Choosing Travel Regions and Countries for Travel Insurance

Which country or travel insurance region do I choose?

Travel Insurance Guide
Regions

By: Brooke - Travel Writer

When you do a quote with us, you can simply enter the country or countries that you’re planning on visiting.

Being able to specify the countries that you’re travelling to has its advantages, including:

Knowing you have cover for the country or countries you've listed.
We’ll know where you are and may be able to provide country specific assistance and information if required.

And while you’re travelling, if you decide to do a side trip to another country which you haven’t already specified, you can add it to your policy by logging into Your Policy or contacting us. Ideally you should update your countries or regions before you depart.

Also, depending on which additional countries you’re planning on travelling to, you may not even need to pay an additional premium!

5 Travel Insurance Country Tips

Be sure you list the correct countries (or region) you're planning to visit.
You have cover for transits of 48 hours or less in a country that’s not specified on your policy, provided you don't leave the airport.
If you need to add a country to your policy, you may not need to pay an additional premium.
Contact us immediately if you have selected the wrong country or region on your policy, or you want to visit other countries not listed on your policy.
Countries with a 'Do not travel' warning issued by smartraveller can't be covered under our policies.

What do I do if I’m travelling to a lot of different countries?

If you’re travelling to multiple countries, or you haven’t fully decided on the countries that you’ll be visiting, you can simply select from one of our 4 regions:

1. Worldwide

This is the highest region. This means it provides cover for the countries under all the other regions listed below including Europe, Asia, South Pacific, and also New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).

2. Europe

Provides cover for travel around the Europe, Asia and South Pacific regions and also New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).

3. Asia

Provides cover for travel around the Asia and South Pacific regions and also New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).

4. South Pacific

Provides cover for travel around the South Pacific region and also New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).

5. New Zealand

Provides cover for travel in New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).

What about Domestic trips?

If you are travelling in Australia (Domestic), you should specify Australia.

When should I select a region instead of a country?

Selecting a region can be handy if you’re:

Going on a Contiki tour which covers too many countries for you to list!
On a cruise around the world and stopping in many ports along the way
Going backpacking in Asia for a year with an initial plan of visiting Vietnam and then seeing how you feel after that
You have a UK Working Holiday Visa and you want to keep your travel options open

When selecting the region that you’ll be travelling to, make sure you pick the correct one, otherwise you may not be covered for your travel to that region or certain countries. Fast Cover, for every country has designated the specific region it belongs to for its travel insurance purposes, so some countries may not be in the regions you would assume them to be!

For example, when it comes to buying travel insurance, Hawaii may be in the Worldwide region, Turkey and Russia in the Europe region and Bali (Indonesia) in the Asia region.

Selecting the incorrect region for your travel destinations could result in your claim being declined, which means you would be responsible for all costs incurred. If you’re seriously sick or injured, these costs could be thousands of dollars and possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars for overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses.

The following table can help you select the right geographical region for your holiday.

Popular Destinations	Exceptions	Covers Regions
Worldwide
North America Canada United States of America Hawaii Africa Egypt Kenya Morocco South Africa Antarctica Antarctica Scenic Flight Central America Mexico South America Brazil Peru Argentina Chile Middle East Dubai Abu Dhabi	If you are unable to find your country, select Worldwide. Countries with a 'Do not travel' warning from smartraveller can't be covered. Countries listed in the General Exclusions in our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) can't be covered.	Also covers you for travel in Europe, Asia and South Pacific regions, New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).
Europe
France Germany Greece Italy Republic of Ireland Russia Spain Turkey Belgium United Kingdom England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland	Turkey is often defined as where east meets west. For the purpose of travel insurance with Fast Cover, Turkey is included in the Europe region. Countries with a 'Do not travel' warning from smartraveller can't be covered Countries listed in the General Exclusions in our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) can't be covered.	Also covers you for travel in Asia and South Pacific regions, New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).
Asia
Bali China Hong Kong India Singapore Thailand Vietnam Japan Indonesia	For the purpose of travel insurance with Fast Cover, Bali (Indonesia) and Borneo are in the Asia region. Countries with a 'Do not travel' warning from smartraveller can't be covered Countries listed in the General Exclusions in our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) can't be covered.	Also covers you for travel in the South Pacific region, New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).
South Pacific
Fiji South Pacific Islands	Countries with a 'Do not travel' warning from smartraveller can't be covered. Countries listed in the General Exclusions in our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) can't be covered.	Also covers you for travel in New Zealand and Australia (Domestic).
New Zealand
New Zealand	Countries with a 'Do not travel' warning from smartraveller can't be covered. Countries listed in the General Exclusions in our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) can't be covered.	New Zealand
Domestic
All of Australia including: Lord Howe Island Norfolk Island Thursday Island Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands	If you’re going on a cruise, for the purposes of travel insurance with Fast Cover and Medicare, you are technically leaving Australia so you require international cover. A Domestic policy will not cover you for cruising in the sea or ocean even if you’re only in Australian waters.	Australia (Domestic) only

Make sure your destination is listed on your policy

To avoid selecting the wrong region and finding you’re not covered for the country that you’re travelling to, enter all the countries you’ll be visiting.

You can also add a region to your list of selected countries, which will give you flexibility just in case you decide to travel elsewhere within that region.

For example: If you're travelling to Bali, you can select just Bali (indonesia), or Bali (Indonesia) and the Asia region. This means that if you decide to also go to Malaysia, your policy will provide you with cover for Malaysia!

Choosing the right country FAQs

What if my plans change and I’m visiting a country which isn’t specified on my policy?

The good news is that we can upgrade your policy while you’re travelling. Log into Your Policy or contact us immediately, let us know your new travel plans and if it's a country that we can cover, we’ll upgrade your policy. Additional costs may apply for the upgrade depending on the additional country you're adding to your policy, and whether or not there has been a price increase between the time that you purchased your policy and your upgrade.

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If I select the UK, will I still have cover if I’m also visiting Thailand which is in Asia?

If you had selected only the UK on your policy, you should also add Thailand, to have cover for your travel there.

If you had selected both the UK and the Europe region on your policy, you have cover for your travel to Thailand, as Thailand is in the Asia region, which sits under the Europe region. However you can still choose to specify Thailand on your policy.

Example

John is flying to England (Europe region) for a friend’s wedding and to hang out with his mates for a few weeks. As he has also just finished a contract for work, he's decided to travel for a few months, but has no definite plan of where he’ll be going but thinks he might stop off in Thailand (Asia region), New Zealand and maybe Brisbane before coming back to Sydney to search for a new job.

He should select the UK and Europe region. which will provide him with cover for England, any other country in Europe he decides to travel to can be covered, and the other possible destinations in the Asia and South Pacific regions, New Zealand and Australia (Domestic) at no additional charge.

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What should I do about transits in other countries?

You’re permitted a transit or stopover in another country of up to 48 hours, provided you're not going to leave the airport. However, if you’re transitting or stopping over for more than 48 hours in another country, or you're planning on leaving the airport within the 48 hours transit, you should add that country to your policy.

Please note that the two-night transit allowance does not apply when you’re on a cruise. So if you’re cruising, and spending only one night in Hawaii for example, you should still select the USA and all the other countries that you'll be visiting, or the Worldwide region.

Example

Nick and Connie are flying to Greece for their honeymoon. They managed to get a deal with Etihad that includes a 40 hour stopover in Abu Dhabi where they'll just be waiting at the airport for their connecting flight.

As their transit in Abu Dhabi is only for 48 hours or less, they only need to buy a policy for Greece.

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What should I do if I have selected the wrong country?

If you have selected the wrong country or region for your trip, please call us and we can correct it for you. Depending on the country you’re changing your policy to, and whether or not we've had a price increase since you purchased your policy, an additional premium may apply.

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Which geographical region do I select if I’m visiting multiple cities or countries?

If you’re visiting multiple cities or countries, you should list all the countries or select the highest region applicable for your trip.

1. Worldwide (highest region) - Provides cover for Worldwide, Europe, Asia and South Pacific.

2. Europe - Provides cover for Europe, Asia and South Pacific.

3. Asia - Provides cover for Asia and South Pacific.

4. South Pacific (lowest region) - Provides cover for South Pacific only.

If you are just travelling to New Zealand and/or Australia, you should choose one or both of those countries.

However, if you will be traveling to New Zealand and/or Australia in addition to other countries, New Zealand and Australia will be included in all of the regions listed above. You should therefore choose the highest region that includes the countries you are travelling to and New Zealand and Australia will be included.

Example

Sarah has booked a holiday. She'll be visiting China, Vietnam and Cambodia (Asia region) for two weeks to visit friends, do some sight-seeing and lots of shopping. She'll then fly to Fiji (South Pacific region) for one week of lying by the pool and cocktails.

Sarah should select:

China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Fiji, or
The Asia region, which will cover her to travel to China, Vietnam, Cambodia and also Fiji.

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If I select a higher geographical region but the country I’m travelling to is in a lower region, is my policy still valid?

Yes, higher regions automatically cover the lower regions.

Example

If Pete buys a policy for the Europe region, he’s also covered if he decides to travel to Vanuatu, which is in the South Pacific region.

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Countries with 'Do Not Travel' status

There is no cover for travel to any country or area of a country where a travel advisory risk rating of ‘Do Not Travel’ (or equivalent if this term is replaced) has been issued by the Australian Governments Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before the start date of your trip. You can check the status of your destination on Smart Traveller.

There is also no cover, if your claim arises from you not following advice in the mass media or any government or other official body’s warning against travel to a particular country or parts of a country or against remaining in a particular country or parts of a country.

Additionally, there is no cover for travel to Cuba, Iran or North Korea under any circumstances regardless of the status issued by Australian Governments Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or what is stated on Smart Traveller.

Fast Covers Country/Destination list and the travel insurance regions they belong to

Countries/Destinations	Region
Afghanistan	Worldwide
Albania	Europe
Algeria	Worldwide
American Samoa	South Pacific
Andorra	Europe
Angola	Worldwide
Anguilla	Worldwide
Antarctica	Worldwide
Antigua & Barbuda	Worldwide
Argentina	Worldwide
Armenia	Europe
Aruba	Europe
Ashmore & Cartier Islands	South Pacific
Australia	Domestic
Austria	Europe
Azerbaijan	Europe
Azores	Europe
Bahamas	Worldwide
Bahrain	Asia
Balearic Island	Europe
Bali	Asia
Bangladesh	Asia
Barbados	Worldwide
Belarus	Europe
Belgium	Europe
Belize	Worldwide
Benin	Worldwide
Bermuda	Worldwide
Bhutan	Asia
Bolivia	Worldwide
Bonaire Island	Europe
Borneo	Asia
Bosnia & Herzegovina	Europe
Botswana	Worldwide
Bouvet Island	Worldwide
Brazil	Worldwide
British Indian Ocean Territory	Europe
Brunei Darussalam	Asia
Bulgaria	Europe
Burkina Faso	Worldwide
Burundi	Worldwide
Cambodia	Asia
Cameroon	Worldwide
Canada	Worldwide
Canary Island	Europe
Cape Verde	Worldwide
Cayman Islands	Worldwide
Central African Republic	Worldwide
Chad	Worldwide
Channel Islands	Europe
Chile	Worldwide
China	Asia
Christmas Island	Domestic
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Domestic
Colombia	Worldwide
Comoros	Worldwide
Congo	Worldwide
Congo (Democratic Republic of)	Worldwide
Cook Islands	South Pacific
Costa Rica	Worldwide
Cote D'Ivoire	Worldwide
Croatia	Europe
Cuba	(x) There is no cover for this country
Curacao	Europe
Cyprus	Europe
Czech Republic	Europe
Denmark	Europe
Djibouti	Worldwide
Dominica	Worldwide
Dominican Republic	Worldwide
East Timor	Asia
Ecuador	Worldwide
Egypt	Worldwide
El Salvador	Worldwide
Equatorial Guinea	Worldwide
Eritrea	Worldwide
Estonia	Europe
Ethiopia	Worldwide
Faroe Islands	Europe
Falkland Islands	Worldwide
Fiji	South Pacific
Finland	Europe
France	Europe
France, Metropolitan	Europe
French Guyana	Worldwide
French Polynesia	South Pacific
French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Territory of)	Worldwide
Gabon	Worldwide
Gambia	Worldwide
Georgia	Europe
Germany	Europe
Ghana	Worldwide
Gibraltar	Europe
Greece	Europe
Greenland	Europe
Grenada	Worldwide
Guadeloupe	Worldwide
Guam	South Pacific
Guatemala	Worldwide
Guinea	Worldwide
Guinea-Bissau	Worldwide
Guyana	Worldwide
Haiti	Worldwide
Hawaii	Worldwide
Heard Island & McDonald Islands	South Pacific
Holy See	Europe
Honduras	Worldwide
Hong Kong	Asia
Hungary	Europe
Iceland	Europe
India	Asia
Indonesia	Asia
International Waters	Worldwide
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	(x) There is no cover for this country
Iraq	Worldwide
Ireland	Europe
Isle of Man	Europe
Israel	Worldwide
Italy	Europe
Ivory Coast	Worldwide
Jamaica	Worldwide
Japan	Asia
Jordan	Worldwide
Kazakhstan	Asia
Kenya	Worldwide
Kerguelen	Worldwide
Kiribati	South Pacific
Kuwait	Worldwide
Kyrgyzstan	Asia
Laos	Asia
Latvia	Europe
Lebanon	Worldwide
Lesotho	Worldwide
Liberia	Worldwide
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	Worldwide
Liechtenstein	Europe
Lithuania	Europe
Luxembourg	Europe
Macau	Asia
Macedonia	Europe
Madagascar	Worldwide
Madeira	Europe
Malawi	Worldwide
Malaysia	Asia
Maldives	Asia
Mali	Worldwide
Malta	Europe
Marshall Islands	South Pacific
Martinique	Worldwide
Mauritania	Worldwide
Mauritius	Worldwide
Mayotte	Worldwide
Mexico	Worldwide
Micronesia (Federated States of)	South Pacific
Moldova (Republic of)	Europe
Monaco	Europe
Mongolia	Asia
Montserrat	Worldwide
Morocco	Worldwide
Mozambique	Worldwide
Myanmar	Asia
Namibia	Worldwide
Nauru	South Pacific
Nepal	Asia
Netherlands	Europe
New Caledonia	South Pacific
New Hebrides	Worldwide
New Zealand	New Zealand
Nicaragua	Worldwide
Niger	Worldwide
Nigeria	Worldwide
Niue	South Pacific
Norfolk Island	Domestic
North Korea	(x) There is no cover for this country
Northern Mariana Islands	South Pacific
Norway	Europe
Oman	Worldwide
Pakistan	Asia
Palau (Republic of)	South Pacific
Panama	Worldwide
Papua New Guinea	South Pacific
Paraguay	Worldwide
Peru	Worldwide
Philippines	Asia
Pitcairn	South Pacific
Poland	Europe
Portugal	Europe
Puerto Rico	Worldwide
Qatar	Worldwide
Reunion	Worldwide
Romania	Europe
Russian Federation	Europe
Rwanda	Worldwide
Saba	Europe
Saint Bartelemy	Worldwide
Saint Eustatius	Europe
Saint Helena	Worldwide
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Worldwide
Saint Lucia	Worldwide
Saint Marteen	Europe
Saint Pierre and Miquleon (Territorial Collectivity of)	Worldwide
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	Worldwide
Samoa	South Pacific
San Marino	Worldwide
Sao Tome & Principe (Democratic Republic of)	Worldwide
Saudi Arabia	Worldwide
Senegal	Worldwide
Serbia & Montenegro	Europe
Seychelles	Worldwide
Sierra Leone	Worldwide
Singapore	Asia
Slovak Republic	Europe
Slovenia	Europe
Solomon Islands	South Pacific
Somalia	Worldwide
South Africa	Worldwide
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Worldwide
South Korea	Asia
Spain	Europe
Sri Lanka	Asia
State of the Vatican City	Europe
Sudan	Worldwide
Suriname	Worldwide
Svalbard & Jan Mayen	Worldwide
Swaziland	Worldwide
Sweden	Europe
Switzerland	Europe
Syrian Arab Republic	Worldwide
Tahiti	South Pacific
Taiwan (Province of China)	Asia
Tajikistan	Asia
Tanzania (United Republic of)	Worldwide
Thailand	Asia
Thursday Island	Domestic
Togo	Worldwide
Tokelau	South Pacific
Tonga	South Pacific
Trinidad & Tobago	Worldwide
Tunisia	Worldwide
Turkey	Europe
Turkmenistan	Asia
Turks & Caicos Islands	Worldwide
Tuvalu	South Pacific
Uganda	Worldwide
Ukraine	Europe
United Arab Emirates	Worldwide
United Kingdom	Europe
United States of America	Worldwide
United States Minor Outlying Islands	Worldwide
Uruguay	Worldwide
Uzbekistan	Asia
Vanuatu	South Pacific
Venezuela	Worldwide
Vietnam	Asia
Virgin Islands (British)	Worldwide
Virgin Islands (U.S.)	Worldwide
Wallis & Futuna Islands	South Pacific
Western Sahara	Worldwide
Yemen	Worldwide
Zambia	Worldwide
Zimbabwe	Worldwide

Good to know

Fast Cover's Travel Insurance page can give you more information on travel insurance, including quotes, comparing, buying, claims and emergencies.
Check Smart Traveller for the latest security updates and travel advice.
When considering travel insurance with any company, always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) carefully to make sure that the policy is right for you.
Keep in mind that some travel insurance companies may exclude cover if you ignore travel warnings issued by the Australian Government and choose to travel to regions listed as ‘Do Not Travel’.

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About the author

Brooke is the Operations Manager at Fast Cover who works tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly. From coding to customer service and everything in between, is there anything Brooke can't do? A baking enthusiast in her spare time, she has elevated the humble pavlova to new gourmet heights – much to the delight of the Fast Cover team.

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Relevant articles:

5 Travel Insurance Country Tips

What do I do if I’m travelling to a lot of different countries?

1. Worldwide

2. Europe

3. Asia

4. South Pacific

5. New Zealand

What about Domestic trips?

When should I select a region instead of a country?

Popular Destinations

Exceptions

Covers Regions

Worldwide

Europe

Asia

South Pacific

New Zealand

Domestic

Make sure your destination is listed on your policy

Choosing the right country FAQs

What if my plans change and I’m visiting a country which isn’t specified on my policy?

If I select the UK, will I still have cover if I’m also visiting Thailand which is in Asia?

Example

What should I do about transits in other countries?

Example

What should I do if I have selected the wrong country?

Which geographical region do I select if I’m visiting multiple cities or countries?

Example

If I select a higher geographical region but the country I’m travelling to is in a lower region, is my policy still valid?

Example

Countries with 'Do Not Travel' status

Fast Covers Country/Destination list and the travel insurance regions they belong to

Countries/Destinations

Region

Good to know

Share now!

About the author

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