Insurance · Broker

SafetyWing: Nomad Insurance Essential, travel medical insurance, and Complete, international health insurance

Online distributor of two separate products for nomads: Essential, travel medical insurance for emergencies, and Complete, international health insurance with an annual commitment, underwritten by VUMI according to the provider. The United States is covered only to a limited extent or through an option, and pre-existing conditions are excluded under both plans.

Official website of SafetyWing

Please note

This comparison is an informative summary. Check the actual cover, exclusions and acceptance conditions in the policy documents and with the provider concerned. Terms of use and disclaimers

Characteristics

Type: Broker
Type: Distributor
Risk carrier: VUMI (garanties santé de Complete, selon la FAQ) ; SafetyWing Insurance I.I., assureur international du groupe domicilié à Porto Rico ; l’assureur de chaque formule figure au certificat, non lu
Use: Travel and nomad · Long-term expat health
French scheme: No
CFE top-up: No
Medical questionnaire: Not provided
Covers: Health · Hospital · Maternity · Repatriation · Assistance
Settlement: Not provided
Regulator: Not provided
Currencies: USD

Essential: open to almost all countries of residence other than sanctioned countries, but not to Cuban nationals; home-country coverage limited in days. Complete: residence excluded in particular in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia; Hong Kong and Singapore with an option.

Contracts and plans

Each plan is described from its contract documents. Compare plans in the same category: travel insurance does not replace expat health cover.

Nomad Insurance Essential
Travel and nomad · Version mise à jour en vigueur depuis février 2026 (pages d’aide de l’acteur) ; contrat de septembre 2025 cité par la FAQ, non lu
Risk carrier
Non vérifié : la FAQ cite SafetyWing Insurance I.I. et VUMI sans rattacher Essential à l’un d’eux ; l’assureur figure au certificat
Distributor / administrator
SafetyWing (Safety Nest, Inc.)
United States
Optional
Home country
Partly
Renewal
Within a limit
Link with the CFE
First-euro cover
Direct billing
Being verified
- Hospital : Yes
- Outpatient care : Partly
- Maternity : Being verified
- Dental : Being verified
- Optical : Being verified
- Mental health : Being verified
- Evacuation and repatriation : Yes
Who for : Travelers outside their home country, from a minimum age expressed in days up to a maximum age; the policy can be taken out after departure. Excluded: Cuban nationals and residents of sanctioned countries; no coverage in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Syria, Russia, Belarus and certain regions of Ukraine.
Pre-existing conditions : Pre-existing conditions are excluded; the most recent version defines them by reference to a period preceding the effective date. After a full plan, a new plan applies its own rules to conditions that arose during the previous one.
Limits : Travel medical insurance for unforeseen emergencies, with no routine care or prevention. Minimum and maximum duration of a plan; automatic extension in periods; coverage in the home country limited in days, more strictly if that country is the United States; United States only with an option, which is not open to US citizens and residents; evacuation and repatriation capped over the insured person's lifetime; no deductible according to the provider.
- up to 69 years Nomad Insurance Essential: maximum age at purchaseUpdated version of Essential in force since February 2026; minimum age expressed in days. According to the FAQ, a plan purchased before the age limit is exceeded remains valid until it expires.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- from 5 days Nomad Insurance Essential: minimum purchase periodWhichever payment option is chosen.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 364 days Nomad Insurance Essential: maximum duration of a planWhichever payment option is chosen; at the end of the term, a new plan may begin, with its own rules on conditions that arose during the previous one.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- 28 days Nomad Insurance Essential: automatic extension frequencyRecurring payment option; automatic extension up to the maximum duration of a plan.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 179 days Nomad Insurance Essential: total days covered in the home country per insurance periodSingle payment option for a full period; each visit remains limited (see the per-visit limit); lower limit if the home country is the United States.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 90 days Nomad Insurance Essential: maximum length of a visit to the home country (one-off payment)One-off payment option; consecutive visits.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 45 days Nomad Insurance Essential: days covered in the home country when it is the United States (single payment)Single-payment option, per rolling period of active coverage.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 30 days Nomad Insurance Essential: days covered per visit to the home country (other payment options)Recurring payment or payment on fixed dates; limit per visit within a rolling period, lower if the home country is the United States.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 15 days Nomad Insurance Essential: days covered per visit to the United States when it is the home country (other payment options)Recurring payment or payment on fixed dates.intercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- 180 days Nomad Insurance Essential: prior period used to define a pre-existing conditionDefinition from the most recent Essential version according to the FAQ; pre-existing conditions are excluded. An earlier version used a different period.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to $100,000 Nomad Insurance Essential: lifetime limit for evacuation and repatriationLimit applying over the policyholder's entire lifetime, for evacuation and repatriation.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- $62.72 Nomad Insurance Essential: price displayed for one billing period, youngest age bracketPublic price checked on 2026-11-01: Essential plan, age bracket shown in the excerpt, no options (United States excluded by default), no deductible according to the provider, per billing period shown in the excerpt. The price increases with age.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Contract documents · safetywing.com
Nomad Insurance Complete
Long-term expat health · Contrat standard Complete d’avril 2025 (nom du fichier cité par la FAQ), non lu ; FAQ et pages d’aide de l’acteur
Risk carrier
VUMI, assureur international domicilié à Porto Rico, selon la FAQ et le nom du contrat ; gestion par VIP Administration Services LLC — à confirmer sur le certificat
Distributor / administrator
SafetyWing (Safety Nest, Inc.), en partenariat avec VUMI
United States
Limited
Home country
Yes
Renewal
Renewable for life
Link with the CFE
First-euro cover
Direct billing
Being verified
- Hospital : Yes
- Outpatient care : Yes
- Maternity : Partly
- Dental : Being verified
- Optical : Being verified
- Mental health : Being verified
- Evacuation and repatriation : Yes
Who for : Adults between a minimum and a maximum age at enrollment. Countries of residence excluded include: the United States and US territories, Canada, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Syria; Hong Kong and Singapore only with an option. US citizens living outside the United States may enroll.
Pre-existing conditions : Pre-existing conditions are not covered according to the FAQ, with a broad definition (any prior treatment or diagnosis, recent symptoms).
Limits : International health insurance with routine care and prevention. Annual commitment, with renewal presented in the FAQ as possible for life (contract not read); overall annual cap; evacuation capped per year; maternity capped after a waiting period; emergencies in the United States covered for a limited number of days by default, extension by option; country of residence covered with no time limit; no deductible according to the provider.
- from 18 years Nomad Insurance Complete: minimum age at enrolmentComplete plan only.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 64 years Nomad Insurance Complete: maximum age at enrolmentComplete plan; according to the FAQ, coverage may continue beyond that age if the plan is renewed without interruption.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to $1,500,000 Nomad Insurance Complete: coverage limit per contract yearComplete plan; contract not reviewed, figure taken from the provider's FAQ.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to $100,000 Nomad Insurance Complete: annual evacuation limitLimit per contract year; how it interacts with the overall limit is not specified in the FAQ.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- 10 months Nomad Insurance Complete: waiting period for maternity coverPregnancy and childbirth cover under the Complete plan, itself subject to a cap.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- up to 30 days Nomad Insurance Complete: emergency cover in the United States included by defaultEmergency care only; a paid option covering Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States extends the US coverage.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
- $177.5 Nomad Insurance Complete: displayed monthly price, youngest age bracketPublic price checked on 2026-11-01: Complete plan, age bracket shown in the extract, monthly payment, no deductible according to the provider, no options. A discount is advertised for annual payment. The price increases with age.safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Contract documents · safetywing.com

Published figures

Nomad Insurance Essential: price displayed for one billing period, youngest age bracket$62.72safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Complete: displayed monthly price, youngest age bracket$177.5safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Complete: annual evacuation limitup to $100,000safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Essential: lifetime limit for evacuation and repatriationup to $100,000safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Complete: coverage limit per contract yearup to $1,500,000safetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
DeductibleNot provided
Nomad Insurance Complete: waiting period for maternity cover10 monthssafetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Complete: maximum age at enrolmentup to 64 yearssafetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Complete: minimum age at enrolmentfrom 18 yearssafetywing.com · Verified on Nov 2, 2026
Nomad Insurance Essential: maximum age at purchaseup to 69 yearsintercom.help · Verified on Nov 2, 2026

Who bears the risk

SafetyWing, a brand of the company Safety Nest, Inc., sells its products online but does not present a single insurer entity. Its FAQ states that some health coverage is underwritten by VUMI, an international insurer domiciled in Puerto Rico, administered by VIP Administration Services LLC and offered in partnership with SafetyWing; the standard Complete contract bears the name VUMI. The same FAQ presents SafetyWing Insurance I.I. as an international insurer of the group, also domiciled in Puerto Rico.

According to the provider, the entity that insures each product is indicated in the terms of the contract and on the certificate of coverage given to the insured person.

The Essential and Complete contracts could not be opened (access denied). The insurer of Essential, the regulator of the Puerto Rican entities, SafetyWing's status as an intermediary and the country of underwriting are not established.

Plans and coverage

Essential: travel medical insurance

Essential covers necessary treatment in the event of unforeseen illness or accident outside the home country, evacuation (capped at up to $100,000⁴ over the insured person's lifetime), and travel benefits (delays, baggage). It covers neither routine care nor prevention: the provider specifies that it is not a substitute for health insurance.

It can be purchased for a minimum of figure being updated and a maximum of figure being updated; with recurring payment, it is automatically extended every figure being updated. Enrollment is open up to up to 69 years⁹, including after departure.

In the home country, coverage is limited: with a single payment, up to figure being updated in total per coverage period, without exceeding figure being updated consecutively per visit (figure being updated if the home country is the United States); with the other payment methods, figure being updated per visit (figure being updated for the United States). The United States is covered only with an option, which US citizens and residents cannot take.

Complete: international health insurance

Complete is presented as comprehensive international health insurance, with routine care and prevention, plus travel benefits. It can be taken out from from 18 years⁸ to up to 64 years⁷, with an annual commitment, and the FAQ says it is renewable for life. The cap is up to $1,500,000⁵ per contract year, with evacuation limited to up to $100,000³ per year.

The country of residence is covered with no time limit. In the United States, only emergencies are covered by default, for figure being updated; an option extends coverage to the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore. Residence in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia, among others, is excluded.

Deductibles, waiting periods and exclusions

The provider states that there is no deductible under either plan. Pre-existing conditions are excluded under both: for Essential, a pre-existing condition is one that was treated or symptomatic in the figure being updated preceding the effective date; for Complete, the definition is broader. Maternity under Complete is covered only after 10 months⁶ and within a limited cap.

Overall cap on medical expenses for Essential, sub-limits for Complete (dental, optical, mental health) and medical underwriting rules: not established, as the contracts could not be read.

Who it is for, and who it is not

Essential suits a traveler or nomad seeking emergency cover for stays outside their home country. Complete is aimed at a long-term nomad who wants routine care, outside the excluded countries of residence. Neither covers pre-existing conditions; neither has any connection with the CFE.

Prices and points to check

Prices displayed by the provider on 1 November 2026, with no deductible and no option, for the youngest age bracket: Essential $62.72¹ per recurring billing period, United States excluded; Complete $177.5² per month. The price rises with age and depending on options.

The insurer named on the certificate of coverage for the chosen plan.
For Essential, the limit on days in the home country depending on the payment method.
For Complete, eligibility of the country of residence and the treatment of medical history.
The provider's pages: Nomad Insurance FAQ; differences between Essential and Complete.

Sources and verification dates

1.
Nomad Insurance Essential: price displayed for one billing period, youngest age bracket : $62.72
« The Essential plan costs US$62.72 every 4 weeks for a member aged 10-39 years. »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
2.
Nomad Insurance Complete: displayed monthly price, youngest age bracket : $177.5
« The Complete plan costs US$177.50 every month for ages 18-39. »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
3.
Nomad Insurance Complete: annual evacuation limit : $100,000
« Complete ($100,000 per plan year) »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
4.
Nomad Insurance Essential: lifetime limit for evacuation and repatriation : $100,000
« Essential ($100,000 lifetime max) »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
5.
Nomad Insurance Complete: coverage limit per contract year : $1,500,000
« The maximum coverage limit is US$1.5 million per policy year. »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
6.
Nomad Insurance Complete: waiting period for maternity cover : 10 months
« This benefit is subject to a ten (10)-month Waiting Period. »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
7.
Nomad Insurance Complete: maximum age at enrolment : 64 years
« To sign up for the Complete plan, you must be between the ages of 18 and 64. »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
8.
Nomad Insurance Complete: minimum age at enrolment : 18 years
« To sign up for the Complete plan, you must be between the ages of 18 and 64. »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance – FAQ »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
9.
Nomad Insurance Essential: maximum age at purchase : 69 years
« Between 14 days and 69 years of age »
SafetyWing, « Nomad Insurance Essential (updated version): who can get this insurance »Verified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source