Insurance guide for travel within Schengen area

6 November 2025

From 12 October 2025, the European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) began. This is a new digital border system that will change requirements for British citizens travelling to the Schengen area.

The countries in the Schengen area are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

If you are travelling to any of these countries for a short stay using a UK passport, you will be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo, when you arrive. You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration. After it is fully implemented, EES registration will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU.  ​

You may also be asked to provide proof of your travel insurance. As the Suffolk Group Insurance Scheme is a group policy rather than a personal policy, the travel insurance policy wording does not include any of your personal details. Gallagher can supply a letter to you via email along with your current travel policy documents as proof of insurance.

If you would like to receive a letter as proof of insurance for an upcoming trip, please email Gallagher with the following information: 

• The name of your Police Federation
• Full names of everyone travelling covered by your policy (including their relationship to you and ages, if applicable)
• Departure date, return date and destination(s) for your trip
• Your home address
• Your collar number (if applicable).