Mexico Travel Insurance (6 Best Sites to Search in 2022) (% October

October 17, 2022

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Mexico does not require travel insurance for tourists to enter the country. however, I personally always get it (more on why below). In this post I will share the 6 sites I look to find the best travel insurance for Mexico.

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I travel and write a lot about mexico. Readers and journalists alike come to ask me about Mexico travel insurance. This guide is my attempt to explain how I personally approach travel insurance when visiting Mexico (spoiler alert: I use World Nomads, but there are other options you might want to consider).

the best sites for travel insurance quotes in mexico

I discovered that the best travel insurance for Mexico, at least for me, was world nomads. it’s the same company I used to insure my big round-the-world trip when I visited 43 countries in one year (yes, I really did!). and, yes, I really do still use world nomads for my own insurance (here’s the proof).

but what I personally choose and what is best for you may be different.

here is a brief summary of the 6 mexico travel and medical insurance sites examined in detail below:

world nomads (my number 1 choice for mexico)

this is why i like world nomads: they offer what i feel is reasonable and simple, that is easy to extend while i’m in mexico if my plans change. I also really like that they are honest about the coverage of covid-19. they were started by travelers and have a long history as one of the most popular insurance companies in the travel community.

However, there are not always the cheapest ones, so I always compare prices. Let’s look at other insurance sites I like to use to do that:

visitor coverage (best comparison site)

I like that the visitors coverage allows you to get a quote for travel medical insurance or travel insurance. a quick explanation of what I mean by that:

Travel medical insurance is aimed at those seeking medical coverage in case of an emergency while in Mexico. For the reasons I explain below, this is the part of travel insurance that I personally focus on. travel coverage, by contrast, tends to focus on covering risks like theft, lost luggage, travel delays, and other (non-medical) things that can go wrong during the trip.

With visitor coverage, it’s easy to choose which you’re interested in and avoid paying for additional coverage you don’t want. plus they have a 4.7 star customer rating on trustpilot which is great for an insurance company.

genki (health insurance for digital nomads)

genki is a new company that I recently tried on a trip to Argentina. They focus solely on offering travel medical insurance for digital nomads, remote workers, and other long-term travelers in Mexico and elsewhere. This means that Genki does not sell coverage for things like trip delays, trip cancellation, or theft.

genki works on a monthly subscription model. It’s great if you’re getting a taste of digital nomad life and need travel health insurance while abroad. If you are a tourist looking for traditional travel insurance, it may not be what you are looking for.

travelinsurance.com (insurance comparison site)

This is another travel insurance comparison site that allows you to get quotes from hundreds (or even thousands) of insurers at once. If you really want to delve into your coverages, deductibles, exclusions, and other policy details, this is the place to explore all that information in depth.

I really like the filters on this site. it’s easy to narrow your search to only policies that cover covid-19, for example. you can also use it to easily find cfar coverage (more on that below).

insure my trip (the best thing to find insurance for the elderly)

A major downside to many of the Mexico travel insurance companies on this list is that most have age limits. that can be difficult if you are over 65. In my experience, I assure you that my trip tends to find more policies that cover the group of elderly people.

insure my trip is also the best place to find insurance for mexico if you have a pre-existing condition.

aardy (insurance comparison site)

The final site I personally look at is aardy, which is another insurance comparison site that will pull quotes from hundreds of insurers. It’s not my favorite site, to be honest, because it’s a bit complicated to use. I particularly don’t like that you have to enter an email just to get a quote. still, if none of the other options above work for you, you can try searching here.

travel insurance requirements for mexico

Just me trying to look cool for Instagram at Chichen Itza 🙂

As of 2022, there is no legal requirement to purchase travel insurance in order to visit Mexico. No one will ask you to show proof of insurance at the border, and the Mexican government does not mandate travelers to have insurance. Many travelers nonetheless choose to buy it.

Obviously, covid-19 is a big reason travelers get insured. The New York Times recently published an exposé titled “A Traveler’s Worst Nightmare: When You Test Positive for COVID-19,” which includes several truly tragic stories about travelers to Mexico who were caught unprepared.

It’s no wonder then that, since the start of the pandemic, surveys show that three times as many travelers buy insurance than before the pandemic. Many in the industry are now calling travel insurance the “must buy” for traveling in the 2020s.

These are popular reasons why many travelers, myself included, choose to purchase travel insurance for Mexico:

✈️ Trip Cancellation Protection: If covid strikes before a trip, an airline cancels a flight, or Mexico goes on lockdown, trip cancellation insurance could come in handy if you purchased trip cancellation coverage that applies to your situation.
🎫 trip interruption benefit: even if you make it to mexico, your trip could be interrupted while you’re there . if it’s for a reason covered by trip interruption coverage, you’ll be glad you opted for insurance.
💉 emergency medical coverage – a sad reality is that many travelers They end up in hospitals in Mexico, only to find out that their US medical policies won’t cover them. emergency medical expenses can add up quickly.
🚗 rental car protection: I love driving in Mexico, but I’m worried about car accidents. as discussed below, they are the No. 1 cause of death among Americans abroad.
🚁 Emergency Evacuation: A scary thing to think about, but if you need to be Evacuated from Mexico, it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. for this reason, I always pay attention to medical evacuation coverage in the terms of the policy.
💻 equipment theft protection: cameras, laptops, cell phones. Petty crime in Mexico is real, and all those expensive items on your Mexico packing list are tempting targets.

These are some of the most common coverages, but each policy is different, so read the terms carefully!

Personally, I almost always get travel insurance, mainly to protect myself against medical emergencies and evacuations. But not everyone necessarily needs to bring travel insurance to Mexico (it is not a legal requirement to have travel insurance to travel to Mexico).

so read on if you really want to dive in and find out if it’s worth buying in your circumstances.

also be realistic that nothing is perfect. my favorite insurer, world nomads, checked all the boxes above for what she needed, but there was one big exception: her standard plan stated that they limit equipment coverage to $1,000. That may be fine for other travelers, but it’s no good for a travel blogger traveling with a laptop, three cameras, and a drone. Still, I’ll stick with them until I find a better option.

how to find cancellation for any reason (cfar) coverage for mexico

Travel insurance policies only cover the risks of the contract. Most policies will not cover you if you decide to cancel a trip due to fear of covid-19, an outbreak at your destination, or restrictions that defeat the purpose of your trip (i.e., who wants to go to mexico city when the bars, restaurants and museums are closed because its traffic light is red?).

If you’re concerned about these risks, you can look into what’s called “cancel for any reason” or “cfar” coverage. Although it depends on the specific policy, you can usually make a CFA claim for nonreimbursable travel expenses for, well, any reason. Of course, it tends to be significantly more expensive, which is why I personally don’t use cfar coverage.

if you want cfar coverage for your trip to mexico (perhaps because you have many non-refundable travel expenses), note that travelinsurance.com allows you to filter your search results to include only cfar policies. here is a screenshot of how to do it:

TravelInsurance.com conveniently lets you filter for cancel for any reason policies

Why I Buy Trip Insurance (And How I Compare)

reason 1: medical coverage

Me being silly in Valladolid, Mexico (my favorite place to visit!)

The main reason I personally buy Mexico travel insurance is for the travel medical insurance and the evacuation coverage.

This is not insurance or medical advice (I’m not qualified to give that), but here is my personal opinion on the subject of travel medical insurance:

Insurance is generally a good deal if it protects against a financial claim. for example, it is generally a bad deal in the long run to buy microwave insurance. if a microwave breaks, you can afford to fix it. And since insurance companies make a markup on your premiums, you’ll save in the long run by simply insuring yourself for small risks like this.

On the other hand, a visit to a Mexican ER is probably something I can’t afford to self-insure and could even result in financial ruin. The same reasoning applies if I hire a rental car in Mexico, crash it, and don’t have rental car insurance. or if I die (dark, I know, but it happens) and my estate cannot pay for the repatriation of the remains to my family in the United States.

Medical expenses are a serious consideration, and emergency medical coverage remains my primary focus when comparing travel insurance coverage. that was true before the pandemic, but it is even more true now.

reason 2: car accidents are very common in mexico

I love driving in Mexico. A rental car gives you a lot of freedom, and it’s a great way to explore all the fun places to visit in mexico.

but guess what?

Car accidents abroad are very common. According to the US Department of State’s database on deaths of Americans abroad, the most common cause of deaths of travelers abroad is not terrorism, murder or even covid: it is the accident common automobile.

which can be catastrophically expensive if you end up with a huge medical bill, liability for a car accident, or if your family needs to repatriate your remains after a tragic incident.

This is why you should never drink and drive in Mexico and you should always buckle up, even on vacation and even in taxis or tour buses. And that’s why travel medical insurance, repatriation of remains coverage, and rental car insurance are the three things I personally look at when quoting travel insurance for Mexico (or anywhere else).

safety tips in mexico

understand the situation of covid-19 in mexico and the “traffic light” system

Mexico has been hit hard by the coronavirus. The country currently ranks fifth in the world for Covid-19 deaths. Mexico also lags behind in vaccination rates, with more than a third of the country unvaccinated.

mexico has a 4-tier “traffic light” system for restrictions (I know, traffic lights only have 3 lights, but whatever). You can see what color the state you are visiting is using this map. the color of the traffic light is supposed to guide the scope of restrictions at the local level. I say “supposed to” because in my experience each Mexican state tends to follow its own path.

If you decide to visit Mexico during the pandemic, make sure you do so responsibly and follow all public health recommendations. if nothing else, do it for your own benefit.

recently an vaccinated australian friend visited me in puerto vallarta. Like many other travelers during the Omicron wave, he tested positive in Mexico and then had to pay for an expensive hotel to quarantine. luckily my friend’s insurer helped defray the costs, but it was still a nightmarish situation for him, and one you want to avoid.

crime and safety in mexico

Mexico has a bad reputation in the news. With millions of visitors each year, bad things are bound to happen. and when they do, the mids tend to grab.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that gang and cartel violence has affected many parts of Mexico, including popular tourist destinations like Cancun and Acapulco. Check out my articles on travel safety to mexico. And always check the US Department of State and UK FCDO sites for the latest travel advisories for Mexico.

You can also read our guides on safety in tulum, safety in playa del carmen and safety in mexico city.

Mexico’s 2-tier medical system

Mexico effectively has two health care systems: public and private for those who have their own health insurance. The public health system can be quite cheap, and you may be eligible for public health insurance if you plan to retire in Mexico on a resident visa. Read more information here.

If you are just visiting Mexico, keep in mind that while health care costs are generally cheaper in Mexico, for serious incidents, the cost of health care can still be very high.

rent a car in mexico

Valladolid, Mexico

Car rental companies typically offer full coverage policies that you can buy separately if you just need coverage for your rental (I suggest renting through Discover Car Hire, by the way, as some local operators are known to run scams).

See my complete guide to renting a car in Mexico for more information.

extreme sports in mexico

Many of the best things to do in Mexico, like scuba diving in Cabo San Lucas, parasailing in Puerto Vallarta or ATVing in Playa del Carmen, are classified as extreme sports for insurance coverage purposes. when I plan to participate in these, I always look for a comprehensive plan that specifically covers them (if it’s not explicitly covered, it’s usually excluded).

ps: Check out my best mexico travel tips for more helpful tips.

know the locations of your embassies

When traveling to any foreign country, it’s always a good idea to have the contact information for your nearest embassy or consulate.

here are the locations of the united states embassy in mexico city and consulates throughout the country:

embassy of the united states in mexico city – paseo de la reforma 305, colonia cuauhtemoc, 06500 mexico, cdmx (+52 55 5080 2000)
city juarez united states consulate – paseo de la victoria #3650, fraction. senecu party, juarez city, chihuahau, mexico, c.p. 32543 (+52 656 227 3000)
united states consulate in guadalajara – c. Progreso 175, Col Americana, Americana, 44100 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico (+52 338 526 1444)
Hermosillo US Consulate – Monterrey, Esqueda 141, El Centenario, 83260 Hermosillo , son., mexico (+52 662 289 3500)
united states consulate in matamoros – calle Constitución no. 1, Colonia Jardín, Matamoros, Tamaulipas 87330 (+52 868-208-2000)
Merida US Consulate – Calle 60 no. 338-k x 29 and 31, col. alcala martin merida, yucatan, mexico 97050 (+52 999-942-5700)
united states consulate in monterrey – ave. alfonso reyes #150, col. valle del poniente, santa catarina, nuevo leon, mexico 66196 (+51 81 8047 3100)
united states consulate in nogales – calle alejandria s/n, los alamos, 84065 nogales, son ., mexico (+52 631 311 8150)
nuevo laredo us consulate – paseo colon 1901, colonia madero, nuevo laredo, tamaulipas 88360 (+52 867 714 0512 )
united states consulate in tijuana – walk of cultures s/n, mesa de otay, centenary delegation c.p. 22425, Tijuana Baja California (+52 664 977 2000)

British embassy locations can be found here, and Canadians can find their embassy here.

why trust us? our methodology

About Nate Hake: I’m a travel blogger, recovery attorney, and full-time world traveler for over 6 years. I visit Mexico several times a year to check out the newest hotels in Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City and throughout the country. i am proud that my travel lemming site is among the most popular mexico travel blogs on the internet. Helping travelers enjoy Mexico is what I do now for a living. it’s much more fun than legal work.

methodology: Although this list is subjective, it is based on personal experience. I have personally traveled to Mexico dozens of times and have purchased many policies from companies on this list (here is my latest purchase). When it comes to travel insurance, Mexico is not that different from other countries, so I focus my efforts on evaluating the factors that I think are most important: transparency, ease of use, and customer reviews of policyholders who have had to present a claim. .

Frequently asked questions about travel insurance to Mexico

Here are quick answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about travel insurance in Mexico:

***

When it comes to travel insurance, Mexico is not that different from other countries. Every time I travel abroad, I evaluate my tolerance for risk and almost always decide that it is worth buying insurance. Ultimately, whether or not to insure your trip to Mexico is really up to you.

oh, and if you travel frequently, you can also read my other travel insurance guides: