Updated 7 November 2026. Every limit and price below is one we could check on that date, and each one names its source. Premiums change often, so confirm the current figure with the insurer before you pay.
You are standing in a visa centre queue and someone asks for travel insurance. The short answer: buy a policy from an insurer licensed by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), make the dates cover your whole trip, and match the medical limit to the destination. For a Schengen visa, that limit is at least €30,000. Everything after that is detail, and the detail is where policies differ.
The five checks that matter most
- Schengen: the policy must show at least €30,000 of medical cover, valid across the whole Schengen area for your entire stay, including repatriation.
- United Kingdom: travel insurance is not a stated requirement for a visitor visa, so the decision is protection, not eligibility.
- Price: Nigerian insurers quote by age, trip length and cover area. A published “from” price is a starting point, not your premium.
- Licence: confirm the company is licensed by NAICOM before you pay. An agent’s letter is not a policy.
- Paperwork: ask for the policy wording and the schedule in writing, then read the exclusions list before you hand over money.
What a Nigerian travel policy covers
Most travel plans sold in Nigeria follow the same pattern, though limits differ. The table shows what each section is normally meant to do, and what to confirm on the schedule.
| Section | What it pays for | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency medical treatment | Doctor, hospital and medicine bills while you are abroad | The limit, and whether it is per trip or per person |
| Hospitalisation | Inpatient care after an accident or sudden illness | Whether the insurer pays the hospital directly or refunds you |
| Medical evacuation | Moving you to a better hospital, or home | Who authorises it, and the maximum amount |
| Repatriation of remains | Bringing a body home if the traveller dies abroad | That it is included, since Schengen rules require it |
| Baggage loss or delay | Replacing clothes and essentials, and lost luggage | The per-item cap, which is usually far lower than the total |
| Trip cancellation | Money lost if you cancel for a listed reason | The list of accepted reasons |
| Personal liability | Damage or injury you cause to someone else | Whether it is included at all |
| 24-hour assistance | A phone line for medical and travel emergencies | That the number works before you fly |
AXA Mansard, for example, describes its general travel product with plan tiers that carry different medical limits, and a Schengen option built for the visa rule. Leadway Assurance also advertises a travel insurance purchase page, though the details sit behind a quote rather than on the page.
Check one: the dates
The policy period must cover every day you are outside Nigeria, starting from your departure date. A common error is buying cover from the date of the visa appointment instead of the date of travel. If your flight lands back on 4 March, the cover should run to at least 4 March, and a day later is safer.
Ask the insurer to write the start and end dates on the schedule. If your trip dates move after you buy, request an endorsement in writing before you fly.
Check two: the territory
Travel policies list where you are covered, and the wording is narrower than most people expect. AXA Mansard’s product description, for instance, separates a Schengen area, a global area that excludes the traveller’s country of residence, and a second global area that also excludes the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. A cheaper plan may leave out the country you are actually visiting.
Read the territory line and match it to your itinerary, including stopovers. If you are transiting through a country outside the covered area, ask whether the transit counts.
Check three: the medical limit
The medical limit is the single number that decides whether the policy helps in a real emergency. Hospital treatment in Europe, the United Kingdom or North America can pass a small limit quickly. Choose a limit you would be comfortable paying yourself if the insurer refused, then compare premiums at that limit rather than at the cheapest tier.
Note whether the limit is per person or shared. Some family plans pool one amount across the whole group, which lowers the cover per traveller.
Check four: the exclusions
Every policy excludes something, and the list is where claims fail. The exclusion section is short and worth reading in full. If a detail matters to you, such as a managed health condition, a planned activity or a pregnancy, ask the insurer to confirm cover in writing before you buy.
Check five: who answers the phone
Ask for the assistance line and the claims email before you travel. Save both in your phone and write the policy number in your notes. If the number is a Nigerian office that closes at 5pm, ask what happens at 2am in another time zone.
The Schengen €30,000 rule, explained
A Schengen short-stay visa applicant must hold travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000. The policy has to be valid for the entire intended stay and across the whole Schengen area. It must cover emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, and repatriation, including repatriation in the event of death. The European Commission sets out the visa framework on its Schengen visa policy page.
Three practical points follow from that.
- €30,000 is a floor, not a target. Nothing stops you buying a higher limit.
- Nigerian nationality does not change the threshold. The test is the policy, not the passport.
- No insurer’s brand is automatically accepted by every consulate. The consulate’s checklist and the insurer’s wording decide, so check the mission’s current instructions for your destination.
Insurers publish products aimed at this requirement. AXA runs a dedicated Schengen travel insurance page for Nigerian applicants and states that its Schengen plan meets the €30,000 minimum, with emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains included.
The naira value of €30,000 moves with the exchange rate. That is another reason to buy close to your travel date, once your itinerary is fixed.
What the UK, United States and Canada require
The UK Standard Visitor route does not list travel insurance as a mandatory document. You can travel without it. You would then carry the full cost of any accident or illness, and NHS treatment that is free to residents is not free to visitors in every situation.
For the United States and Canada, check the specific visa or study programme. Some exchange programmes, universities and employers require proof of medical cover, and the requirement usually names a minimum amount.
For visitors, the useful test is simple. If a hospital bill abroad would change your plans, the policy is doing real work, whatever the visa rules say.
Who sells travel insurance in Nigeria
General insurers licensed by NAICOM sell the product, sometimes through brokers, agents and banks. Licensing is not optional. The Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025 states that a person may not carry on insurance business in Nigeria unless licensed by NAICOM, and NAICOM published licensing and renewal guidelines that take effect from January 2026.
The table below separates what each insurer publishes from what we could not verify on 7 November 2026. Where a price is missing, that means we found no current published premium, not that the insurer is expensive.
| Insurer | Published Schengen position | Price published |
|---|---|---|
| AXA Mansard | Schengen plan states at least €30,000 medical cover, evacuation and repatriation | “From” figures on a corporate page: ₦3,116.48 Schengen, ₦3,200 and ₦5,000 for two global areas, undated |
| Leadway Assurance | Buy-travel page listed, no limits shown on the page | No verified figure |
| SanlamAllianz Nigeria | Named in third-party comparisons as a Schengen provider, no plan limits published in results | No verified figure |
| AIICO Insurance | Third-party page describes Schengen cover through an assistance partner | No verified figure |
| Custodian, Heirs Insurance, Stanbic IBTC Insurance | Not established by the sources we checked | No verified figure |
Treat any price quoted by a friend or a blog as a lead. Ask each insurer for a written quote on the same trip dates, the same destination area and the same medical limit, then compare.
Why quotes for the same trip differ
Premiums move with the risk the insurer takes on. Expect a higher figure when any of these apply.
- Longer trips: a 30-day policy costs more than a 7-day one.
- Destination: the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia usually cost more than the Schengen area.
- Age: older travellers often pay more, and some insurers set an age ceiling.
- Medical limit: doubling the limit raises the premium.
- Single or multi-trip: frequent flyers often save with an annual multi-trip plan.
- Deductible: accepting a share of each claim lowers the premium.
- Add-ons: adventure sports, gadget cover and cancellation for any reason are usually extra.
The gap between a “from” price and your own quote is normal, and it is not a sign of a hidden charge. A “from” figure usually assumes the youngest age band, the shortest trip, the lowest medical limit and the narrowest territory. Change any one of those and the quote moves. Compare insurers at your own age, dates and limit instead of comparing headline numbers.
How to buy it, step by step
- Confirm the destination requirement first, from the consulate or airline, before you shop.
- Shortlist two or three insurers, and confirm each is licensed on NAICOM’s register.
- Request a written quote with your dates, destinations, ages and the medical limit you want.
- Ask for the policy wording, the schedule and the exclusions list as attachments.
- Check the dates, the territory and the medical limit against your itinerary.
- Pay into the insurer’s corporate account, never an individual’s, then keep the receipt and the policy number.
If you are flying out of Lagos, the ground side is covered in our guides to domestic flights from Uyo to Lagos and the Ikeja hotel comparison. Both help when you are positioning for an early international departure.
For the trip itself, the Lagos to Lisbon flights guide sets out routes into the Schengen area, the Lagos to London flights guide covers the UK route, where to stay in Paris handles accommodation, and the Nigeria travel guide covers costs and planning. For visas, Lagos travel agencies compared lists who offers visa support, and our note on the French consulate and visa centre in Lagos explains which office handles what.
What policies usually exclude
The wording varies, but these exclusions appear often.
- Pre-existing conditions: anything diagnosed or treated before you bought the policy, unless the insurer agrees to cover it.
- Hazardous activities: some sports, motorcycle riding without a licence, and unlicensed driving.
- Travel against medical advice: flying when a doctor has said not to.
- Alcohol and drug related incidents: claims linked to intoxication are commonly refused.
- Pregnancy beyond a stated week: often 28 to 32 weeks, and the cut-off differs by insurer.
- Ignoring the insurer’s instructions: skipping the assistance call before expensive treatment.
- Unattended belongings: theft from an unlocked room or a bag left out of sight.
- Countries under a travel advisory: check the wording before you plan a trip.
If you need to claim
Call the assistance line as soon as something happens, before you commit to treatment where possible. The insurer can direct you to an approved hospital and confirm the process.
Keep every document. That normally means the medical report, receipts and invoices, the police report for theft, boarding passes, luggage tags, and the written explanation of the delay or cancellation. Send copies, keep the originals, and submit inside the window stated in the policy. Late claims are a common reason for refusal.
If a claim is refused and you think the decision is wrong, put your complaint in writing to the insurer first. If it stays unresolved, NAICOM has a complaints channel, and the policy wording usually names an ombudsman route.
Two situations people get wrong
Buying at the airport. Some airports and travel agents sell cover at the counter, and the premium is rarely cheaper. The bigger risk is a policy that starts on departure day with a limit chosen in a hurry. Buy before the visa appointment instead, so the document is ready when it is requested.
One-way and emigrating travellers. A short-stay policy usually assumes you return home within the insured period. If you are relocating, check whether the insurer sells a one-way or student plan, and ask what happens to the cover when the period ends.
Common questions
Is travel insurance compulsory for Nigerians? Not for every trip. It is effectively compulsory for a Schengen short-stay visa, because the visa requires compliant medical cover. For the United Kingdom and many other destinations it is optional, though the financial risk stays with you.
Does the Schengen policy have to be in euros? No. It has to show cover of at least €30,000, and insurers usually state the limit in euros on the schedule even when you pay in naira. Check that the euro figure appears on the document you submit.
Is travel insurance required for a UK visitor visa? No. The UK Standard Visitor guidance does not list it as a mandatory document. Some employers, universities and programmes do require proof, so check the specific route.
Can my Nigerian HMO cover me abroad? Usually not. Health maintenance organisations are built around local provider networks. Read the plan rules or ask the HMO directly before assuming overseas treatment is covered.
Is airline flight delay cover the same as travel insurance? No. An airline owes you what its conditions of carriage and the applicable passenger rules say. A travel policy may add delay benefits, and the amounts are usually small.
How early should I buy? Before your visa appointment if a visa is involved, and before departure in every case. Cancellation cover only works if it starts before the event you are claiming for.
What happens if my trip dates change? Ask for an endorsement before you travel. Most insurers will move the dates for a fee or at no cost, but an unnoted change can void a claim.
The short version
Buy from a licensed insurer, put the medical limit above the destination minimum, and make the dates cover the whole trip. For Schengen, that means €30,000 or more, valid across the area for every day of your stay. Get the quote and the wording in writing, and check the exclusions before you pay. If a policy looks cheap, find out which of the eight sections above it has trimmed.
This guide is general information for travellers, not financial advice. Rules and premiums change, so confirm the current requirement with the consulate and the current terms with the insurer before you commit.
