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Nomad insurance for digital nomads.
Most “nomad insurance” is travel cover you can renew. Spain won’t accept that for its nomad visa, and Thailand’s DTV asks for nothing. Here’s how to pick.
The facts
The rules and numbers that matter for you.
Checked against official sources and insurers’ own documents on 23 October 2026. Terms change, so the broker confirms them again before you apply.
- Spain nomad visa: no travel insurance
The policy must come from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no waiting period, no co-pay and no cover limit. The consulate says travel insurance is not valid.
Source: exteriores.gob.es - Portugal D8: medical and repatriation cover
The remote work visa needs insurance for necessary medical costs, urgent care and possible repatriation. Income must average 4 times the Portuguese minimum wage over the last 3 months.
Source: vistos.mne.gov.pt - Greece nomad visa: full health cover
Greek law asks permit holders for full health insurance covering every risk Greek citizens are covered for. Income must be 3,500 euros a month after tax, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per child.
Source: migration.gov.gr - Costa Rica: at least USD 50,000
The policy must cover your whole authorised stay with at least USD 50,000. You also need USD 3,000 a month in income, or USD 4,000 with dependants.
Source: visitcostarica.com - Thailand DTV: no insurance asked
The London embassy’s DTV checklist covers your passport, photo, bank statements, police check and work proof. A health policy is not on it.
Source: london.thaiembassy.org - Indonesia E33G: not on the list either
Bali’s remote worker visa asks for USD 60,000 a year in income from a company outside Indonesia. The official page does not list health insurance.
Source: imigrasi.go.id - Home visits: 30 days at a time
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential, paid monthly, covers up to 30 days per visit home in a rolling 90 days, or 15 if home is the US. You must be insured 90 days first.
Source: intercom.help - Genki Traveler: no check-ups or maternity
It pays up to EUR 1 million for illness and injury abroad, for up to 12 months, with new members up to 69. It leaves out check-ups, maternity, mental health and most dental care.
Source: genki.world
Travel insurance, nomad insurance or international health?
There are really 3 kinds of cover. Travel insurance is for 1 trip with a date home. Nomad insurance is travel medical cover you can renew month after month. International health insurance is a full health plan that doesn’t care which country you’re in.
The middle option is what most nomads buy. SafetyWing Essential costs USD 62.72 every 4 weeks at ages 18 to 39, with a USD 250,000 overall limit. It’s good for a crash or a sudden illness, but it leaves out pre-existing conditions, maternity and cancer.
If you want check-ups, cancer care and a GP you see more than once, you need a fuller plan. SafetyWing’s own Complete plan adds routine care and cancer treatment for USD 177.50 a month at the same ages, close to 3 times as much.
What “home country” means to an insurer
Every nomad plan asks for a home country, even if you haven’t lived there for years. The insurer uses it to set the price and to decide where your cover is limited.
It matters most for Americans. US citizens can’t claim on SafetyWing Essential inside the US, beyond the short home visits the plan allows. US cover is a paid add-on, and only for non-residents.
Some full plans don’t need a legal home at all. Genki Native says it’s open to people from every country, including nomads with no legal residence anywhere.
Cover when you go home
Nomad plans are built for being abroad, so time at home is rationed. On SafetyWing Essential paid monthly, each visit home is covered for up to 30 days in a rolling 90 days, and only after 90 days of cover. If you pay for a full year up front, it’s up to 90 days per visit, and no more than 179 days in 364.
Genki Traveler is stricter. Home cover is for emergencies only, in the first 6 weeks of a visit, and only after you’ve been abroad for at least 4 weeks.
If you spend Christmas and summer with family, add those weeks up before you pick a plan. A plan like Genki Native, with 182 days or a full year at home, may suit you better.
Nomad visas: which ones need insurance
Spain is the strictest. Its nomad visa needs a Spanish-authorised insurer with no waiting period, no co-pay and no cover limit, and the consulate says travel insurance won’t do. A plan with a USD 250,000 cap, like SafetyWing Essential, fails the no-limit rule alone.
Greece asks for full health cover matching what Greek citizens get. Portugal asks for medical costs, urgent care and repatriation. Costa Rica asks for at least USD 50,000 for your whole stay.
Thailand’s DTV and Indonesia’s E33G don’t list insurance at all. That saves paperwork, not money. A night in a private hospital in Bangkok or Bali is paid by you if you have no cover.
Paying for it: employer budgets and freelancing
If your company pays, the plan can still be in your name, so you keep it when you change jobs. Some plans are only sold through companies. SafetyWing Remote Health, for example, is for businesses covering staff in 175 or more countries.
For a Spanish nomad visa, your work link counts too. You need at least 3 months with the employer or client before you apply, and their certificate must show you can work remotely.
If your employer gives a health budget, ask whether it’s paid as a refund or as extra salary. The tax can differ, and it depends on where you’re tax resident.
What to look for
4 things that matter most for you.
Ankyro checks each of these on every plan, so you don’t have to read the fine print.
- Days at home
30 days per visit, 179 a year, or emergencies only. Count your trips home and pick the rule that fits.
- What’s left out
Many nomad plans exclude check-ups, maternity, mental health and cancer. Read the exclusions before the price.
- It passes your visa
Spain needs a Spanish-authorised insurer with no co-pay and no limit. Costa Rica needs USD 50,000. The DTV needs nothing.
- Age limit
Genki Traveler stops new members at 69, and SafetyWing prices stop at 69. Over that, look at full international plans.
Common mistakes
3 we see all the time.
- 01Applying for Spain’s nomad visa with a nomad travel plan. The consulate says travel insurance is not valid.
- 02Spending 2 months at home on a plan that covers 30 days per visit. The rest is on you.
- 03Going without cover on a DTV because the visa doesn’t ask for it. Thai private hospitals still bill you.
Questions
People also ask.
Do digital nomads need health insurance?+
Some visas require it: Spain, Portugal, Greece and Costa Rica all ask for proof. Thailand’s DTV and Indonesia’s E33G don’t. Either way, without cover you pay every hospital bill yourself.
Is SafetyWing real health insurance?+
Its Essential plan is travel medical insurance. It covers sudden illness and accidents up to USD 250,000, but not pre-existing conditions, maternity or cancer. Its Complete plan is closer to full health cover.
What insurance do I need for the Spain digital nomad visa?+
A private health policy from an insurer authorised in Spain, for 1 year, with no waiting period, no co-pay and no cover limit. Travel insurance is not accepted.
Does nomad insurance cover me in my home country?+
Only for a while. SafetyWing Essential covers up to 30 days per visit, or 15 for the US. Genki Traveler covers emergencies only, in the first 6 weeks.
Does the Thailand DTV require health insurance?+
No. The embassy checklist asks for bank statements showing at least 500,000 THB, a police check and proof of your remote work, but no health policy.
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