Travel insurance

Find out what insurance cover you need before travelling abroad.

All students who have their travel approved by the Study and Work Away (SWAY) Service will be covered, free of charge, by the University's travel insurance policy. 

University of Edinburgh travel insurance 

Once you have received final approval to travel from SWAY, you will be covered by the University travel insurance for the duration of your exchange or placement. 

You do not have to submit a separate application for the University's travel insurance – please do not complete the application form on the Insurance pages of the UoE website. 

Please note that this is a travel insurance policy, rather than a private health or medical insurance policy.  Although it covers some medical expenses/medical emergencies, day-to-day medical expenses such as GP visits, regular blood tests or medication for pre-existing conditions are not covered.  You may need to ensure additional health insurance cover for your personal circumstances.

Some host institutions and organisations may also require students to have additional health insurance/medical insurance cover in place.

All University of Edinburgh students going out on one of our overseas programmes receive the same insurance - this is a blanket coverage and does not change depending on student status e.g. international, RUK, Scottish Home.

If you have any questions about the UoE insurance policy or coverage, please contact the Insurance Office, with your name, student number and the dates of your exchange or placement. 

Email: finance.helpline@ed.ac.uk

Phone: +44 (0)131 651 5151  

Please read the following FAQs for more information about the University's insurance cover:

Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)

UK students going to the EU to study or work abroad are also advised to obtain a Student Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). The GHIC is a replacement of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).  

The Student GHIC gives you the right to access medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in the EU at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. Not all state healthcare is free in the EU and you may have to pay for services that you’d get for free on the NHS. You'll normally pay the same as a patient from that country.  

You should refer to the second part of the section "Students studying in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland".  Please note that you should apply for the specific Student GHIC card which is different from the standard one. You will need to download the 'Confirmation of Status' letter from your Mobility Online workflow to accompany your application. 

Find out more and apply for a GHIC

Find out more in the GOV.UK country healthcare guides