Travel Insurance for Mexico

Author: Melissa A.

Published: April 9th, 2024 | Updated: April 9th, 2024
Read time: 6 mins

Millions of Canadian citizens and residents travel to Mexico each year, whether it’s to explore one of the world’s new seven wonders – Chichén Itzá, experience a luxury vacation in Talum or party in Cancún for spring break. Although Mexico is part of North America, and you may not be travelling from far to the Caribbean coast country, it’s vital that you have travel insurance coverage. From a healthcare standpoint, your government health insurance will not fully cover you if you get ill or injured on your trip. You could experience a trip cancellation, interruption, flight delay, or have your bags stolen, lost, or delayed. These disruptions are why travel insurance for Mexico is a good idea. If you can’t afford to lose costs associated with any of these scenarios, should they happen to you, then travel insurance can financially protect you.

Do I need travel insurance for Mexico?

Travel insurance for Mexico is not mandatory for entry but is essential for your trip. Your Canadian Government Health Insurance Plan (GHIP) will provide little to no coverage when travelling outside the country. Therefore, if an unexpected medical emergency were to occur, you would have peace of mind knowing that emergency medical insurance can cover your medical expenses.

Just like it’s wise to protect your health, it’s also wise to protect your costly trip investment and personal belongings. Trip cancellation insurance can protect you from losing any prepaid, nonrefundable, and non-transferable unused portion of your trip costs if your trip is cancelled or interrupted. Baggage insurance can financially cover the replacement of your luggage and its contents if your bags get lost, stolen, or delayed.

What does Mexico travel insurance cover?

Mexico travel insurance financially covers risks and losses you could unexpectedly experience on your trip to Mexico. Not all travel insurance plans a travel insurance company provides are created equal. They vary by provider.

Typical benefits include trip cancellation and interruption coverage, allowing you to cancel your trip before departure or cut it short for a reason indicated in a policy. Trip cancellation and interruption coverage also includes the travel delay benefit for covered instances when you must change your schedule or get compensated for meals, accommodations, etc., and the missed connection benefit, allowing you to catch up to your trip itinerary. Baggage loss and delay benefits are commonly found in trip cancellation and interruption coverage. The baggage loss benefit can cover your lost or stolen bags, including their contents, and the baggage delay benefit can cover essential items that you will need in the interim while your bags are on route to you.

Emergency medical, medical evacuation and repatriation are also typical benefits included in Mexico trip insurance. Emergency medical coverage can cover ambulance transportation, lab tests, hospital stays, treatment, prescription medication, emergency dental work, etc. Medical evacuation coverage can transport you to the nearest qualified hospital if you get seriously ill or injured, and repatriation coverage can transport you home to Canada for medical care or in the event of your death.

Mexico travel protection plans for an additional cost can be tailored to suit your unique travel needs by incorporating options and add-ons, for example, COVID-19, cancel for any reason, pre-existing conditions, rental car damage, gadget coverages and more.

Do I need health insurance to travel to Mexico?

It’s recommended that Canadians buy emergency medical insurance (often referred to as travel health insurance) whether they are travelling to another province or abroad. Your Government Health Insurance Plan (GHIP) will provide limited to no medical coverage outside Canada. Having travel health insurance for Mexico will ensure you are covered if you require medical care. Without coverage, you could be out-of-pocket tens of thousands to millions of dollars for international medical expenses. When looking into travel medical insurance for Mexico, make sure that the plans you review also include coverage for medical evacuation to transport you to the nearest qualified hospital, repatriation to transport you back home to Canada for medical care or transport your remains in case of death, and pre-existing medical conditions.

How much is travel insurance to Mexico?

The cost of travel insurance for your Mexico trip can vary depending on your travel needs and critical risk factors such as traveller(s) age, number of travellers, trip duration and the level of coverage. But on average, it will cost you 4%-10% of your total trip cost. Additional risk factors that can increase the price you pay for travel insurance for Mexico are the destination, whether you will be visiting a high-risk or remote part of Mexico, limits, deductible, and any options and add-ons you choose to add to a plan. To better understand what you will pay for travel insurance for Mexico, visit us online for a quote and compare plans.

What is the best travel insurance for Mexico?

Travel insurance for your trip to Mexico will depend on your travel needs. Various coverages are available, but the best travel insurance will be an emergency medical plan or one that includes emergency medical coverage. An all-inclusive plan can be an excellent option because it typically includes multiple coverages such as emergency medical, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, and baggage loss and delay. Suppose you are travelling to Mexico with your family. In that case, family travel insurance might be a better option for you because all travelling family members living in the same household are insured together under one plan. Children are often insured free, making it cost-effective. If you are a student travelling to Mexico to study full-time, then student travel insurance can be a great option because it’s specifically designed for students, and it includes emergency medical coverage, among other coverages. Whichever travel insurance plan you choose, ensure you read its terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions in detail before purchasing so you will be aware of what you will and will not be covered for.

Do visitors from Mexico to Canada need travel insurance?

There are no requirements for a visitor from Mexico to have travel insurance when visiting Canada, but it is strongly recommended. Since Canada’s Government Health Insurance Plan (GHIP) does not extend to visitors to Canada from abroad, it’s crucial to have emergency medical coverage. Visitors To Canada (VTC) travel insurance coverage provides just that. Should you experience a medical emergency while here and do not have emergency medical coverage, you will have to pay your medical expenses, ranging from tens of thousands to millions of dollars upfront and out of pocket. With VTC travel insurance coverage, you can get reimbursed for your medical expenses.