Travel Insurance for a Trip: How Not to Buy a Useless Policy and Not Be Left Without a Payout

Planning a trip abroad from Kazakhstan and wondering if you need insurance? For Schengen and Georgia (from 2026) — yes, it’s mandatory. For Turkey, Thailand or the UAE — formally no, but without it one visit to the doctor can wipe out your entire trip budget. Here’s how to choose a policy that will actually help instead of making you pay out of your own pocket.

Every year thousands of Kazakhstani citizens fly to Turkey, Thailand, the UAE, Europe or Georgia. And almost every third person later complains in chats: “The insurance didn’t work”, “Assistance didn’t answer”, “We paid ourselves because they refused”.

The good news: this can be avoided. The bad news: most people buy a policy “just for show” and only read the terms afterwards. This article is a practical guide specifically for residents of Kazakhstan. No fluff, with real 2026 rules.

Mandatory:
- Schengen visa: minimum 30,000 euros coverage for medical expenses + repatriation. The policy must be valid throughout the Schengen area and the entire period of stay (confirmed by VFS Global and embassy requirements).
- Georgia from 1 January 2026: for all foreigners, including Kazakhstani citizens. Minimum — $5,000 for outpatient care and $30,000 for inpatient care, evacuation and repatriation. Checked at the border; fine or entry denial possible.

Not mandatory, but strongly recommended:
- Turkey, UAE, Thailand, Uzbekistan, South Korea — visa-free for Kazakhstani citizens. But one fracture or appendicitis in Thailand can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. The state of Kazakhstan does not pay for treatment abroad.

When you can do without insurance: only very short trips to countries with cheap medicine and low risk (for example, short border trips to Uzbekistan for 2–3 days). In all other cases — it’s better to get insured.

A basic policy (from Nomad, Halyk, NSK, Eurasia, etc.) includes:
- Emergency medical care (doctor, tests, medicines).
- Inpatient treatment and emergency hospitalisation.
- Emergency dentistry (usually up to 200 USD).
- Medical transportation and evacuation.
- Repatriation (including the body in case of death).

You can additionally add:
- Accident (payout in case of injury).
- Loss of baggage.
- Trip cancellation or interruption.
- Civil liability (if you accidentally injure someone).
- Active rest/sports.
- COVID-19 (separate option).

Important: coverage only for sudden acute cases. Exacerbation of a chronic illness is often covered only if it threatens life and was not a contraindication for the trip.

The insurance company pays the money. Assistance (Balt-Assistance, Savitar Group, Remed Assistance, etc.) organises help on the spot: finds a clinic, negotiates payment, sends a doctor, handles hospitalisation issues.

Good assistance answers 24/7 on a Russian-language phone, quickly organises help and does not make you pay out of pocket with later reimbursement. Bad assistance — “call yourself” or “pay first, we’ll sort it out later”.

Tip: when choosing a policy, look not only at the insurance company name (Halyk, Nomad, NSK), but also at who exactly provides the assistance. The information is usually in the insurance rules.

• Sum insured: for Schengen and Georgia — minimum 30,000 €/$. For Thailand and countries with expensive medicine — better 50,000 $ and above.
• Deductible: the amount you pay yourself (e.g. 50 euros). Policies with a deductible are cheaper, but for minor cases you bear the costs. For children, elderly and active rest — better without a deductible. Some companies have an automatic 10 % deductible for people over 65.
• Territory: choose “Worldwide” or specific countries + transit. The policy does not apply in your country of citizenship/permanent residence.
• Terms: the policy must start before departure and end after return. It is almost always impossible to arrange it while already abroad.

Refusals most often occur if:
- The case is related to alcohol or drugs.
- Injury from active sports without the additional option (skiing, diving, quad biking, trekking).
- Exacerbation of a chronic disease (asthma, hypertension, diabetes).
- Pregnancy and childbirth (usually not covered, except in emergency cases).
- You did not call assistance before seeing a doctor.
- The policy was issued after the trip started or on the territory of coverage.

Always read the “Exclusions” section in the specific insurer’s rules (example — current Nomad Insurance rules as of 30.04.2026).

Compare using this checklist:
1. Sum insured and deductible.
2. Who provides assistance and reviews about them.
3. Coverage for sports, COVID, chronic diseases.
4. Possibility of online purchase and instant email delivery.
5. Notification conditions for the claim (how many hours you have).
6. Deadline for submitting documents after return.

Buy directly on the insurers’ websites (Nomad, Halyk, NSK, Amanat, Eurasia) or through bank apps. There are no major aggregators like the Russian Sravni.ru for Kazakhstani policies yet — compare manually.

1. Determine the country, dates, purpose of the trip and number of people.
2. Check visa/entry requirements (Schengen — 30,000 €, Georgia 2026 — 30,000 $).
3. Decide on a reasonable minimum sum insured (30–50 thousand $).
4. Consider the format of the holiday: with children, elderly, active sports — need extended options.
5. Study exclusions and deductible in the rules.
6. Check assistance.
7. Compare 3–5 offers on the full set of parameters.
8. Purchase the policy before departure, save the PDF and assistance contacts in your phone.
9. Tell your loved ones what to do in case of an insured event.
10. In case of an incident — call assistance immediately, do not pay yourself.

• Automatic additional options in the calculator (baggage, trip cancellation).
• Baggage coverage if you travel light.
• Extended sports coverage if you are just lying on the beach.
• Annual policy if you travel 1–2 times a year.
• Duplicating insurance from the bank or tour operator (check what you already have).
• Buying at the last minute without comparing.
• Expensive brand without checking the terms.

Sometimes additional options are really needed — if the risk is real.

• Trip with children.
• Active rest (mountains, skiing, diving, motorbikes).
• Elderly age (often higher coefficient and deductible).
• Pregnancy.
• Chronic diseases.
• Countries with expensive medicine (Thailand, Europe, USA).
• Complex itinerary with transfers.

In these cases it is better to pay a bit more but have no gaps in coverage.

1. Call assistance immediately (number in the policy).
2. Give your full name, policy number, what happened.
3. Follow the instructions (they will organise a doctor/hospitalisation).
4. Keep all receipts, prescriptions, tickets.
5. Do not pay yourself without approval (except for small amounts of 200–500 USD according to the rules).
6. After return, submit documents to the insurer within the deadline.

• Buy a policy from the tour operator and think it “covers everything”.
• Do not read the exclusions.
• Do not call assistance before seeing a doctor.
• Hide chronic illnesses when purchasing.
• Take a policy with a low sum for the visa and hope for the best.
• Lose the PDF policy and do not know the help contacts.

Conclusion: Good insurance is not an expense, but an investment in a peaceful holiday. The main thing is to choose a policy for your specific trip, not the cheapest or the most expensive one.

1. Official insurance rules of Nomad Insurance (version 30.04.2026).
2. Websites of insurance companies Halyk Insurance, NSK, Eurasia.
3. Schengen visa requirements (VFS Global, embassies, checked for 2026).
4. Information on new entry rules to Georgia from 01.01.2026 (Government of Georgia decree).
5. Recommendations for Thailand, Turkey, UAE — official sources and insurer websites (recommended but not mandatory).

All data is current as of May 2026. Before purchasing always check the latest rules on the chosen insurance company’s website.