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Travelers to Hong Kong can enjoy peace of mind and financial security with travel insurance that includes medical and traditional coverage. This comprehensive coverage protects travelers from most accidents, from lost luggage and trip delays to medical treatment while in “the Pearl of the Orient.”
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Whether you’re a vacationer planning a quick getaway to Hong Kong, an expat returning home to see family, or a digital nomad preparing for an extended stay, you may wonder what kind of coverage you need for your trip to Hong Kong and how best to protect yourself financially and physically.
In this one-stop Pacific Prime article, we will outline everything you need to know about travel insurance for your time in Hong Kong. We’ll also compare top-rated providers, give safety and travel advice, and more.
Before we dive in, consider browsing our articles on how the healthcare system in Hong Kong works and international health insurance options in the country. And if you’re already prepared to pick a plan, we have you covered with free, no-obligation quotes.
Explaining Travel Insurance Coverage for Hong Kong Travelers
Travel insurance for Hong Kong visitors can be broken into two types: traditional or medical insurance. Traditional travel insurance provides coverage for travel-related mishaps like losing personal items or cancelling your trip. Medical coverage helps cover the cost if you get sick in Hong Kong.
Travel Insurance
While we always hope for a smooth vacation, accidents happen. Buying travel insurance eliminates the stress over a possible missed flight, a family emergency which delays your trip, or lost luggage by providing financial backing for just these sort of missteps.
Common travel insurance coverage includes:
- Lost luggage and personal belongings
- Cancellation (cancel for any reason or general cancellation)
- Trip interruption
- Travel delay
- 24/7 customer service
Travel Medical Insurance
Travel medical insurance provides basic coverage in case of a medical emergency in Hong Kong. Hong Kong does not offer free healthcare to travelers, so those without insurance coverage who need relief for sickness or treatment for an injury on their vacation would have to pay all costs out of pocket .
Common benefits under travel medical insurance plans include:
- Hospitalization
- Outpatient treatment
- Medical evacuation
- Repatriation of remains
Single-Trip and Multi-Trip Coverage
If you plan to visit Hong Kong once, you can purchase single-trip travel insurance. But if you plan to travel to Hong Kong multiple times or want to visit additional destinations throughout the year, consider multi-trip coverage.
Multi-trip coverage extends the benefits of your travel insurance plan across multiple trips within a designated amount of time, often up to one year. Not all providers offer this coverage however, so discuss your options with a broker or provider before booking multiple trips.
What Travel Insurance Doesn’t Cover
Some common areas that travel insurance doesn’t cover include foreseen events, civil unrest, pre-existing conditions, dental work, storms, fear of travel, and dangerous activities. Always read plan details before signing to verify what providers do and do not cover.
Let’s address these common exclusions a bit more:
- Foreseen events include events you could reasonably know before booking. For example, if the area you’re traveling to is experiencing an epidemic when you book your trip but you decide to cancel later, you will not receive reimbursement (unless you purchased cancel for any reason coverage).
- Civil unrest includes war, terrorism, and other unrest. These are considered “known perils,” and you will likely not be reimbursed, especially if there is a government advisory against travel to the location. If unrest breaks out while you’re on vacation, you may be entitled to emergency evacuation.
- Pre-existing conditions include mental health conditions, pregnancy, and alcohol- or drug-related conditions. Some travel insurance providers offer separate maternity package riders for those seeking pregnancy coverage benefits while abroad.
- Dental work is often considered nonessential work and so is often excluded from the basic medical coverage in travel insurance plans. Some providers do offer dental coverage packages as an extra rider.
- Medical treatment within travel insurance plans is generally not comprehensive, as it is only meant for emergencies. For travelers seeking comprehensive medical insurance while abroad, they may want to consider international health insurance or short-term insurance.
- Storms may or may not be covered under a plan, depending on the provider and the circumstance. If you book a trip when a known storm is approaching your location, it falls under the umbrella of a foreseeable event, so cancellation will not be covered.
- Fear of travel is a common clause under travel insurance exclusions. This means if you book a trip but then want to cancel it out of fear for any reason (e.g. fear of getting sick, fear of flying), you will not be reimbursed.
- Dangerous activities are generally not covered under travel insurance, though some providers do offer a separate rider for adventurous travelers. Dangerous activities include activities like mountain climbing, skydiving, hang gliding, or caving.
The Cost of Travel Insurance
The length of your trip, your age, and the cost of your trip all contribute to the cost of your travel insurance, with most plans to Hong Kong costing 4–12% of your total trip cost. Elderly adults will likely pay more for their coverage, as will those with highly priced excursions planned.
Why Travel Insurance is Worth the Money
You may ask why purchase travel insurance for Hong Kong at all, especially if you’re only going for a quick trip. While smooth travel is ideal, the cost of unexpected accidents can cost far more than travel insurance—and the peace of mind knowing you’re covered can improve your trip experience.
No one wants or expects a mishap while abroad, but sometimes they’re inevitable. Because of unfortunate unknowns, the experts at Pacific Prime always recommend travel insurance.
Unless you have international health insurance or travel insurance, you will have to pay out of pocket for any doctor’s visits, prescriptions, hospitalizations, or treatment you receive. Healthcare in Hong Kong is expensive, but travel medical insurance can lower or eliminate your medical payment.
Missing luggage or a delayed flight have the potential to ruin a trip, and paying to replace your items or purchase a new ticket can be pricey as well. Travel insurance gives you the ease to travel without worry because you know that you have the financial backing for your trip needs.
How to Get Travel Insurance
To purchase a comprehensive travel insurance plan, follow each of the steps below:
- Consider your needs: Do you plan to travel briefly or extensively? How many people do you wish to cover? What does your budget look like? Do you want traditional travel insurance as well? How extensive does your medical coverage need to be?
- Research plans: Browse top travel insurance providers or enlist the help of an insurance broker to find the best plan for your needs.
- Compare quotes: Whether you research on your own or seek out professional help, compare quotes from each provider. For a simple solution, check out our free quote tool.
- Apply for coverage: Applying for coverage quickly ensures better eligibility for extra benefits. Be prepared to offer the destination and length of your trip, health information like age or pre-existing conditions, and planned trip activities.
The Best Travel Insurance Providers in Hong Kong
Pacific Prime’s top five travel insurance companies include April International, VUMI, IMG, Geoblue, and MSH International. Here is a brief overview of each provider:
April International Travel Insurance
April International offers travel insurance to Hong Kong visitors seeking medical benefits. One of the unique offerings from April International is coverage for pre-existing conditions: this coverage is available to policyholders under 50 with a plan of three months or longer.
Additional benefits of choosing April International include:
- Over 30 years of experience
- Coverage for as little as one month and up to one year
- Access to private medical facilities of your choice across 2 million providers
- Local teams and experts offering assistance in multiple languages
- Coverage in over 180 countries
VUMI Travel VIP
VIP Universal Medical Insurance (VUMI) offers comprehensive coverage for your time in Hong Kong, whether you visit once or make several return trips. All VUMI travel plans come with one-of-a-kind service, such as:
- Emergency assistance 24/7
- Traveler’s choice of doctors and hospitals worldwide
- Emergency dental coverage
- Children under age 2 are eligible for free coverage
- Coverage for travelers up to 79 years old
- Return ticket home if your flight is missed due to illness
- USD $5,000,000 maximum lifetime benefit per insured person up to age 70
- Coverage of $500,000 for stable pre-existing conditions
- Hospitalization is covered at 100%
- Outpatient & specialist visits are 100% covered
- 100% coverage for prescription medications
Beyond these benefits, you can choose a nonmedical or cancellation rider to boost your coverage.
IMG
IMG offers both travel insurance and travel medical insurance with exceptional coverage for your trip to Hong Kong. Their Lite and Platinum Patriot plans provide tiered medical coverage while their Lite, SE, and LX iTravelInsured plans cover traditional travel benefits.
All of IMG’s Patriot plans provide cover for:
- Physician visits
- Cancer treatment
- X-rays and lab tests
- Surgeries
- Prescription drugs and medication
- Return of mortal remains
- Return travel costs
All of IMG’s iTravelInsured plans provide cover for:
- 24/7 emergency assistance support
- Return transportation
- Transportation of child/children
- Accident & sickness expense
Geoblue
For United States citizens hoping to visit Hong Kong (or anywhere else!), Geoblue’s Voyager and Trekker plans are top-rate choices. GeoBlue’s Voyager plan covers single trips up to 182 days while the Trekker plan offers coverage for an unlimited number of trips within a one-year policy.
The table below compares nonmedical benefits across these two plans:
| GeoBlue Plans Non-medical Benefits Comparison (USD) |
| Voyager (Single Trip) | Trekker (Multiple Trips) | |
| Accidental Death & Dismemberment Maximum Benefit | $50,000 | $25,000 |
| Emergency Family Travel Arrangements | $2,500 for one economy round-trip plane ticket | $2,500 for one economy round-trip plane ticket |
| Hazardous Activities (downhill skiing or scuba diving within certain parameters) | $25,000 maximum claim amount | $25,000 maximum claim amount |
| Post-Departure Trip Interruption Transportation | $1,000 maximum benefit amount | Not covered |
| Post-Departure Trip Interruption Quarantine Coverage | Lodging & incidentals of $50 per day, 10 days maximum | Not covered |
| Lost Baggage & Personal Effects Coverage | Maximum benefit of $500 per trip, $100 per bag/item | Maximum benefit of $500 per trip, $100 per bag/item |
| Repatriation of Remains | $25,000 maximum benefit | $25,000 maximum benefit |
MSH International
MSH International offers a short-term travel insurance plan that is designed for expats needing basic healthcare and traditional travel insurance. Find some of the featured benefits of this plan, called Start’Expat, below:
| Start’Expat Healthcare Benefits | |
| Non-medical Travel Benefit | Coverage Limit |
| Flight Delay Leading to a Missed Connection | Payment of a fixed amount of USD $320 |
| (only for technical reasons or due to weather conditions) | |
| Theft, Total or Partial Destruction, or Loss of Luggage During Transportation by a Carrier | USD $2,160 ($27 deductible/suitcase) limited to 50% for valuables |
| Medical or Surgical Hospitalization | 100% of costs |
| Consultations with General Practitioners and Specialists | 100% of costs (up to USD $86 per procedure beyond 2 consultations) |
| Pharmaceutical Costs | USD $3,200 |
Alternative Types of Insurance for Hong Kong and Worldwide Coverage
If you plan to travel extensively or need extra medical coverage beyond what is commonly available in travel medical insurance plans, consider purchasing international health insurance or short-term insurance.
International Health Insurance
International health insurance is meant to provide the ultimate comprehensive coverage for individuals living away from their home country or for those traveling widely. These plans offer expats a wide selection of customizable, globally portable benefits that can be tailored to their lifestyle.
Short-Term Health Insurance
Most short-term insurance covers preventative care, emergency care, urgent care, and medical tests, and some plans offer discounts on medications. Short-term plans are not comprehensive, so they don’t cover pre-existing conditions, mental health services, maternity care, or substance abuse.
Health and Safety Tips for Travel to Hong Kong
Hong Kong enjoys a low crime rate, but individuals visiting are still recommended to increase their caution during travel. With the proper preparation, like knowing seasonal risks and emergency numbers, using careful expression, and keeping up-to-date vaccines, you can have a safe, enjoyable trip.
Seasonal Risks
Hong Kong has a rainy season from May to October, during which typhoons are common. To prepare for weather risks, make sure to monitor weather forecasts and know your hotel’s evacuation plan in case of emergency.
Before arriving in Hong Kong, secure your passport and devices in waterproof containers and research the advice of local authorities on extreme weather. With any travel companions, discuss possible travel changes if weather makes your visit too dangerous.
Emergency Numbers and Careful Expression
In case of an emergency, call 999. If you are attacked, do not resort to self defense as mace, pepper spray, stun guns, bullets, switchblades, and other self-protection weapons are banned in Hong Kong.
Use wisdom while expressing personal views in Hong Kong. According to provisions under the Special Administrative Region (SAR), “Anyone who criticizes the PRC and/or Hong Kong SAR authorities may face arrest, detention, expulsion, and/or prosecution” (US Travel Advisory to China and Hong Kong).
Government leaders in Hong Kong have restricted civil liberties in an attempt to safeguard against secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign entities, and many of the local laws have been known to enforce drastic yet arbitrary laws.
Travelers are encouraged to use extreme caution to avoid any appearance of suspicious activity, critical speech of China or Hong Kong, restrict excessive praise of Western ideals, and to strictly follow all laws and customs.
Maintain Up-to-Date Vaccines
The CDC suggests that all travelers be up to date on routine vaccines such as chicken pox, flu, measles, polio, and shingles as well as other vaccines like COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, and rabies.
Why to Use a Broker to Get Travel Insurance to Hong Kong
In finding the best travel insurance for your time in Hong Kong, consider using a broker. Brokers can save you time by compiling plans that fit your needs and by helping you compare benefits, and they can save you money by using their unbiased expertise to find the best deals.
Brokers act as the intermediary between you and insurance providers, so they use their professional knowledge to scout out the best plans for your needs, not just lead you to whatever plan an insurer hopes you’ll purchase. Beyond helping you find a plan, they can also aid you in submitting claims.
Let Pacific Prime help you find the right Hong Kong insurance plan for your budget and needs. Contact us to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is travel insurance required for Hong Kong?
Travel insurance is not required to enter Hong Kong, but it is highly recommended. Travel insurance provides financial security for travel-related issues like trip delays as well as medical emergencies that would otherwise be very costly.
Can I get travel insurance after leaving Hong Kong?
You must purchase travel insurance before leaving on your trip.
When is the best time to buy travel insurance?
The best time to purchase travel insurance is as soon as you know your trip itinerary. The sooner you purchase your coverage, the more likely you are to qualify for top benefits, like cancel for any reason coverage.
Conclusion: Getting the Coverage You Need
To ensure that your trip to Hong Kong is uneventful and stress-free, consider purchasing comprehensive travel insurance or international health insurance if you plan to stay long term.
Pacific Prime has over two decades of experience as a broker in the insurance industry. We are committed to finding the perfect travel insurance plan to suit your budget and needs as an expat or visitor to Hong Kong.
Most importantly, our highly trained experts provide free quotations, leverage our close partnerships with all major insurers, and have an extensive portfolio that consists of all the best plans. Try our free quote tool or contact us today so we can help you prepare for a memorable vacation!
If you’re preparing for more extensive travel, check out our articles on the best travel insurance in Beijing or the best travel insurance in Dubai.
Thanks for reading, and wishing you safe travels!
Suggested reads:
Benefits of annual travel insurance in Hong Kong
Serena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. As such, she is an avid advocate of mental health and is fascinated by all things psychology (especially if it’s cognitive psychology!).
Her previous work experience includes teaching toddlers to read, writing for a travel/wellness online magazine, and then a business news blog. These combined experiences give her the skills and insights she needs to explain complex ideas in a succinct way. Being the daughter of an immigrant and a traveler herself, she is passionate about educating expats and digital nomads on travel and international health insurance.
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