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I am traveling to South Africa in 2015 for one year. I am an EU citizen. I need to get a visa for my contract to be validated. It is now a requirement to get insurance coverage for the period I'm there.

I will get insurance from my employer once I have a contract and am in South Africa (for the whole period). I tried to negotiate it with the Embassy, but they still require something now (i.e. before contract).

I currently am looking for some extremely basic insurance (that doesn't have to cover anything) to attach to my visa application. Once am in South Africa I will get proper insurance. Does anyone know how to best approach such a problem? Are there any websites where I could get something like that? It can be from non-EU country. It would be good if it is in English (to avoid translation costs) and if I could pay for it with PayPal.

lswank
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aretai
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  • Sounds like a simple travel policy will suffice... – Karlson Dec 31 '14 at 14:06
  • Probably yes but those I was checking had all the stuff inside (i.e. health, accidents, baggage loss, flight delay, etc.) and because of that were quite pricey. So am rather looking for something really cheap as I will be fully covered by the other policy. – aretai Dec 31 '14 at 16:55

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In requiring that you have proof of medical coverage prior to issuance of your visa, you would want to make sure that you have comprehensive coverage, including repatriation. An employer-offered health insurance plan may not cover immediately upon taking up employment, may have a grace period and, in addition, may exclude or limit any pre-existing conditions.

In securing a travel plan, you may be asked to indicate travel dates; as you will take up employment, make sure that the insurer’s terms and conditions don’t have exclusions that would limit any claims.

If satisfying the visa requirement means that must prove enrollment for the duration of your visa, find an insurer that allows cancellation with with little or no penalty.

An article by Peter Pallot in the 21 May 2010 Telegraph offered an expat guide to South Africa healthcare, including coverage options in the republic.

Giorgio
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