Coronavirus – in which cases the travel insurance provides cover

The new coronavirus has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the WHO. The infectious illness that it causes is called COVID-19.

It is important to wash your hands thoroughly several times a day. You should not cough or sneeze into your hand; instead you should sneeze into your elbow and/or use a tissue. Dispose of handkerchiefs immediately and ventilate for 5-10 minutes 3 times a day if possible.

We strongly advise travellers to pay close attention to the information provided by the Federal Ministry. Due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, the political situation in individual countries is not stable. This applies, in particular, to entry, transit and exit regulations.

Please bear in mind that the unforeseeable global development of the pandemic may lead to restrictions in air traffic, including in connection with the implementation of return transport, and to restrictions in medical care, especially inpatient care. 

The Chamber of Commerce is providing information about current developments regarding the Coronavirus pandemic.

For questions about pandemics, visit the World Health Organisation (WHO) page.

The EU publishes Coronavirus travel information on a website on quarantine regulations, restaurant rules and other Corona regulations.

For travel to regions with a travel warning, please take out our Coronavirus travel protection. The prerequisite is a separate cancellation protection from HanseMerkur:

• Cancellation & Travel Protection (up to max. 31 days; for longer trips up to 45 days, please contact our Service Centre by email at: service@hansemerkur.at )
• Annual cancellation & travel protection

Please note that Coronavirus travel protection is valid for a travel duration of 45 days and is subject to a closing date:

• if taken out at the same time as the main product up to 30 days after booking the trip
• Coronavirus travel protection can also be taken out retrospectively to an existing insurance contract with cancellation protection (at the latest 30 days before departure).

Your trip lasts longer than 45 days or you have exceeded the closing date for cancellation protection but still want to insure yourself despite a travel warning? This is possible by taking out an international health insurance policy with a risk premium. Please contact our Service Centre in good time before your departure by email at: service@hansemerkur.at

If an insured person or a close relative falls ill with COVID-19, we will provide cover for this reason for cancellation (in deviation from our insurance conditions). Otherwise, we do not pay for events related to pandemics unless specifically stated, as in this case. Please note: Fear of falling ill, a high risk of infection, a travel warning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a state-mandated quarantine due to a suspected COVID-19 do not constitute insured events – for this, we additionally offer you our Coronavirus travel protection.

If the insured person or a close relative falls ill with COVID-19 and the trip has to be interrupted as a result, HanseMerkur will reimburse the unused travel services and – depending on the plan selected – also the costs of an early return trip.

Tip: If an insured person's temperature is elevated at the airport of departure or destination, a doctor must be consulted immediately at the airport to discuss the matter and obtain a medical certificate. This is the only way we can check whether an insured event has occurred.

A warning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is generally not an insured event. The Coronavirus travel protection, which can be booked additionally, also provides cover for journeys that are undertaken despite a pandemic-related travel warning of level 5/6. In addition, you are covered in all lines of the underlying main product, i.e. also in travel health insurance, if applicable.

Even if you have taken out cancellation protection in the Premium plan, this includes the risk to physical safety at the travel destination as an insured event. In case of an official travel warning by the Austrian Foreign Ministry (level 5 and 6), this is considered insured. Proof of the level of the travel warning must be provided when submitting the claim. In any case, we require written information from your tour operator, hotelier or airline that there is no possibility of free rebooking or cancellation.

Please contact your tour operator in the case of a package tour or the respective service provider directly if the flight and hotel have been booked separately. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce publishes detailed information on the obligations of the service provider if the travel services cannot be used due to the current circumstances.

Insurance cover only applies to the specific events listed in the insurance terms and conditions. Cancellation due to restrictions at the holiday destination is not included. Please contact the respective service provider or tour operator to discuss further options.

Should a country be subject to a travel warning level 5 or 6 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce is of the opinion that the organiser/hotelier may not charge any cancellation fees.

You are not ill yourself, but are unable to travel or return due to a quarantine situation? A possible quarantine situation does not constitute an insured event in the cancellation or travel curtailment cover. For this, we additionally offer you our Corona travel protection.

Please contact your tour operator(s)/hotelier(s)/airline(s) who are prevented from operating short-notice travel due to current circumstances. Each service provider decides individually which solutions they can offer for long-term booked trips (rebooking or free cancellation). In any case, we require written information from your tour operator, hotelier or airline that there is no possibility of free rebooking or cancellation.

The premium for cancellation insurance will not be refunded if the tour is cancelled by the organiser or does not take place due to a ban on entering the country. The protection provided by the cancellation insurance takes effect as soon as the booking is made, so that this service has already been provided. However, the premium of the cancellation insurance can be transferred to another trip. 

From our Cancellation & Travel Protection packages, you will be reimbursed on a pro-rata basis for those benefits that apply from the start of your journey (travel health insurance, travel luggage insurance, etc.). 

Due to the pandemic declared by the WHO on 11.3.2020, the general exclusion of our insurance terms and conditions applies and, therefore, no insurance cover in all classes.

Should the WHO revoke the pandemic status, the regulations of the respective divisions and the exclusions formulated therein shall apply. Then, if applicable, it would have to be assessed whether the financial losses correspond to the criteria mentioned in point h) of the special conditions:

Insurance cover exists if you have to cancel, rebook or delay your trip due to short-time work caused by the economic situation with an anticipated reduction in income amounting to at least one regular monthly net salary, provided that the employer registers for short-time work between the conclusion of the insurance and the start of the trip. In the case of a school outing or class trip, this regulation also applies if the parents of an insured pupil are affected by short-time work.

Remark: Coronavirus-related short-time work provides that the employee receives up to 90% of the net pay he or she received before the short-time work.

Due to the pandemic declared by the WHO on 11.3.2020, the general exclusion of our insurance terms and conditions applies and, therefore, no insurance cover in all classes. Should the WHO revoke the pandemic status, the regulations of the respective divisions and the exclusions formulated therein shall apply.

If the insured person falls ill with COVID-19 during the trip, HanseMerkur will cover all medical treatment costs including a COVID test carried out on the basis of clear symptoms. 

Items not insured include:

• the costs of a quarantine (to insure this event, take out our Corona travel protection insurance policy in addition).
• Costs incurred on the basis of the mere presumption of COVID disease (test negative)
• Cost of a COVID test to meet entry requirements
• Costs if there was already a travel warning level 5 or 6 in place before departure (for this, we also offer you our Coronavirus travel protection )

Your trip is set to last longer than 45 days or you have exceeded the closing date for cancellation protection? In this case, please contact our Service Centre by email at: service@hansemerkur.at

There is no insurance cover for travel to regions classified as security level 5 or 6. Would you like to insure yourself despite a travel warning?

• If your trip lasts no longer than 45 days, take out our Coronavirus travel protection in addition to this
• Your trip is set to last longer than 45 days or you have exceeded the closing date for cancellation protection? In this case, please contact our Service Centre by email at: service@hansemerkur.at

If you do not start your trip due to becoming infected with the Coronavirus, you can cancel your international health insurance before you start your trip. Please inform us of this in writing.

You are in a country for which there was no travel warning or only a travel warning up to level 4 when you started your journey and this is upgraded to 5 or 6? Then insurance cover applies as per your international health insurance policy. We will cover the costs of medical treatment even if you have COVID-19. 

An extension is possible under certain conditions. Please contact us by email, quoting the policy number, at: service@hansemerkur.at

Yes, even in the event of a pandemic such as the Coronavirus, your luggage is insured in the event of damage or loss.

Yes, Corona conditional exclusions do not apply to the class of travel accident. This means that we pay for rescue costs after an accident, for permanent damage after an accident (disability) or also in the event of accident-related death.

Yes, Corona conditional exclusions do not apply to travel liability insurance.