Genki Insurance Review

✅ Updated on 30.09.2026

Hi! I’m Marat. I’ve been living abroad for many years and use Genki insurance myself. In this article, I’ll share my experience with it and break down all the pros and cons.

Marat

Digital nomad, blog author

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Why I Started Using Genki Insurance

At first, I used travel insurance provided by a bank in my home country. But later I discovered that the policy had a limit on how long I could stay abroad during a single trip, typically 45–90 days. After that, the coverage stopped unless I returned home.

That wasn’t practical for me, so I started looking for an alternative.

That’s how I found Genki. Genki.world is insurance created by digital nomads for digital nomads. There’s no limit on how long you can stay abroad, so you can live overseas for as long as you want.

Genki provides worldwide coverage and costs from €52.50 per month.

Genki Is Not an Insurance Company

It’s important to note that Genki itself is not an insurance company, it’s an insurance broker. Genki works with Squarelife, a European insurance company based in Liechtenstein.

When you need to make a claim, you communicate with MCI Assist, a Spanish assistance company. Genki acts as the link between the customer, the insurer, and the assistance provider.

For simplicity, though, I’ll refer to the service as Genki insurance throughout this article.

I’ve spoken with Genki’s team, and they came across as knowledgeable and straightforward. They answered my questions in detail and took the time to explain anything that wasn’t clear. As I mentioned earlier, Genki was created by digital nomads for digital nomads, so the team understands the kinds of challenges long-term travelers can run into.

✅ Pros of Genki

• Reliable reimbursements: Genki does pay for covered medical treatment, I’ve confirmed this from personal experience.
• Direct payment to hospitals in emergencies: For example, if you’re hospitalized, the insurer can pay the hospital directly, so you don’t have to cover the full cost upfront.
• Worldwide coverage: The insurance works in countries around the world.
• No limit on how long you can stay abroad: You can travel or live overseas with Genki insurance for as long as you want.
• Broad coverage: The policy includes riding a motorbike, active sports, and dental treatment. Activities such as surfing or boxing are covered as long as you’re not doing them professionally.
• You can visit any clinic: You can go to any licensed public or private clinic without getting prior approval from Genki. Traditional travel insurance providers often direct you to clinics within their own network.
• High coverage limit: Medical expenses are covered up to €1 million per year. By comparison, standard travel insurance policies often provide between $30,000 and $100,000 in coverage.
• Emergency coverage in your home country: The policy remains valid in your home country for up to six weeks after you return, provided you had been away from your home country for more than four consecutive weeks.
• Coverage for pregnancy and STIs: Genki covers certain medical situations related to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
• Automatic monthly renewal: The insurance renews automatically every month, and you can cancel the subscription when you no longer need it.

❌ Cons of Genki

• You usually pay for treatment upfront: For non-emergency care, you generally need to pay the medical bill yourself first. Reimbursement typically arrives within 3–4 weeks.
• Expenses of €1,000 or more require approval: If treatment costs €1,000 or more, you need to get approval from the insurer in advance. Without it, the claim may be denied or only 50% of the cost may be reimbursed.
• You can’t remove the deductible: Genki Traveler previously offered an option without a deductible, but that is no longer available. You now have to pay the first €50 of each claim yourself, while the insurer covers the remaining eligible amount.

You Pay for Treatment First, Then Get Reimbursed

Paying for treatment upfront is one of the most important things to understand before signing up for Genki insurance.

If your medical issue doesn’t require hospitalization, you’ll usually need to pay the bill yourself first. For example, if you go to a hospital with the flu and don’t need to stay overnight, you’ll pay for the consultation, tests, and treatment out of pocket. After that, you can submit a reimbursement claim through your Genki account. The refund may take 2–4 weeks.

Because of this, it’s a good idea to keep some emergency cash available, ideally at least $1,000.

If the situation is more serious and requires hospitalization, the insurer may pay the hospital directly. This could apply, for example, if you’re injured in an accident or need emergency surgery for appendicitis.

👉 This happened to a friend of mine: Genki paid for her appendectomy in Vietnam. Another friend had surgery for a skull injury at Bangkok Hospital in Thailand, and the insurer covered the treatment directly.

So for serious medical emergencies, you don’t necessarily need to keep a large amount of money set aside.

Three Types of Genki Insurance

Genki offers three insurance plans. You can find a detailed description of each one on the Genki website:

• Genki Traveler
• Genki Native — Basic and Premium

Or check the comparison table below, where I’ve summarized all three Genki insurance plans: ⬇️

❗️ Important things to know:

• Restrictions during the first 14 days: If you buy Genki insurance while you’re already abroad, only accidents and emergencies are covered during the first 14 days.
• Genki insurance cost: The price depends on your age, deductible, and whether you want coverage in the United States and Canada. I’ll go into the pricing in more detail below.
• Pre-existing conditions: If you have Genki Traveler for a year and develop a medical condition that is treated under the policy, that condition will be considered pre-existing when you start a new contract and will no longer be covered.
• Adding other people: You can add family members, friends, or relatives to the policy, but you’ll need to pay the full price for each person.
• What Genki doesn’t cover: The insurance does not cover lost luggage, flight delays, or other travel-related issues that are not connected to your health.

Which Genki Insurance Plan Should You Choose?

• Genki Traveler — a good fit if you’re under 69 and are comfortable relying on your home country’s public healthcare system, while Genki covers only emergencies there.
• Genki Native Basic — better suited if you’re 55 or younger, want coverage in your home country for up to six months per year, or need long-term health insurance. For example, if you develop a condition while covered by Genki Traveler that requires ongoing treatment, that treatment may no longer be covered after your one-year contract ends. You can start a new Genki Traveler policy, but the condition would then be considered pre-existing and excluded from coverage. Genki Native does not have the same maximum policy duration.
• Genki Native Premium — worth considering if you also want preventive checkups, vaccinations, broader pregnancy coverage, and full coverage in your country of citizenship. Pregnancy coverage has a one-year waiting period, meaning pregnancy-related expenses are covered only after you’ve had the insurance for one year.

Genki Insurance Cost

The cost of Genki insurance depends on the plan you choose, your age, and any additional coverage options. Genki Traveler is significantly cheaper, while Genki Native costs more but comes with broader coverage.

Genki Traveler Cost

The price of Genki Traveler depends on your age and how much coverage you want in the United States and Canada. If you limit coverage in the U.S. and Canada to seven days, the monthly price is lower.

Payments are made monthly, and you can cancel the subscription at any time.

Keep in mind that Genki Traveler has a €50 deductible for each insurance claim. For example, if your treatment costs €400, the insurer will reimburse €350, while you pay the remaining €50 yourself.

The deductible applies to the entire claim, not to each individual doctor visit. So if you see a doctor several times for the same illness, the €50 is deducted only once for the whole course of treatment.

Genki Native Cost

The table below shows the monthly cost of Genki Native with no deductible. With this option, the insurer covers the full eligible cost of treatment.

You can also choose an annual deductible of €500 or €1,000, which lowers the monthly premium. However, based on my calculations, choosing a deductible only makes financial sense if you don’t expect to need medical care during the year. Personally, I would choose the no-deductible option.

How to Get Genki Traveler Insurance

Once payment is complete, you’ll get access to your Genki account. You can use it to submit reimbursement claims and upload receipts for medical treatment.

How to Get Genki Native Insurance

Applying for Genki Native can take up to seven days because the insurer reviews applications more thoroughly. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to genki.world/products/native.
2. Enter your personal details.
3. Answer the questions about your health.
4. Submit your application and wait for the insurer’s decision.

How to Get Reimbursed by Genki

Genki can reimburse your medical expenses to a bank account, Wise, or PayPal.

1. Log in to your Genki account and go to the “Compensation” section.
2. Select your active insurance policy.
3. Enter your first and last name, email address, and your preferred payout details: bank account, Wise account, or PayPal.
4. Upload receipts for your medical expenses. You can also add a taxi receipt if you used a taxi to get to the clinic.
5. Enter your diagnosis or describe the treatment you received.
6. Submit the claim and wait for the reimbursement to be sent to your chosen payment method. This usually takes 2–4 weeks.

FAQs