Let’s clarify the difference between medical transportation and repatriation under compulsory medical insurance for foreigners staying in Bulgaria.
Medical transportation
Medical transportation means the physical transfer of an insured person within the country — in this case, the Republic of Bulgaria. Medical-transport costs are the necessary and actually incurred costs of urgently transporting the insured person by specialised medical transport from the scene of an accident or acute illness to the nearest medical facility for emergency care.
Medical transportation is arranged by the treating doctor. Where it is medically necessary, compulsory medical insurance for foreigners covers these costs. Cover may also include moving the insured person under the necessary medical supervision by an appropriate means — for example, ambulance, air ambulance or a scheduled commercial flight — to a hospital with equipment better suited to the particular injury or illness.
Repatriation
Repatriation means returning the insured person to their country of permanent residence. For example, direct repatriation may include ambulance transfers to and from airports, necessary medical supervision during a scheduled flight, and transfer to an appropriate hospital or other medical facility near the person’s home, provided that their condition allows it.
The medical team and treating doctor decide whether the insured person can travel as a regular passenger or whether other arrangements are necessary. In the event of death caused by an accident or acute illness, repatriation may cover the actually incurred costs of transporting the insured person’s remains from the place of death to the place of burial.
How to check what your insurance includes
Read the insurance terms carefully. An insurance contract consists of the policy and general terms, plus any additional or special terms that apply to that type of insurance or to added cover. Check the insurer’s liability limits for transportation and repatriation costs, if limits are stated in the contract.
For the compulsory insurance for foreigners in Bulgaria offered by us, transportation and repatriation are included when the policy’s territorial cover extends to the Schengen Area. If you buy a UNIQA Life policy with territorial cover limited to Bulgaria, the policy includes medical transportation only.
