Most digital nomad visas require proof of health insurance before they approve an application. Even without a visa in the picture, one bad hospital stay abroad can wipe out months of savings. This guide compares seven providers that actually work for people living and moving between countries, not just tourists on a two-week trip. Each entry covers real cost ranges, what gets covered, and where the gaps are.
Related: Best travel insurance for digital nomads
What this list is filtering for
These providers are ranked on four things: whether the plan works while already abroad, and how it handles pre-existing conditions. The other two factors are the evacuation benefit size and the monthly cost at a typical working age. Prices below assume a healthy adult in their late 20s or 30s, since almost every provider prices by age bracket. Get a personal quote before buying, since nationality, destination, and exact age all move the number.
1. SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
SafetyWing built its reputation on being the plan nomads could sign up for from a hostel in Bali, no home address required. It remains the most-recommended entry point for that reason alone.
- Provider: SafetyWing, administered by Tokio Marine, underwritten at Lloyd’s.
- Cost: Nomad Insurance Essential runs $62.72 per 4 weeks for ages 18 to 39. Nomad Insurance Complete runs $177.50 per month for the same age range.
- Coverage: Essential caps emergency medical at $250,000 with a $0 deductible and includes $100,000 in evacuation. Complete raises the overall limit to $1.5 million and adds outpatient visits, mental health sessions, and routine checkups.
- Pre-existing conditions: Excluded for routine care on both plans.
Essential is built for emergencies, not everyday healthcare, so a nomad who wants annual checkups covered needs Complete instead. Both plans can be purchased after a trip has already started, which is rare in this market.
Best for: budget-conscious nomads who want to sign up in minutes without a home base.
2. Genki
Genki is a newer, EU-based challenger that has picked up a loyal following for clearer pricing tiers than most competitors offer.
- Provider: Genki, with Genki Traveler backed by Allianz Partners and Squarelife.
- Cost: Genki Traveler starts at €52.50 per month for ages 0 to 29. Pricing climbs with age, reaching €168.30 for the 60 to 69 bracket. Genki Native Premium, its long-term expat plan, starts around €260 per month for the 20 to 34 bracket.
- Coverage: Traveler carries a €50 deductible per claim. Native Premium covers up to $5 million and includes dental, vision, and mental health support.
- Pre-existing conditions: Native Premium can cover them once a condition has been stable for six months, a rarer benefit among nomad-specific insurers.
The tradeoff for that flexibility is a smaller claims team than SafetyWing’s, since Genki is the younger company. For nomads who plan to stay stable in Europe for a while, the wider benefit set often justifies the higher starting price.
Best for: EU-based nomads who want more comprehensive coverage than a pure emergency plan.
3. IMG Global Medical Insurance
IMG sells fewer subscription vibes and more customizable long-term coverage, aimed at people who expect to be abroad for years, not months.
- Provider: IMG, through its Global Medical Insurance (Global Prima) plan tiers.
- Cost: The Silver tier runs roughly $2,000 per year, around $167 per month, for someone in the 25 to 34 age bracket. Bronze starts lower and Platinum runs several times higher.
- Coverage: Silver includes a $4 million lifetime maximum, organ transplant coverage up to $250,000, and 30 mental health visits per year.
- Pre-existing conditions: Not automatically covered, but IMG allows medical underwriting for some conditions on request, unlike pure travel-medical plans.
Excluding the US, Canada, and China from the coverage area, instead of choosing full worldwide coverage, cuts the premium the most. Some nomads see it fall by half.
Best for: nomads who want a genuinely long-term policy with high coverage ceilings and room to customize.
4. Cigna Global
Cigna Global works on a modular system: pick a core plan, then add outpatient, evacuation, or dental coverage as separate pieces.
- Provider: Cigna, through its Cigna Global Health Options plans.
- Cost: Plans start around $100 per month for a stripped-down core plan. Adding outpatient coverage and a wider coverage area can push that well past $300. Dropping US coverage from the plan typically cuts the price substantially.
- Coverage: Includes direct billing at a large global hospital network, telehealth consultations, and mental health support on most modules.
- Pre-existing conditions: Can be covered subject to individual medical underwriting, a real advantage over subscription-style nomad plans that exclude them outright.
The modular pricing means two nomads on “Cigna Global” can pay very different amounts, depending on which pieces they picked. A real quote matters more here than with flat-rate competitors.
Best for: nomads with a pre-existing condition who need underwriting rather than an automatic exclusion.
5. GeoBlue Xplorer Essential
GeoBlue is built for US citizens living abroad. Its Blue Cross Blue Shield Association link keeps the plan feeling connected to the US healthcare system.
- Provider: GeoBlue, administered by 4 Ever Life International, a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association licensee.
- Cost: Around $2,880 per year, about $240 per month, for the 25 to 34 age bracket. That rises to nearly $13,000 per year for the 65 to 74 bracket.
- Coverage: Worldwide excluding the US, with an unlimited annual maximum after the deductible and a $10 copay for GP visits.
- Pre-existing conditions: Subject to a 6-month waiting period, waived if the applicant had continuous prior coverage.
This plan requires the buyer to be a US citizen or resident, already living abroad or leaving within 30 days. It is not open to every nationality the way SafetyWing or Genki are.
Best for: American nomads who want a plan tied to a familiar, established US insurer network.
6. Insured Nomads
Insured Nomads takes a build-your-own approach: pick a coverage limit and deductible rather than choosing between a few fixed tiers.
- Provider: Insured Nomads, with its long-term Connect plans backed by Allianz Partners France.
- Cost: Priced per quote, based on age, deductible, and chosen limit. There is no single published rate, so get an actual quote before comparing.
- Coverage: Choice of $500,000, $1 million, or $3 million overall limits, plus routine care, hospitalization, and prescription coverage on the Connect series.
- Pre-existing conditions: Handled case by case through underwriting, not automatically excluded or included.
Mental health therapy and telemedicine come included on most Connect tiers. An airport lounge access perk shows up on some plans too, an unusual extra for a health insurer.
Best for: nomads who want to size their own deductible and limit instead of picking from preset tiers.
7. World Nomads
World Nomads leans more toward travel insurance than long-term health coverage, but its adventure sports benefits are hard to match.
- Provider: World Nomads, underwritten regionally depending on the buyer’s home country.
- Cost: UK pricing runs roughly £29 to £285 per week, depending on destination and age. That is generally pricier per month than subscription-style nomad plans.
- Coverage: Some markets offer medical limits up to £10 million, plus evacuation and over 200 covered adventure activities like diving and motorbiking.
- Pre-existing conditions: Generally excluded, in line with standard travel insurance.
Policies typically max out around 364 days. They are usually bought before departure rather than mid-trip. That suits a long travel stint more than settling in one place for years.
Best for: nomads planning high-risk activities who need strong adventure sports coverage on top of medical care.
A note on rules and verification
Insurance requirements tied to specific digital nomad visas vary by country and change without much notice. Some programs specify a minimum coverage amount or require a policy purchased in the local language. This article reflects publicly available pricing and coverage details as researched on September 6, 2026. Confirm current terms directly with the insurer before buying. For any visa-specific requirement, check with the relevant embassy or a licensed insurance broker. This is general information, not individual insurance or tax advice.
Picking the right plan usually comes down to how long the trip is and how many countries it covers. SafetyWing and Genki work well for the classic multi-country nomad life. GeoBlue and Cigna Global suit people who want a plan that still feels tied to home. Once the insurance question is settled, search flights on FlyBibe and get moving on the actual trip.