For many travellers, especially casual or leisure travellers, getting an insurance policy before a trip is more of an optional thing rather than a necessity.
However, given the potential for loss of both property and life, as well as illness and injury, a greater number are looking into getting insurance.
This is especially true among frequent fliers like business travellers,overseas workers, students attending school abroad, and those who often travel to visit relatives overseas.
But is travel insurance really a necessity or is it a matter of local or regional preference?
Why you need travel insurance
As with any other form of insurance, travel insurance serves as a safety net whenever you’re on the go.
It is your surety against any financial losses resulting from unexpected events such as accidents or critical emergencies; most policies also cover losses from cancellations, delays, and even improper baggage handling and negligent or indifferent service.
Having an insurance policy in place means you get reimbursed for prepaid and / or non-refundable costs, particularly if your plans drastically change due to untoward circumstances.
Is travel insurance mandatory?
To be fair, this is a question best answered with “It depends on where you’re going.”
Between 2021 and mid-2022, Singapore required anyone travelling in to present proof that they were covered by a travel insurance policy; the regulation was officially repealed in the spring of 2022; however, a number of people who frequently travel to Singapore see the prudence of keeping a policy in place.
2025, however, saw a significant number of countries implementing regulations calling on travellers to have either a health or travel insurance policy (ideally both) in hand when they rock up to the immigration counter.
Per a report from Forbes in October of last year, these nations include:
- Argentina Initially implemented in July 2025, then revised a month later, Argentina’s insurance requirement stems from its government’s immigration reform programme which seeks to standardise and regularise access to the health system, education, residence, and deportations. As such, it is meant to protect the country’s healthcare infrastructure from being overburdened by uninsured visitors;
- Nations covered by the Schengen Area The 29 nations under Europe’s Schengen Area require that visa applicants need to have at least US$35,000 in medical coverage. Such coverage needs to apply to emergency hospitalisation as well as repatriation in the event of critical illness, injury, or potential contagion. This is a non-negotiable requirement for anyone applying for a Schengen Visa regardless of their country of origin. But here’s a caveat, particularly for those heading to France: all travellers are required to carry medical travel insurance and border patrols have the right to ask travellers for proof prior to entry;
- Cuba, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands These Central and South American nations will bar entry to those without ample health insurance in place and officials will ask for proof upon arrival; and
- Russia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates Each of these nations has specific travel insurance regulations, but these are dependent on traveller type, visa category, as well as point of entry.
Better safe than sorry
In April of last year, in light of the major earthquake that rocked Myanmar and Thailand, we published a piece highlighting the need for travel insurance to safeguard travellers in the event of such calamities.
At the time, we pointed out how foreigners within the vicinity who had policies in place were able to get assistance even if they couldn’t reach their respective embassies or consulates.
It isn’t just about natural disasters; having insurance protects you from the unpleasant, even dangerous, effects of being in precarious situations such as sudden outbreaks of violence and unrest, or even the potential for widespread medical contagion.
Indeed, what we said then is still what we’re saying now: “Having an insurance policy that covers such incidents is key to having peace of mind even in the worst of circumstances, knowing that you’re covered by some degree of protection.”
