THE SHORT ANSWER
A policy that runs all year does not mean each trip can last as long as you like. All Swedish home insurance includes travel cover, and according to Konsumenternas it lasts 45 days with most insurers. The days are counted for each trip, not for the whole year.
Extra travel cover can be an add-on to your home insurance or a separate travel policy. Start with the cover you already hold: which days, people and events are included. Then read what the extra cover actually adds and which limits it has. [1][2][9]
Keep these points in mind
- The time limit applies to each trip, not the whole year.
- An add-on supplements the basic cover; it does not replace it.
- Check cancellation cover before you book.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
Count the days for each trip
Write down the departure and return dates for each trip you plan. Konsumenternas gives 45 days as the standard with most insurers, although some have a longer limit. A three-month trip therefore passes the usual limit, even when the policy runs all year.
A short visit back home does not always start a new trip. In a review by Konsumenternas, several insurers require you to stay at home for at least 30 days before new days start counting. Otherwise the whole stay may count as one long trip. Ask the insurer how your agreement counts the days.
[1][2]Check who is covered
Home insurance travel cover usually applies to you as the policyholder and to people sharing your household at the same address. Some insurers require everyone covered to be named in the agreement. Children under 18 in your custody are normally covered, even when registered at another address.
If you travel with a friend outside the household, each of you needs to check your own cover. If you pay the booking with your card, the friend's share is normally not covered by the card insurance. Also check that cancellation cover can reimburse the full trip price and that every fellow traveller is included.
[3][8]Read what an add-on provides
An add-on to home insurance may apply to every trip during the policy year, but with its own limits. One insurer's add-on, for example, covers trips of up to 45 days, however many trips you take. It requires the trip to have cost at least SEK 1,000 per person or SEK 2,000 for a family. Read the equivalent limits in your own terms.
According to Konsumenternas, supplementary travel insurance is not complete travel insurance. It does not pay costs if you fall acutely ill; for that you need home insurance or a separate travel policy. So check the basic cover for the whole trip before relying on the add-on.
[9][4]Booking late: check the timing
Cover needs to be in place before you travel. Konsumenternas notes that once you are abroad and your travel insurance has expired, it is often too late to get insured. If the travel cover needs extending, this has to happen before the trip begins.
Check cancellation cover before you book. Some cancellation policies must be taken out within a set time after you book or pay for the trip. Where the cover comes through a card, payment normally has to be completed before departure.
[6][2][8][7]
A separate policy for one defined trip
A separate travel policy may be needed if you have no home insurance or plan risky activities. According to Konsumenternas, every separate travel policy covers necessary and reasonable costs for acute illness and accidents abroad. It also includes disaster cover for an immediate journey home after events such as war or a natural disaster.
Separate travel policies do not include cancellation cover. The price depends on factors such as how long you will be away and where you are going. On a long trip, a separate policy can take over when the home insurance days run out, so check that the periods meet without a gap.
[5][2]Put the travel plan beside the documents
Keep the home insurance terms, any add-ons and separate policy statements in My Forsio. Read periods, people and limitations in the originals when you set them beside the travel plan. If an add-on is missing from the documents, the insurer needs to confirm whether it exists.
Forsio does not decide whether a particular trip is insured or whether a reason for cancelling is accepted. Cover that does not appear in the documents is Unverified, not confirmed as missing. The insurer decides what can be paid.
Fictional example
Cover all year. One trip that runs longer.
Sam has home insurance with a travel add-on and is planning a three-month trip.
- Travel cover in the terms
- 45 days per trip
- Days after day 45
- No cover in the documentsPotential gapAsk the insurer before departure
- Cancellation cover in the add-on
- Unverified
An add-on that runs all year does not confirm cover for the final weeks of the trip. The insurer needs to answer that before departure.
Common questions
What is annual travel insurance?
Travel cover that applies to trips throughout the policy year, for example through home insurance or an add-on to it. Each trip still has a time limit, often 45 days. Read your terms for the exact limit and which people are included. [1][9][2]
Can I take out travel insurance at the last minute?
Cover needs to be in place before you travel. Once you are abroad and your policy has expired, it is often too late. An extension has to be made before the trip begins, and some cancellation policies must be taken out within a set time after booking or payment. [6][2][8]
What applies to a 3-month trip?
Home insurance travel cover normally lasts 45 days. According to Konsumenternas, the travel cover then needs extending before you leave, or a separate travel policy can be taken out. A short visit back home in the middle of the trip does not always start new days. [6][2]
Can I buy travel insurance per day?
The price of a separate travel policy depends on factors such as how long you will be away and where you are going. Check that the period in the policy statement covers the whole trip, including the journey back. A separate travel policy does not include cancellation cover. [5]
Does cancellation cover apply if I take it out just before the trip?
Read when the cover starts. A separate cancellation policy may accept more reasons, provided you could not have foreseen or prevented the event. One insurer's add-on, for example, requires you to have held it for at least 14 days when the Ministry for Foreign Affairs issues a warning against travel. [7][9]
MY FORSIO
Bring the documents together when life changes.
Keep insurance documents in one place in My Forsio. Read periods, limitations and details that need confirmation. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- Konsumenternas: home insurance travel cover and supplementary cover
- Konsumenternas: travel days, visits home and extensions
- Konsumenternas: who home insurance travel cover applies to
- Konsumenternas: what supplementary travel insurance does not cover
- Konsumenternas: what separate travel policies contain
- Konsumenternas: arranging travel cover before departure
- Konsumenternas: cancellation cover, reasons and card payment
- Konsumenternas: when cancellation cover must be taken out
- Folksam: example of a travel add-on to home insurance