As per the title. I know it’s advised, but is it required?
I have just noticed that this is the Italian sub-section…. I’ll move it.
I have just noticed that this is the Italian sub-section…. I’ll move it.
Is travel/repatriation insurance mandatory for France?
- Thread starter Berin
- Start date
No. It is not a legal requirement in France or ideed (as far as I know) in many countries. Some bods do go without it, as they regard it as a ripoff to feed fat cats in suits. These people are:
A. Stupid
B. Selfish, as it will probably fall to someone else to get them out of the shit when the worse happens. That will either ruin or waste parts (or all) of their mates’ holiday or that of any family they might have at home. That it might also ruin their bank account is another matter entirely.
A. Stupid
B. Selfish, as it will probably fall to someone else to get them out of the shit when the worse happens. That will either ruin or waste parts (or all) of their mates’ holiday or that of any family they might have at home. That it might also ruin their bank account is another matter entirely.
insurance is gamble....
life is a gamble....
life is a gamble....
As someone who always travels with insurance
I do, but have often wondered about the neccessity nowadays.
If bike broke, I would just fly home on a cheap flight, and return same way with parts to repair it, making the retrun trip a second holiday.
European healthcare is generally superb. I would have no worries in that respect, other than the bother of getting home if unable ot walk.
Yes, I pay my money and do not take chances, but often wonder is the cost excessive.
I do, but have often wondered about the neccessity nowadays.
If bike broke, I would just fly home on a cheap flight, and return same way with parts to repair it, making the retrun trip a second holiday.
European healthcare is generally superb. I would have no worries in that respect, other than the bother of getting home if unable ot walk.
Yes, I pay my money and do not take chances, but often wonder is the cost excessive.
There are two separate topics here:
A. Breakdown / recovery
B. Conventional Travel insurance
A, is fine providing the individual has the time and the aptitude to perform the repairs. Cue, I need help to store me bike in (insert name of obscure town) ‘cos me steeds gone bust. Not shore how long cos i aint back yets. Yup, we’ve seen them on these very pages.
B, is the ultimate gamble. The UK left the EU; that changed our relationship vis-a-vis reciprocal health care and medical treatment within the EU and visa-versa. Of course it did not vanish but I t’s not the same. Not least, there are lots of things covered under a Travel insurance policy that are NOT covered under any form of reciprocal arrangements. The policies are so cheap and so broad, anyone gambling is a mug. If in doubt, see the very sad post from Steptoe about one of his customers who was killed abroad. That poor fucker had simply bought the wrong policy. On the same theme, as friend of mine was mis-sold a Travel policy by the cnut’ ish chimps at MAG in Daventry or Rugby or whatever crap hole they traded from. ‘By bikers, for bikers’, what a feckin’ joke, when you’ve been sideswiped by a car on a junction in America, only to then discover that some cnut had flogged you something that wan’t fit to wipe your arse with.
I think there was also another post and thread about a bloke who was badly smashed up in Spain, who gambled or just thought that his work Travel insurance (he was a copper or something) would cover him for private holidays, too. That turned out OK, I think, but it maybe didn’t pay to ask too many questions. It really is not worth guessing or taking the chance on. Not least, as the most vociferous “Feck ‘em, wing it mate” merchants, probably won’t be around to assist when you are fecked, as they’ll be sat at home with (no doubt) a brew and be deaf all of a sudden.
PS The ‘excessive’ cost will look like the bargain of the day when the chips are down, trust me.
Got in one Wapping. We’ve all heard of knobs going on holiday getting pissed , really injuring themselves and cannot afford , pay ,A .medical surgical costs and B,repatriation home .I think all airlines will not allow person to fly if they are injured or unwell .
B.I.l partner fell seriously I’ll in Nepal while hiking , and only took outa further excess insurance for the higher altitude on the advice of guide .that paid for a helicopter rescue from where she collapsed down to local hospital then to be flown by medical jet with team of doctors to Kathmandu for a week then to Thailand and then home all with medical team as well as accommodation for partner .think the brother in law said it amounted to £ 260000.00.
Don’t know if a whip-round the family would cover that.
B.I.l partner fell seriously I’ll in Nepal while hiking , and only took outa further excess insurance for the higher altitude on the advice of guide .that paid for a helicopter rescue from where she collapsed down to local hospital then to be flown by medical jet with team of doctors to Kathmandu for a week then to Thailand and then home all with medical team as well as accommodation for partner .think the brother in law said it amounted to £ 260000.00.
Don’t know if a whip-round the family would cover that.
My own reparation with a damaged knee from France, required:
A. My existing return flight to be cancelled. I was booked to return on a small passenger jet from Avignon to City. The airline wouldn’t carry someone who couldn’t walk.
B. The booking of a taxi to take me and my daughter, I think she was 11, to Marseille airport.
C. The removal of the seat in front on the aeroplane from Marseille to Paris, so I could keep my leg straight.
D. A wheel chair transfer in Paris to a different terminal, along with escort to get me and my daughter through emigration / security (we went via some VIP route)
E. Another seat removed for the flight to London, after being brought onto the aeroplane via the cargo door, followed by the same VIP route through immigration in the UK
F. An escorted taxi for my daughter back home from Heathrow to Essex, a lady travelled with her all the way
G. A taxi to take me home to the West End
That was after X-Rays and a scan in a French hospital’s A&E department, bandages, crutches, pills and potions.
All arranged for me by simple phone calls to Axa’s global support team. I’d have been fecked trying to arrange it myself…. But hey, a hardened bikermate would have limped home across France, swam the Channel, carrying his daughter and then limped all the way home in London, via Essex….. all to save being ripped-off.
A. My existing return flight to be cancelled. I was booked to return on a small passenger jet from Avignon to City. The airline wouldn’t carry someone who couldn’t walk.
B. The booking of a taxi to take me and my daughter, I think she was 11, to Marseille airport.
C. The removal of the seat in front on the aeroplane from Marseille to Paris, so I could keep my leg straight.
D. A wheel chair transfer in Paris to a different terminal, along with escort to get me and my daughter through emigration / security (we went via some VIP route)
E. Another seat removed for the flight to London, after being brought onto the aeroplane via the cargo door, followed by the same VIP route through immigration in the UK
F. An escorted taxi for my daughter back home from Heathrow to Essex, a lady travelled with her all the way
G. A taxi to take me home to the West End
That was after X-Rays and a scan in a French hospital’s A&E department, bandages, crutches, pills and potions.
All arranged for me by simple phone calls to Axa’s global support team. I’d have been fecked trying to arrange it myself…. But hey, a hardened bikermate would have limped home across France, swam the Channel, carrying his daughter and then limped all the way home in London, via Essex….. all to save being ripped-off.
Having limped back from the Black Forest on a GS that wouldn’t pull a gear higher than 4th due to the clutch going, I always go belt and braces now. The cost of getting recovered from a motorway in Europe would be more than a travel policy and a recovery package put together. If you buy annual policies they could potentially pay for themselves every time you travel.
medical claim not mine... bloke I was in nepal was was turning himself inside out.... local quak no interest and if the couple of australian nurses hadn't take pity on him who knows what would have happened...
another bloke paragliding in nepal broke his arm, the local guide a crook ran off....no help forthcoming we had to set the thing with stuff bought from a hard ware store... again no insurance....
my L200 took ill coming back from poland in minus 30 windchill fuel filter froze solid restricted power... made driving anyhting more than 30mph impossible... breakdown cover I bought for the trip refused to come out, claimed I was mental and told me to find a hotel and they'd come once the snow cleared.... that didn't really work for me, found a hotel and effected a temp repair by pouring boiling water over the fuel lines till things got better...
self recovered to german dutch border found a dealer that was open and got a new fuel filter sorted...
in dominican republic/ haiti I got take ill... the local hospital had lepracy sufferers in the waiting space.... the whole place looked amazing.... and horrible, asked our ground handler to take me to where the embassies where... found after abit of jiggery pockery the local iSOS... office spent 40 hours on a drip and got patched up to fly back to florida... my insurance wasn't valid... go figure put that on my Amex.... my insurance was good in florida.... but the treatment was just as strange...
check the details, have a plan don't just think it'll be great, fine and dandy cos it *ucking well won't be.....
another bloke paragliding in nepal broke his arm, the local guide a crook ran off....no help forthcoming we had to set the thing with stuff bought from a hard ware store... again no insurance....
my L200 took ill coming back from poland in minus 30 windchill fuel filter froze solid restricted power... made driving anyhting more than 30mph impossible... breakdown cover I bought for the trip refused to come out, claimed I was mental and told me to find a hotel and they'd come once the snow cleared.... that didn't really work for me, found a hotel and effected a temp repair by pouring boiling water over the fuel lines till things got better...
self recovered to german dutch border found a dealer that was open and got a new fuel filter sorted...
in dominican republic/ haiti I got take ill... the local hospital had lepracy sufferers in the waiting space.... the whole place looked amazing.... and horrible, asked our ground handler to take me to where the embassies where... found after abit of jiggery pockery the local iSOS... office spent 40 hours on a drip and got patched up to fly back to florida... my insurance wasn't valid... go figure put that on my Amex.... my insurance was good in florida.... but the treatment was just as strange...
check the details, have a plan don't just think it'll be great, fine and dandy cos it *ucking well won't be.....
I think most of us will have a story or two as to how the recovery to the UK of a bike or other vehicle has:
A. Saved a holiday, even if it meant a hire car
B. Saved a considerable degree of expense
C. Saved an awful lot of fecking around and wasted time
A. Saved a holiday, even if it meant a hire car
B. Saved a considerable degree of expense
C. Saved an awful lot of fecking around and wasted time
Interesting thread this, thanks.
I'm heading to France in March, InshAllah, and this will be the 1st time I've had to buy travel insurance since forever.
Obviously I'll need something that covers me riding a large capacity motorcycle, would you mind me asking what firm/policy you use Richard?
I'm heading to France in March, InshAllah, and this will be the 1st time I've had to buy travel insurance since forever.
Obviously I'll need something that covers me riding a large capacity motorcycle, would you mind me asking what firm/policy you use Richard?
I have HSBC’s pretty reasonable Travel policy, which comes free with my Premier account. I do though take notice when they change the wording, which they do from time to time.
For Europe wide breakdown / vehicle recovery, I use the RAC and / or the breakdown / recovery provided by BMW’s extended warranty.
Of course, should I need assistance following a theft or crash, then my insurer would pick that up.
Excellent, thanks. My wife used to be able to upgrade the free travel insurance she used to get with her bank account to Family/Worldwide but they no longer offer that which is why I need to purchase one now.
If it'll do for you it'll do for me.
If it'll do for you it'll do for me.
Too easy?
Very good.
I guess they didn’t want me:
A. Blocking an emergency exit
B. Sitting in some bod’s lap
That’s just a guess though
In the past I've used "Direct Travel Insurance" and when I had my med's stolen in Germany, I phoned the help line and they phoned a local pharmacist nearby and arranged for replacement med's to be delivered to my hotel within the hour.
They do full motorcycle cover with no capacity restrictions, and full cover for pre existing conditions at various levels including cover for the USA
They do full motorcycle cover with no capacity restrictions, and full cover for pre existing conditions at various levels including cover for the USA
What Wapping said with knobs on.
I’ve had two cases of mates in nasty accidents overseas - one Europe, one Africa. In both cases the hospitals wanted to see insurance details straightway as the bods were being wheeled into theatre. That included a German (EU) rider in a Corsican (EU) hospital.
No top-notch medical insurance is for mugs…
We've travel insurance through the Co-op Bank, provided by Axa, for worldwide travel. I've not had to claim, but have felt much reassured when I called them last year to talk about health issues and what needs to be declared. Only downside as I assume is the case with all policies that there's an upper age limit, so will have to go shopping for new when that arrives.
Jolly interesting, and moot to some extent as personally I’d never travel without travel insurance, not least after 3 days in a decompression chamber in Florida, 5 days in ICU and a plane home after a bit of an issue cave diving. That was quite expensive.
However, I’d specifically like to know if it’s mandatory to have repatriation insurance for France post Brexit.
An ex pat type, who having moved to France now knows everything about France, French law, French travel, etc. insists it’s is now compulsory and to prove it has shown a jpeg image of a French document, which says who knows what. However, the Internet has nothing of substance to say on the topic, apart from it does seem to be a condition if a visa is required.
Whilst travel and specifically repatriation insurance for France (or anywhere) is definitely a good idea, I don’t think it’s compulsory. But I’d like something definitive on the subject.
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However, I’d specifically like to know if it’s mandatory to have repatriation insurance for France post Brexit.
An ex pat type, who having moved to France now knows everything about France, French law, French travel, etc. insists it’s is now compulsory and to prove it has shown a jpeg image of a French document, which says who knows what. However, the Internet has nothing of substance to say on the topic, apart from it does seem to be a condition if a visa is required.
Whilst travel and specifically repatriation insurance for France (or anywhere) is definitely a good idea, I don’t think it’s compulsory. But I’d like something definitive on the subject.
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^^^^^^
According to this
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements
You need to be able to prove that you're insured on entry to France (or Shengen zone), that doesn't make it mandatory but you may be refused entry if you don't have it or be required to buy it at the border.
When ever I've worked or raced in the EU, I've had to have medical, repatriation and liability insurance as part of the work and or entry requirements. Not all travel insurances offer all the cover.
The French document you refer to is this.
https://in.france.fr/en/holiday-prep/brexit-travel-rules-uk-france
According to this
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements
You need to be able to prove that you're insured on entry to France (or Shengen zone), that doesn't make it mandatory but you may be refused entry if you don't have it or be required to buy it at the border.
When ever I've worked or raced in the EU, I've had to have medical, repatriation and liability insurance as part of the work and or entry requirements. Not all travel insurances offer all the cover.
The French document you refer to is this.
https://in.france.fr/en/holiday-prep/brexit-travel-rules-uk-france
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