When Your Digital Nomad Insurance Doesn't Satisfy the Consulate

SafetyWing and World Nomads are well-known brands among long-term travelers, but several digital nomad visa consulates (Spain, Portugal, Croatia, among others) reject their certificates because they are technically travel insurance policies with exclusions, not long-stay medical insurance plans with the minimum coverage, format, or continuous validity that the immigration process requires.

The reason is almost never the brand itself, but three details of the certificate: the minimum medical coverage amount required by the country, the absence of copays/deductibles (many backpacker-type plans do have them), and whether the policy covers the entire visa period without needing fragmented renewals.

Before buying any policy for a digital nomad visa, check the official list of requirements from the relevant embassy or consulate and ask the insurer for a certificate that explicitly states the coverage amount and the absence of a copay.

Why consulates reject policies like SafetyWing or World Nomads

These policies were created for short trips or backpackers, prioritizing one-off medical emergencies rather than continuous coverage for a long stay. The most common problems when submitting them for a digital nomad visa are:

• The medical coverage amount doesn't reach the minimum required by the country (often 30,000 USD/EUR or more).
• The plan includes a deductible or copay, which many consulates explicitly reject.
• The validity is sold in blocks of a few months and doesn't cover the full year the visa lasts.
• The PDF certificate doesn't clearly detail the insured amount or a verifiable policy number.

The 5 requirements that almost no basic 'nomad' policy meets

After reviewing the published conditions of several digital nomad visas, these are the points where most policies fall short:

1. Minimum amount: equal to or higher than what the country requires (check the exact figure on the consulate's official website, as it varies by country).
2. Zero copay: the insured person should not have to pay a percentage of the medical expense.
3. Continuous validity: no gaps between renewals throughout the stay.
4. Repatriation included: medical and funeral transport, not just local care.
5. Verifiable issuance: a policy number and insurer details that the consular officer can confirm.

What your policy should have instead

Look for travel medical or international insurance (not a plan exclusively for 'backpackers') that issues a PDF certificate with the coverage amount written out in words and figures, no copay, medical and funeral repatriation included, and validity covering the full period requested for the visa, even if you have to pay for the longest available plan all at once. Insurers with digital operations such as Assist-365 issue certificates with these explicit details, which are typically accepted by consulates and embassies for visa and Working Holiday procedures; even so, always confirm the exact amount required with the consulate before buying.

How to verify your policy before submitting it

Before uploading the document to the visa portal, compare your certificate against this checklist:

Typical visa requirement	What to check in your certificate
Minimum medical coverage amount	Must appear in USD or EUR, equal to or higher than required
No copay/deductible	Must explicitly state '0% copay' or 'no deductible'
Validity	Start and end dates must cover the entire visa period
Repatriation	Must include medical and funeral transport
Territorial validity	Must cover the destination country or bloc of countries, not just 'worldwide with exclusions'

Frequently Asked Questions

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