Job Discussion Forums

illflip · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 16

I'm in Alberta, Canada and my healthcare doesn't cover travel insurance. Just wondering what is the best route to go in order to get travel insurance for 1 year, while I am in Japan and any places that you know that can give me a good rate?

illflip · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 16

To make it even simpler, what is the best way to get travel insurance for a year?

lajzar · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 647 Location: Saitama-ken, Japan

Most travel insurance policies do not cover you if you are out of the country for more than one month at a time. What you need to look for is ex-pat insurance. There was a thread about this in the general forum last week I think it was.

illflip · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 16

According the the Working Holiday Visa website, this is what I need:

Travelers' supplementary medical insurance: You are required to show purchase agreement or receipt for this insurance. As well you must provide us with a photocopy. The document should show the length of time for which you are covered (and when the coverage begins and ends) and show that you have paid for this coverage in full. The minimum length of coverage is 180 days.

I may be a stupid question, but where can I get this? =)

lajzar · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 647 Location: Saitama-ken, Japan

One thing you have to bear in mind is that the embassy is probably using a different sense of "travel" compared to the insurance companies' usual understanding of the word.

Most insurance companies can sell you what you want, as long as you make it very clear you will be out of the country for a *continuous* period. The normal holiday insurance schemes assume multiple trips, each of no more than a month or so.

However, certain insurance companies specialise in this market, and as such will generally give better rates. A few were named in the other thread I referred to.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

An important difference between travel and expat insurance is that travel insurance will also cover things like luggage loss and accident cover while in transit but expat insurance is generally for while you are in country.

My company purchased travel insurance for me.

moot point · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 441

I don't know what your situation is, but my credit card company includes travel insurance. I'm not sure about extended holidays, however.