# Travel Insurance Requirements for an Austria Visa from India > What travel medical insurance an Indian applicant needs for an Austrian Schengen visa: EUR 30,000 minimum, Schengen-wide, whole trip, approved insurer list from 2026, and long-stay rules. _Published: 2026-11-04 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1110_ ## TL;DR For an Austrian Schengen visa applied for in India, travel medical insurance must cover at least EUR 30,000, be valid across all Schengen states and last for the whole stay. Since 1 January 2026, only policies from insurers on the approved list are accepted, and long-stay routes such as the Working Holiday visa and student residence permit have their own insurance rules. ## Key takeaways - Minimum coverage is EUR 30,000, valid throughout the Schengen states for the whole intended stay or transit. - Since 1 January 2026, applications lodged in India accept insurance only from companies on the approved list. - Multiple-entry applicants insure the first intended visit and sign a statement of awareness for later stays. - Working Holiday visa applicants need travel, health and accident insurance of at least EUR 30,000 for the whole stay. - Student residence permit applicants need health insurance covering all risks in Austria, costed on top of the required funds. **According to the Austrian Embassy New Delhi and VFS Global, Indians applying for an Austria Schengen visa need travel medical insurance valid across all Schengen states for the entire stay, with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000. Since 1 January 2026, insurance for applications lodged in India is accepted only from companies on the approved insurer list.** ## Article These rules come from the Embassy's checklists and the VFS Global Austria page for India, as published on the official sources, checked on 2026-10-15. Insurance is one line on a long checklist, and our Austria visa page for Indian applicants covers the rest of the file. ### What must the policy cover for a short-stay visa? The rule has five parts, and a policy has to meet all of them. RequirementOfficial rule for applications in IndiaType of coverTravel medical insuranceMinimum coverageEUR 30,000Where it appliesValid throughout the territory of the Schengen member states, not just AustriaHow longThe entire period of the intended stay or transitWho issues itSince 1 January 2026, only a company on the list of approved insurance companiesThe cover must match your travel dates in the application. If your itinerary runs from the day you land to the day you fly home, the policy should cover both of those days. A policy that starts a day late or ends a day early does not cover the entire stay. Only diplomatic and official passport holders are exempt from the EUR 30,000 rule, according to the Official Visit checklist. Every other Indian applicant, whether travelling for tourism, business or a family visit, includes a policy. ### Which Indian insurers are on the approved list? VFS Global announced that, from 1 January 2026, travel medical insurance for applications lodged in India is accepted only if issued by one of the companies on the approved list. The list is linked from the VFS Global Austria page for India. When we checked, the list file itself could not be retrieved, so we cannot reproduce the names here. Before you pay for a policy, open the VFS page and confirm that your insurer's exact company name appears on the current list. Buying first and checking later is the most expensive order to do this in, because a policy from an unlisted insurer does not meet the requirement. ### How do you insure a multiple-entry visa? A multiple-entry visa can be valid far longer than your first trip. The rule for this situation is practical: you prove travel medical insurance for the first intended visit, and you sign a statement of awareness for later stays. That statement confirms you know each later trip also needs insurance. This matters more for Indians now because of the EU visa cascade. Under the Commission rules of 18 April 2024, Indian nationals residing in India who obtained and lawfully used two Schengen visas within the previous three years can be issued a two-year multiple-entry visa, normally followed by a five-year visa. Each later trip on that visa needs its own cover, even though you will not show it at VFS again. ### Are the insurance rules different for long stays? Austria's long-stay routes each set their own insurance wording. RouteInsurance requirementLong Term (D) visa, 91 days to 6 months, lodged at VFSThe VFS common checklist for C and D applications lists travel medical insurance with a minimum of EUR 30,000Working Holiday Programme visa (up to 12 months)Travel, health and accident insurance for the whole stay, cover of at least EUR 30,000Residence Permit - Student (over 6 months)Health insurance covering all risks in Austria; its cost is shown in addition to the required fundsJob seeker visa (very highly qualified workers)Health insurance, together with accommodation and means of subsistenceAu-pair residence permitAccident and health insurance covering practically all risks and payable in AustriaFor a student residence permit, the insurance cost is not counted inside the monthly funds. Austria's 2026 figures are EUR 722.58 a month up to age 24 and EUR 1,308.39 from age 24, and the health insurance cost is shown on top of that. Working Holiday applicants pay a EUR 195 fee that is not refunded if the visa is refused, so it pays to check that the policy includes accident cover as well as health cover before you apply. ### What do you lose if the policy does not qualify? The short-stay visa fee is EUR 90 (INR 9810) for an adult, plus a VFS service charge of INR 2479, and the visa fee is non-refundable if the visa is refused. Processing usually takes 15 working days from receipt by the Embassy and can be extended up to 45 calendar days. A file that needs fixing costs you both money and time, and short-stay applications must be lodged at least 15 days before travel. After a refusal, the Embassy's visa page describes two legal remedies: a 'Vorstellung' filed at the competent consulate, or an appeal to the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht), as explained on the refusal form. Getting the insurance right before you apply is quicker than either route. ### Insurance mistakes to avoid - An Austria-only policy. Cover must be valid throughout the Schengen states. - Dates that do not match the itinerary. The policy must cover the entire intended stay. - An insurer not on the approved list. Check the VFS list before paying. - Cover below EUR 30,000. Make sure the medical sum insured clearly meets the minimum. - Forgetting later trips. On a multiple-entry visa, each later stay needs insurance too. Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters for visa files, so your policy dates and itinerary line up. Packages run from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact our team. ### Frequently asked questions #### Do I need a separate insurance policy for each Schengen country on my Austria trip? No. One travel medical insurance policy is enough if it is valid throughout the territory of the Schengen member states and covers the entire stay, with at least EUR 30,000 of coverage. #### Can I buy travel insurance after my Austrian visa is approved? No. Travel medical insurance is on the list of documents you submit with the application at VFS. The policy must already exist and cover your planned travel dates when you apply. #### Do children need travel insurance for an Austria visa? The checklists name only diplomatic and official passport holders as exempt from the EUR 30,000 insurance rule. Children travelling on ordinary Indian passports should therefore be covered by a policy that meets the same rule. #### Does the Austria visa insurance need to cover days in transit? Yes. The policy must cover the entire period of the intended stay or transit and be valid throughout the Schengen states. A policy that starts only on arrival in Austria can leave a gap if you enter through another Schengen country. ## FAQ ### Do I need a separate insurance policy for each Schengen country on my Austria trip? No. One travel medical insurance policy is enough if it is valid throughout the territory of the Schengen member states and covers the entire stay, with at least EUR 30,000 of coverage. ### Can I buy travel insurance after my Austrian visa is approved? No. Travel medical insurance is on the list of documents you submit with the application at VFS. The policy must already exist and cover your planned travel dates when you apply. ### Do children need travel insurance for an Austria visa? The checklists name only diplomatic and official passport holders as exempt from the EUR 30,000 insurance rule. Children travelling on ordinary Indian passports should therefore be covered by a policy that meets the same rule. ### Does the Austria visa insurance need to cover days in transit? Yes. The policy must cover the entire period of the intended stay or transit and be valid throughout the Schengen states. A policy that starts only on arrival in Austria can leave a gap if you enter through another Schengen country. ## Sources 1. [VFS Global - Apply for Visa to Austria in India and Nepal](https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/austria/india/english/) — VFS Global 2. [Austrian Embassy New Delhi - Visa for Tourism checklist (updated August 2026)](https://www.bmeia.gv.at/fileadmin/user_upload/Vertretungen/New_Delhi/ENG/Visa_for_Tourism_Checklist_updated_AUG_2026.pdf) — Austrian Embassy New Delhi 3. [BMEIA - Working Holiday application by country (Indian nationals: Embassy New Delhi, EUR 195, documents)](https://www.bmeia.gv.at/reise-services/einreise-und-aufenthalt-in-oesterreich/working-holiday/working-holiday-antrag) — Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs