Zurich
Zurich is a travel insurance for the PT market with online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
For medical expenses abroad, Zurich's Assistance Services will pay or reimburse (with prior agreement and supporting documents) medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, and hospitalisation expenses up to the contracted limit. A €50.00 excess per person per claim applies to medical expenses abroad and to road-accident medical expenses in Portugal in transit to abroad. Repatriation expenses are covered directly by the Assistance Services. Reimbursement is made upon presentation of original invoices/receipts to whoever paid the expenses.
Geographic scope
PT
Em qualquer parte do mundo (worldwide). Coverage under Condição Especial 003 Assistência às Pessoas applies worldwide; air ambulance restricted to Europe and Mediterranean-rim countries.
Unique selling points
- Three scalable coverage tiers (Nível 1/2/3) plus a dedicated Snow option allow travellers to precisely match protection to their trip type and budget.
- Sanitary transport and medical evacuation limits reach up to €500,000 (Nível 3), well above the typical market minimum for travel insurance products.
- The Consulta do Viajante service provides specialised pre-departure medical advice tailored to the travel destination, a differentiating feature not commonly included in standard travel policies.
- Immediate policy issuance and management available via the Zurich4You app, enabling 24/7 self-service access to policy documents and assistance requests while abroad.
- Trip interruption reimbursement covers an unusually broad range of force-majeure triggers including seismic activity at destination, hotel uninhabitability, electoral summons, and unexpected surgical call-up.
Coverage limits
Medical, Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Hospitalisation Expenses Abroad
Optional
Covers medical, surgical, pharmaceutical and hospitalisation expenses incurred abroad due to accident or illness during the trip, via Zurich's Assistance Services. Limits vary by tier: Nível 1: €5,000; Nível 2: €7,500; Nível 3: €10,000; Neve option: €2,500. A €50.00 excess per person per claim applies. Surgical interventions covered only if urgent and not postponable until return to Portugal. Chronic/pre-existing diseases excluded.
Emergency Medical Treatment Abroad
Optional
Emergency medical treatment abroad is covered within the Despesas Médicas, Cirúrgicas, Farmacêuticas e de Hospitalização no Estrangeiro guarantee. Surgical interventions are covered only if of an urgent and non-postponable nature. Limits: Nível 1 €5,000; Nível 2 €7,500; Nível 3 €10,000; Neve €2,500; with a €50.00 excess per person per claim.
Hospitalisation Expenses Abroad
Optional
Hospitalisation expenses abroad are covered within the Despesas Médicas, Cirúrgicas, Farmacêuticas e de Hospitalização guarantee, including hospitalisation costs (a.3). Limits: Nível 1 €5,000; Nível 2 €7,500; Nível 3 €10,000; Neve €2,500. A €50.00 excess per person per claim applies. If hospitalisation exceeds 5 days, the policy also covers return travel for one family member from Portugal (see guarantee 4.4).
Outpatient Treatment Abroad
Optional
Outpatient medical fees, pharmaceutical expenses, and travel to doctors/clinics for regular clinical treatment are covered within the Despesas Médicas, Cirúrgicas, Farmacêuticas e de Hospitalização guarantee (items a.1, a.2, a.4, and 5.3). Limits: Nível 1 €5,000; Nível 2 €7,500; Nível 3 €10,000; Neve €2,500. A €50.00 excess per person per claim applies.
Emergency Dental Treatment
Excluded
Emergency dental treatment is not explicitly covered under the Condição Especial 003. The medical expenses guarantee covers medical and surgical fees resulting from accident or illness; dental is not listed as a covered item and is not mentioned anywhere in the policy documents.
Sanitary Transport or Repatriation of Injured and Sick
Optional
Covers the cost of ambulance transport to the nearest clinic or hospital, medical team monitoring, and organisation and cost of transfer to a more suitable hospital or home in Portugal using the most appropriate means of transport. Air ambulance restricted to Europe and Mediterranean-rim countries. Limits: Nível 1 €200,000; Nível 2 €350,000; Nível 3 €500,000; Neve €200,000.
Medical Evacuation
Optional
Covered within Sanitary Transport or Repatriation of Injured and Sick (guarantee 4.2). Zurich's Assistance Services arrange the most appropriate means of transport to transfer the insured to a suitable hospital centre or home in Portugal. Air ambulance is restricted to Europe and Mediterranean-rim countries; for other cases, transfer is to the nearest adequately equipped hospital. Limits: Nível 1 €200,000; Nível 2 €350,000; Nível 3 €500,000; Neve €200,000.
Transport or Repatriation of Deceased Insured Person
Optional
Covers all formalities at the place of death and transport or repatriation of the insured person's remains to the place of burial in Portugal. If a family member was accompanying under guarantee 4.5, their return home to Portugal is also covered. Limits: Nível 1 €10,000; Nível 2 €15,000; Nível 3 €20,000; Neve €10,000.
Search and Rescue / On-Piste Rescue Expenses
Optional
Search and rescue is not explicitly covered under the standard tiers. Under the exclusive "Neve" (Snow) option, on-piste rescue costs (Despesas de socorro em pista) and transport from the piste to the ski station medical centre or nearest hospital are covered up to €10,000 each, subject to medical prescription. No search and rescue benefit exists for other tiers.
COVID-19 Treatment
Conditional
The policy explicitly excludes infectious/contagious diseases when declared an epidemic or pandemic by the competent authorities (Condição Especial 003, ponto 1 (ii)). COVID-19 treatment is therefore not covered when occurring during a declared epidemic or pandemic.
Pre-existing Conditions
Excluded
The policy explicitly excludes medical expenses related to a chronic or pre-existing disease (Condição Especial 003, exclusion 7.2). Additionally, Cláusula 12 states that where accident consequences are aggravated by a pre-existing disease or illness, Zurich's liability is capped at what it would have been without that pre-existing condition.
Winter Sports Cover ("Neve" Option)
Optional
A dedicated "Neve" (Snow) tier exists that provides medical, surgical, pharmaceutical and hospitalisation expenses up to €2,500 (with €50 excess), sanitary transport/repatriation up to €200,000, on-piste rescue costs up to €10,000, ski-station medical transport up to €10,000, and crutch purchase up to €25. Winter sports (Desportos de Inverno) are explicitly excluded under the standard tiers and the Condição Especial 003 complementary risk coverage unless the Neve option is contracted.
Adventure Sports Cover
Excluded
Accidents arising from the practice of Alpinism, Martial Arts, Boxing, Big-Game Hunting, Underwater Hunting, Winter Sports, Motorboating, Motor Racing, Parachuting, Bullfighting, and analogous high-risk sports are explicitly excluded (Cláusula 4, ponto 2). Federated sporting activity and related training are also excluded. Amateur recreational sports practice is covered under the base policy (Cláusula 3, ponto 4).
Pregnancy Complications
Conditional
Medical expenses arising from pregnancy complications are explicitly excluded from the medical expenses guarantee (Condição Especial 003, exclusion 7.2: 'Resultantes de complicações devidas ao estado de gravidez'). However, birth complications during the first six months of pregnancy (except if foreseeable) can trigger the trip interruption guarantee (ponto 4.8.2 g) as a force-majeure cause for the insured person, spouse, or dependants. Coverage is thus conditional and limited to trip interruption reimbursement only, not medical expenses.
Civil Liability
Optional
Covers extra-contractual civil liability for bodily injury and/or material damage caused to third parties during the trip, up to the limit set in the Condições Particulares. Also covers spouse and minor children accompanying the insured, and damage caused by domestic animals. Limit capped at the maximum set in Condições Particulares per claim or aggregate per policy year. Available via Condição Especial 001 (optional add-on).
Legal Assistance
Excluded
Legal assistance is not provided as a standalone coverage under this policy. The Civil Liability guarantee (Condição Especial 001) explicitly excludes criminal liability, fines, and court appeal costs (unless Zurich deems them necessary). No legal assistance or bail coverage is offered.
24/7 Assistance Service
Optional
A 24-hour Assistance Service (Serviço de Assistência) is provided through a delegated Assistance Company that handles informational support and manages claims under the assistance coverage. The insured must contact this service immediately when requiring medical care during travel. Coverage applies for trips not exceeding 90 days. Available as part of the Condição Especial 003 Assistência às Pessoas add-on.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
The insured must contact Zurich's 24-hour Assistance Service immediately when requiring medical care during the trip. Claims where Zurich was not called to intervene at the time of the event are excluded (Condição Especial 003, exclusion 7.1 b). The policy number and assistance service contact number should always be available.
Unauthorized treatment
For medical expenses abroad, prior agreement with Zurich's Assistance Services is required for reimbursement. Surgical interventions are only covered if they are urgent and cannot be postponed until the insured's return to Portugal. The insured must comply with medical prescriptions; if not, Zurich's liability is limited to the consequences that would presumably have occurred if prescriptions had been followed. A €50.00 excess per person per claim applies to medical expenses abroad.
Purchase while abroad
The policy must be purchased before the start of the trip; coverage begins when the insured boards the first means of transport for the insured trip and ends when the insured leaves the last means of transport, even if the insurance period has not expired. For individual contracts with a natural person as policyholder, the contract is considered accepted on the 14th day after receipt of the proposal by Zurich unless notified otherwise. The policy cannot be purchased after the trip has begun.
Chronic conditions
Medical expenses related to a chronic or pre-existing disease are explicitly excluded from the Assistance guarantee (Condição Especial 003, exclusion 7.2). Additionally, where accident consequences are aggravated by a pre-existing disease or illness, Zurich's liability cannot exceed what it would have been had the accident occurred to a person without that pre-existing condition (Cláusula 12).
Pregnancy
Medical expenses resulting from pregnancy complications are explicitly excluded (Condição Especial 003, exclusion 7.2). However, birth complications during the first six months of pregnancy (unless foreseeable) of the insured person, spouse, or dependants can serve as force-majeure grounds to activate the trip interruption guarantee (ponto 4.8.2 g), providing reimbursement of non-recoverable expenses for unused days, but not medical expenses.
pre_existing_conditions
Pre-existing conditions are excluded from medical expense coverage (Condição Especial 003, exclusion 7.2: expenses related to chronic or pre-existing disease not covered). For accident-related claims, if a pre-existing disease aggravates the consequences of the accident, Zurich's liability is capped at what it would have been without the pre-existing condition (Cláusula 12). No waiver or extension for pre-existing conditions is available under the standard product.
coverage_duration_limit
The Assistência às Pessoas coverage (Condição Especial 003) applies only to trips not exceeding 90 days. Coverage starts when the insured boards the first means of transport and ends when the insured leaves the last means of transport used during the insured trip, even if the policy period has not yet expired. The policy may be issued for a fixed period (seguro temporário) or for one year, renewable annually. The policy automatically lapses at the end of the calendar year in which the insured person turns 70 years of age.
Where to buy
Policy specifics
Medical expenses abroad
Coverage for medical, surgical, pharmaceutical and hospital expenses incurred abroad due to accident or illness
Baggage coverage
Coverage for baggage loss, theft, damage or destruction during travel
Death and permanent disability
Coverage for death of insured person or permanent disability from accident during trip
Funeral expenses
Coverage for funeral expenses if insured person dies during travel
Civil liability coverage
Coverage protecting insured from liability for damages caused to third parties
Trip cancellation
Coverage for reimbursement of non-recoverable travel expenses in case of force majeure cancellation
Pre-travel medical consultation
Coverage includes medical consultation about preventive measures before, during and after travel based on destination
Medical assistance activation
Insured must contact Zurich's 24H medical assistance service immediately when requiring medical care during travel
Trip dates must match policy dates
The insurance policy dates must align with the actual start and end dates of the trip
Group coverage availability
Insurance can be adapted for multiple persons traveling together; each person who travels with you can be covered