One of the obligations of all UFV students who participate in international mobility programs (Erasmus or bilateral) managed by the Vice-Rectorate for International Relations is to take out an insurance policy to cover healthcare, travel assistance and repatriation in the event of accident, with the minimum coverage as the Vice-Rectorate shall determine. Similarly, UFV may require civil liability insurance for certain forms of mobility. All of the three types of insurance mentioned must be valid throughout the stay at the host university.

From academic year 2012/2013, the former Spanish Agency for European Educational Programs (OAPEE, now SEPIE), established as mandatory that students must, in addition to healthcare provision covered by the European Health Insurance Card, hold travel assistance and repatriation insurance throughout their Erasmus stay, and ensure a copy of the policy taken out is submitted to the UFV International Relations Office before the mobility exchange starts.

European Health Insurance Card

For Erasmus+ exchanges, you should apply for the European Health Insurance Card which allows access to the public health system in any of the 27 EU member countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You can learn more about the European Health Insurance Card on the Social Security and European Commission websites.

The European Health Insurance Card is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover private healthcare, nor costs arising in certain circumstances such as repatriation, certain surgical procedures, return flight to the country of origin or the loss or theft of personal belongings. To cover these, students must take out a complementary insurance policy (see information about “Private Health Insurance”).

Complementary insurance policies cover situations such as hospitalisation in the event of accident, including medical transfer to Spain or travel and accommodation for family members to the destination country, etc.

At many universities outside Europe, it is mandatory for exchange students to take out the medical insurance offered by the destination university. Nevertheless, universities in certain countries are more flexible and allow the student to take out any health insurance with sufficient international coverage for the destination country, sending a copy of the policy to the UFV International Relations Office, before the exchange period has started. The European Health Insurance Card is not valid for this kind of exchange.

Private Health Insurance