Travel insurance

Travel Insurance policy is valid in the specified territory outside the Republic of Latvia. You can obtain the Travel Insurance policy indicating the following operating areas:

• Europe (all European countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Morocco),
• Baltic Sea territory (the policy is in effect in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden),
• The whole world.

You can purchase your travel insurance policy depending on the length of your planned trip or travel with a duration ranging from one day to 365 days.

If you have regular business trips, we offer to purchase a Travel insurance policy with the duration of one year, which will ensure protection of all trips during the year. In this case, you can indicate the maximum duration of each journey. Upon your choice, maximum duration of one trip may be 30, 60 or 90 days.

EHIC, i.e. European Health Insurance Card, is a document common for all European Union and European Economic Area countries (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) and the Swiss Confederation, which entitles citizens of these countries to receive state-funded emergency and necessary health care to the extent ensured for inhabitants of each relevant country. The EHIC can be used in foreign clinics that are members of the National Sickness Fund and that have accepted the usage of the EHIC. Therefore, before seeking medical care abroad, we recommend you to inquire in advance whether the relevant clinic accepts the EHIC.

All residents of the Republic of Latvia may receive the EHIC card for free, therefore, when traveling abroad, be sure to obtain the EHIC card. For more information about the possibilities of receiving the EHIC card, visit the website of the National Health Service.

Why do you need BTA Travel insurance if you have the EHIC card?

• The EHIC card does not cover the costs and fees for client’s transportation, repatriation, emergency/ rescue services, which can amount to very significant expenses.
• Even in the case when the client enters a foreign clinic that accepts the EHIC, the customer will be charged to pay the fees mandatory in the relevant country. Although in Latvia patient fees are relatively low, in Europe they can be even more than 10 times higher.
• When using the EHIC, the foreign clinic receives the payment from the Latvian State budget within two years, therefore in most cases private clinics, including dentists and ski resort clinics, refuse to accept the EHIC.
• The EHIC card does not provide protection against other risks which may occur during traveling or foreign trips.

An example showing the necessity for the EHIC and Travel Insurance:

• State of health of a resident of Latvia suddenly deteriorated while visiting a country in the European Union. As a result, the woman was placed in a clinic. When her health condition slightly improved and it was possible to evacuate her to her country of origin, the bill for medical services amounted to EUR 24 000.
• Given that the Latvian resident had the EHIC, she did not have to pay the entire amount from her own personal funds. The EHIC covered 75% (EUR 18 000) of the medical expenses, the remaining 25% (6 000 EUR) would have to be covered by the woman herself, if she had not had the BTA travel insurance policy. Medical evacuation costs that were not covered by the EHIC amounted to EUR 4 300.

If the woman, additionally to the security provided by the EHIC, had not purchased the BTA Travel insurance, she would have to pay EUR 10 300 for the medical services received in the foreign clinic and medical evacuation to Latvia from her own personal funds. In this case, this amount was covered by BTA.

In case of an accident abroad, take the following measures:

• Call the BTA’s 24/7 Travel Support Service +371 26 12 12 12. We will provide operative assistance and consultation on what to do in the specific situation.
• In case of a sudden disease or accident in one of the following countries, you can call our partners in the specific country:
• Turkey * (+90 242) 310 44 44
• Egypt * (+20 122) 104 27 43
• Bulgaria (+359) 569 180 04
• Thailand, Indonesia, Bali: (+34) 931 702 286
• Russian Federation (+7) 495 989 11 20

* If you are in Turkey or Egypt, in order to avoid possible problems, ask for medical assistance only in our contractual organizations.

• By calling the indicated telephone numbers, our employees or partners will help to arrange the formalities associated with medical institutions, will provide a written guarantee of payment of medical services, so you do not have to spend your own personal financial resources; they will also help to solve a variety of other issues.
• If you have had to pay for medical services or any other case of insurance included in the Travel Insurance Policy from your own personal funds, be sure to keep documents certifying such payments (checks, registered receipts). Besides, be sure to keeps other documents justifying the indemnity claim: medical statements, certificate issued by airline about luggage delay, damage or loss, documents issued by law enforcement bodies, etc. A detailed list of documents to be submitted can be found in the Travel Insurance Terms and Conditions or by calling BTA Customer Support Service +371 26 12 12 12.
• Upon your return to Latvia, as soon as possible make your insurance indemnity claim in the My BTA. Having logged in to Customer Portal, you can make your indemnity claim quick and simple without having to leave your home and making any unnecessary phone calls.

If an acute illness incident occurs while you’re travelling, BTA offers to contact a doctor in Latvia, who will provide you with a remote consultation via a video or a phone call.

To receive the consultation please call BTA +371 26 12 12 12, and upon clarifying your current symptoms and complaints, BTA will offer the most urgent available time to receive a doctor’s consultation. Join the consultation with the specialist at the agreed time, receive a prescription to purchase medicine and advice on the appropriate course of action.

If the Insured is diagnosed with COVID-19 illness (illness caused by Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2), insurance indemnity shall be disbursed only for the insured risks “Medical expenses”, “Repatriation”, “Medical evacuation”, “Expenses for the person accompanying the injured person” according to the fixed maximal limit of insurance indemnity of EUR 40 000.

Optional “COVID-19 illness insurance” shall apply to the insured risks “Travel cancellation” and/or “Travel interruption” upon an occasion, if an insurance policy unequivocally provides for insurance of the above-mentioned risks and if Optional risk “COVID-19 illness insurance” is insured.