Photo: Vob08, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0Travel insurance in Ethiopia
Trips abroad, visas and the COMESA yellow card
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Travel insurance for a trip abroad
A travel policy pays emergency medical treatment, evacuation or repatriation and, depending on the plan, trip cancellation, delays and lost baggage. In Ethiopia it is a general insurance product: ask the licensed insurers or an NBE-licensed broker, and check the company on the NBE list before you pay.
When a visa requires it
For a Schengen (Europe) short-stay visa, Article 15 of the EU Visa Code requires travel medical insurance covering urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation for medical reasons or death, with a minimum of €30,000, valid in every Schengen state for the whole stay. Other countries set their own rules: read the embassy's checklist before you buy.
What to check in the policy
- The medical limit, and that it meets the visa minimum if you need one.
- The dates: from the day you leave Ethiopia to the day you return.
- The countries covered, including transit countries.
- Pre-existing conditions, sports and pregnancy exclusions.
- The 24-hour assistance number to call before going to hospital.
- How to claim after you return, and the documents to keep (receipts, medical reports, a police report for theft).
Visiting Ethiopia? The insurance Ethiopian law makes compulsory concerns vehicles, not visitors: a foreign-registered vehicle needs a local certificate or a yellow card (Proclamation 799/2013, Art. 26). Check entry conditions on the official e-visa portal before you travel.
Driving abroad: what the yellow card is
The yellow card is accepted in Burundi, DR Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It covers bodily injury, death and property damage to third parties in the countries visited; emergency medical treatment for the driver and passengers is an optional extra.
Ethiopia's limits are listed as unlimited for bodily injury, death and property damage (COMESA). Foreign vehicles entering Ethiopia need a local certificate or a yellow card (Proclamation 799/2013, Art. 26).
Where to get it
The national bureau is Ethiopian Insurance Corporation, Addis Ababa, +251 11 558 1197, comesaycard@eic-et.com (COMESA).
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I get a COMESA yellow card in Ethiopia?
From the national bureau, Ethiopian Insurance Corporation in Addis Ababa (comesaycard@eic-et.com).
Where can I buy travel insurance in Ethiopia?
From the insurers licensed by the National Bank of Ethiopia, directly or through a licensed broker or agent. Check the company on the NBE list of insurers before you pay.
How much travel medical cover do I need for a Schengen visa?
At least €30,000, covering urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation, valid in all Schengen states for the whole stay (EU Visa Code, Art. 15).
Does the yellow card cover my own medical costs?
Not by default: it covers injury, death and property damage to third parties. Medical cover for the driver and passengers is an optional extra.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (EU Visa Code), Article 15 — travel medical insurance (legislation.gov.uk text)
- COMESA Yellow Card — overview
- COMESA Yellow Card — limits of liability by member state
- COMESA Yellow Card — Ethiopia national bureau
- COMESA Yellow Card — claims
- Proclamation No. 799/2013 — English text (Federal Negarit Gazette No. 53)