Digital nomad insurance: what to look for

Digital nomad insurance has two jobs a holiday policy was never built for. It has to satisfy your visa: 42 of the 52 digital nomad visas in our catalogue list health insurance as a requirement. And it has to pay for care over months, in countries whose public systems may not take you. Here is what to check before you buy.

Why holiday travel insurance falls short for digital nomads

A two-week holiday policy and a nomad life are different animals. If you are moving between countries for months, you need cover that follows you, renews easily, and does not assume you will fly home to your regular doctor. That is the gap nomad-specific insurance fills.

The second difference is paperwork. A holiday policy only has to pay a claim. A nomad policy often has to be shown first, to a consulate or an immigration office, before the visa is issued. If the wording on the certificate does not match what the visa rule asks for, the application stalls.

Digital nomad insurance starts with your visa

The rules do not all ask for the same thing. Here is how the requirement reads for a selection of nomad visas in our visa catalogue, with the official source for each:

Visa	What the requirement says	Official source
Colombia Digital Nomad Visa (Type V)	Health insurance covering Colombia	Cancillería
Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa	Health insurance valid in Portugal	Portuguese Visas Portal
Panama Short-Stay Remote Worker Visa	Private medical insurance valid in Panama for the whole stay	Servicio Nacional de Migración
Georgia Remotely from Georgia	Health/travel insurance (6 months)	Georgia MFA consular site
Hungary White Card	Comprehensive health insurance	OIF
South Korea Workation Visa (F-1-D)	Private health insurance (minimum coverage)	HiKorea
United Arab Emirates Virtual Working Programme	Health insurance with UAE coverage	u.ae
Belize Work Where You Vacation	Travel insurance covering at least US$50,000	Travel Belize

Read those rows closely and four separate tests appear:

• Territory. "Covering Colombia", "valid in Portugal" and "with UAE coverage" mean the certificate has to name that country, or a region that clearly includes it.
• Duration. Panama wants cover for the whole stay; Georgia's entry names six months. A policy that lapses halfway through your permit can be a problem at renewal.
• Type. Some rules say health insurance, some say private health insurance, and Belize accepts travel insurance. Those are not interchangeable.
• A minimum sum. Belize sets US$50,000. Separately, the Schengen short-stay (Type C) visas in our catalogue list travel medical insurance with a minimum of €30,000 of cover. That matters if your passport needs a Schengen visa for a trip, even though it is a tourist visa rather than a nomad visa.

Open the country page before you buy, and match the policy wording to the rule, not the other way round.

Public healthcare abroad: who can join, and who cannot

A common assumption is that once you have residency you can use the local public system. Sometimes that is true. Often it is not, at least not straight away. This is what our country pages record, each linked to an official source:

Country	Can a foreign resident join public cover?	Cost note
Spain	Yes, via the paid convenio especial, but only after at least one continuous year of prior residence in Spain, the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the UK (Ministerio de Sanidad)	About €60/month under 65, €157/month at 65+
Portugal	Yes. The SNS is open to legal residents; you register through your local Social Security district centre and receive an SNS user number (SNS)	Heavily subsidised; small per-visit charges
Mexico	Yes, voluntarily, through IMSS as a self-employed worker; you need a Mexican address (IMSS)	Contributions depend on the base you declare
Costa Rica	Affiliation to the CCSS is obligatory for legal residents (CCSS)	Income-based, not a flat premium
Philippines	Yes. PhilHealth is open to foreigners holding a valid ACR I-Card, and to PRA-registered retirees (PhilHealth)	₱15,000/year for PRA retirees, ₱17,000/year for other foreign citizens
Colombia	Residents can join the contributory regime, but the Digital Nomad and Rentista visas require a private policy valid in Colombia for the whole stay	Contribution rates not verified
Panama	A voluntary CSS scheme exists, subject to medical exams (Panamá Digital)	Official sources conflict on the minimum; confirm with the CSS
Vietnam	Compulsory for foreign employees on a local labour contract of 12 months or more (since 1 July 2025); we found no route for remote workers	Plan on private cover
Indonesia	Foreigners who have worked in Indonesia for at least six months join the national JKN scheme; we found no rule for remote-worker visa holders	Ask BPJS Kesehatan before relying on it

The pattern is clear. In several of the most popular nomad bases, a remote worker cannot count on public cover in year one. In Spain's case the wait is written into the rule. In Vietnam and Indonesia the public schemes are tied to local employment. Even where you can join, a public card is rarely what a consulate asks to see when you apply.

What to look for in a digital nomad insurance policy

With the visa rules and the public-system gaps in mind, this is the checklist:

• Rolling, subscribe-and-cancel cover. Pay monthly and pause when you are home, rather than buying a fixed trip.
• Multi-country coverage. You want a policy that is not tied to a single destination, but the certificate should still be able to name the country your visa is for.
• Both travel and health. Medical treatment abroad, not just trip cancellation and lost luggage.
• Clear limits. Know the deductible, the coverage cap, and what is excluded (adventure sports and pre-existing conditions are the usual ones).
• Visa-ready documents. Check that the insurer will issue a certificate stating the territory, the start and end dates and the sum insured. That is what the consulate reads.
• Enough cover for the strictest rule you face. If one stop on your route is Belize (US$50,000) or needs a Schengen short-stay visa (€30,000), buy to that level.
• Renewal that matches your permit. If your visa runs a year and renews, your cover needs to run past the renewal date too.

What care costs where you are going

Our country pages carry cost notes where we could source them. Two examples show the range:

• Thailand: a private hospital outpatient or GP consultation runs about $15–45, a public hospital outpatient visit about $10–25, and a private inpatient day about $150–300.
• Spain: private insurance is commonly about $50–150 a month, and a private GP visit about $50–90.

Those figures are estimates, but they make one point well: routine care in many nomad bases is affordable. What insurance really protects you from is the inpatient stay, the evacuation or the long treatment.

Put insurance in your monthly budget

City totals in the Cost of Living Explorer break out rent, food, transport and coworking. Add your premium as its own line in the Budget Builder so it is counted, not forgotten. Then compare the result against the visas you qualify for on each country page.

The Nomad toolkit in your dashboard links the providers we use.

Frequently asked questions

Do digital nomad visas require health insurance?

Most do. 42 of the 52 digital nomad visas in our catalogue list health insurance as a requirement. The wording varies, from "health insurance covering Colombia" to "private health insurance" for South Korea, so check the exact rule on the country page.

Is travel insurance enough for a digital nomad visa?

It depends on the wording of the rule. Belize's Work Where You Vacation accepts travel insurance covering at least US$50,000. Portugal's D8 asks for health insurance valid in Portugal, and South Korea asks for private health insurance. Match the policy type to the rule.

Can digital nomads use public healthcare abroad?

Sometimes, and rarely on day one. Portugal opens its SNS to legal residents, and Mexico lets foreign residents join IMSS voluntarily. Spain requires a year of prior residence before its paid scheme is available. Vietnam and Indonesia tie their schemes to local employment.

How much does public health cover cost in Spain for a nomad-visa holder?

The convenio especial costs about €60 a month under 65 and €157 a month at 65 or over. You must first show at least one continuous year of prior residence in Spain, the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the UK. Until then, private cover is the route; it commonly runs about $50–150 a month.

Does PhilHealth cover foreigners in the Philippines?

Yes. Foreign citizens living in the Philippines with a valid ACR I-Card can register, as can PRA-registered retirees. The annual premium is ₱17,000 for foreign citizens and ₱15,000 for PRA retirees. Most expats keep private cover alongside it.

Check the fine print

Insurance is personal and regulated. This is general information, not advice. Compare policies, read the exclusions for your situation, and confirm each visa's insurance rule on the official government source we link before you buy.