3), cycling (non-electric, non-competitive), and many others are included. Certain activities have no personal accident or personal liability cover. A full list of covered activities is available at vhi.ie.
Pregnancy and Pregnancy Complications
Conditional
Pregnancy and medical conditions arising from pregnancy are covered provided the insured will not be more than 28 weeks pregnant at the trip start date (24 weeks for multiple births) and a medical practitioner or midwife confirms fitness to travel. If the insured is confirmed unfit to travel or exceeds the gestational limit, a cancellation claim may be made if the policy/trip was booked before the insured was aware they could not travel. Pregnancy is covered up to the full emergency medical expenses limit under normal conditions.
Personal Liability
Covered
Covers all sums the insured is legally responsible to pay as compensation for accidental bodily injury or death to a third party, or accidental damage to property not owned by the insured, occurring during a trip. The €2,000,000 limit applies as a policy total (not per person). No excess applies. Includes reasonable and necessary legal costs with prior insurer agreement. Excludes claims arising from manual work, animals, motorised vehicles, aircraft, drones, wilful acts, and certain sports activities.
Legal Expenses Cover
Covered
Covers reasonable and necessary legal costs to undertake a civil action for damages if someone else causes bodily injury or death to the insured while on a trip. The insured must obtain insurer agreement before starting proceedings. Limit is €25,000 as a policy total. Also covers additional travel expenses if a court outside Ireland requires the insured's attendance, up to €1,000 per insured person. No excess applies. Claims must be notified within 90 days of the incident.
24/7 Emergency Medical Assistance
Covered
24/7 emergency medical assistance is provided for Vhi hospital plan members via Eurocross International (USA/Canada toll-free: 1800 364 9022; rest of world: +353-1-44 82 444; email: worldassist@vhi.ie). Non-Vhi hospital plan members must contact their own private medical insurer's overseas assistance company. Above the domestic PMI limit, CISEL provides emergency assistance services. For all other non-medical emergency queries, a helpline is available Mon-Fri 8am-6pm GMT at +353-46-907 7358.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
For in-patient admissions, the insured or someone acting on their behalf must contact their private medical insurance assistance provider as soon as they are aware of the admission for at least 1 night's stay. Failure to contact promptly, if it causes costs to increase, means the insurer will only pay what they would have paid had contact been made immediately. Additional transport and accommodation costs are only covered when pre-authorised by the insurer.
Unauthorized treatment
Costs for treatment that in the opinion of the treating medical practitioner or the insurer's doctor are not medically necessary or can be delayed until return home are not covered. If the treating doctor's opinion differs from the insurer's doctor, the insurer's doctor's opinion takes priority. Choosing not to follow the insurer's repatriation plan results in all additional costs being excluded and all policy cover ending.
Purchase while abroad
For trips solely within Ireland, a policy cannot be purchased after the insured has left home to start the trip. For international travel, a policy may be purchased up to the point of boarding international transport. However, if the insured is aware of a reason to claim at the time of purchase, that claim will not be covered.
Chronic conditions
Chronic and pre-existing conditions are covered automatically for insureds under age 80 at policy start, provided the condition is covered under the insured's domestic private medical insurance plan with overseas cover. For insureds aged 80 or over at policy start, no claims directly or indirectly related to any pre-existing medical conditions are covered, including indirectly related conditions such as stroke arising from high blood pressure, chest infection from COPD, or secondary cancer.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy and pregnancy-related medical conditions are covered provided the insured will not be more than 28 weeks pregnant at the trip start date (24 weeks for multiple births) and a medical practitioner or midwife confirms fitness to travel. If more than 28 weeks pregnant (24 weeks for multiple births) or confirmed unfit to travel, cancellation cover may apply if the policy/trip was booked before the insured was aware of inability to travel.
pre_existing_conditions
Pre-existing conditions are automatically covered up to the full medical limit for insureds under age 80 at policy start, provided the insured holds a domestic private medical insurance policy with a minimum of €65,000 overseas cover and the pre-existing condition is covered under that domestic plan. The policy does not automatically cover pre-existing conditions; cover depends on the domestic PMI plan's own terms. Terminal illness, travel against medical advice, travel for medical treatment (including pre-planned/arranged consultations or reviews that could lead to treatment), and unfitness to travel are all excluded regardless of whether the condition is pre-existing.
coverage_duration_limit
Standard annual trip duration limits by age at policy start: up to age 64: 60 days per trip in Zone 3 (extendable to 90 or 180 days); age 65–79: 30 days per trip in Zone 1 or 3 (extendable up to 180 days in Zone 1 or 3); age 80+: 30 days in Zone 1, 21 days in Zone 2, no cover in Zone 3. Maximum 180 days across all trips per year. Cover ends at midnight on the policy end date, when the insured returns home, or when the insured is admitted to a hospital/medical facility in Ireland under a repatriation.
Documents
Vhi MultiTrip Travel Insurance Rules – Terms and Conditions (1 May 2025, MHMT42)
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Vhi MultiTrip Travel Insurance Rules – Terms and Conditions (1 February 2025, MHMT41)
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Vhi MultiTrip Travel Insurance Rules – Terms and Conditions (1 February 2024, MHMT40)
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Vhi MultiTrip Under 65 – Insurance Product Information Document (IPID, February 2024)
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Policy specifics
Trip Cancellation/Curtailment
Coverage for unused travel and accommodation costs if trip is cancelled or curtailed before departure or during the trip up to €10,000 limit
Luggage Loss or Damage
Cover up to €2,000 for luggage that is lost or damaged during the trip
Medical Repatriation
Cover up to €10,000,000 per person for emergency medical repatriation to Ireland if a medical emergency occurs abroad.
Emergency Medical Expenses
In-patient cover up to €10 million per person for emergency medical treatment abroad that cannot wait until return to Ireland
Winter Sports Coverage (Optional Add-on)
Optional add-on covering winter sports activities including on-piste skiing, snowboarding, and related activities
Excess Waiver (Optional Add-on)
Optional add-on to waive the €95 excess per person per claim
Minimum Private Medical Insurance Requirement
Mandatory requirement to hold active private medical insurance plan with minimum €65,000 overseas medical cover
Trip Duration Limits by Age
Maximum 60 days per trip for ages up to 64; 30 days per trip for ages 65–79 in Zone 1 or 3; 30 days per trip for ages 80+ in Zone 1; 21 days for ages 80+ in Zone 2; no cover in Zone 3 for ages 80+. Maximum 180 days per year across all trips.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions Coverage
Coverage for pre-existing conditions up to full medical limit if condition is covered under domestic private medical insurance and that plan has overseas cover
Department of Foreign Affairs Travel Advisory Restriction
No cover applies if policy purchased on or after 28 February 2026 with intention to travel to destination deemed 'avoid non-essential travel' or 'do not travel' by DFA
Minimum Age Requirement
Persons under 18 years of age may not purchase this policy
Ireland Residence Requirement
Home address must be in the Republic of Ireland to be eligible to purchase policy. Trips must commence and end in Ireland.
Ireland Domestic Trips Accommodation Requirement
For trips solely within Ireland, minimum 1 night paid accommodation must be pre-booked prior to departure for cover to apply
14-Day Cancellation Right
Full refund of premium if policy cancelled within 14 days of purchase or receipt of terms, provided no trip started and no claim made or intended
Automatic Policy Renewal
Where possible, policy renews automatically with notice at least 20 working days before expiration with details of new premium and any changes to terms