China Travel Insurance

China travel insurances offer a safeguard, providing immediate help as well as reimbursement or payment for mishaps that may occur during your visit in China, to minimize unplanned damage and loss. 

In China, all tour operators are required to buy a Travel Agencies' Liability Insurance for their clients. Each insurance company must carry this coverage, however, only the loss caused by the agencies are supposed to be compensated, since the beneficiary is the agency. Besides, tourists can choose to buy a Travel Accident Insurance, and some other insurances according to personal cases.
 

Issued by the former National Tourism Administration of China (CNTA) which is now known as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, on May 15, 2001, the Travel Agencies' Liability Insurance law was officially enacted on September 1st that year. Under this statute, every Chinese tour operator must provide their clients with this insurance to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of both the agency and its clients.
 

Items listed below which are caused by the travel agency may be compensated:
1. Tourists' casualty (injury or death);
2. Expenses incurred by medical treatment and transportation fee related to tourists’ casualty;
3. Expenses incurred by dealing with tourists’ death issues and repatriating the dead body;
4. Expenses that occur when providing necessary aid to tourists, including the transportation, dining and lodging costs of relatives visiting, fees for sending the accompanying minor back to home country, payment for the staff of the travel agency and doctors and fees incurred by postponing the travel itineraries;
5. Loss, damage, and theft of tourists' belongings;
6. Legal costs incurred by solving the disputes regarding the liability of the travel agency;
7. Other compensation agreed upon between the travel agency and the insurance company.

Please note that this insurance is only valid for one year and the minimum amount of reimbursement for inbound visit from abroad is CNY 160,000 per person. Under this plan, tourists will receive compensation for personal or property losses, injury, or damage incurred during guided tours. However, it does not cover accident occurring outside the guided tour period or caused by clients themselves. Therefore, it is highly recommended that tourists buy a personal China travel insurance in his or her home country prior to departure.
 

As the Travel Agencies’ Liability Insurance is mainly applicable to the damage caused by the faults of travel agencies, it’s not enough to cover all your trip. You had better purchase a Travel Accident Insurance as a supplement. In case you want to travel independently, such an insurance is more necessary.

You can usually choose to buy it through a China tour operator if you plan to book their tour. Or if not, you can book a Chinese travel insurance via reliable insurance companies or platforms. Be careful that the duration of the insurance should cover your whole stay in China. Generally speaking, the longer the duration, the higher the price of a travel accident insurance. However, the price also has something to do with the minimum insured amount and number of insured items.

A standard travel accident insurance usually covers the terms related to the compensation liability regarding medical treatment, personal financial loss, accidental casualty, and emergent aid. 
 

Items listed below which are caused during the tour may be compensated:
1. Tourists' injury or death caused by accident or acute diseases;
2. Expenses incurred by medical treatment and transportation fee related to tourists’ injury and acute diseases;
3. Expenses incurred by dealing with tourists’ death issues and repatriating the dead body;
4. Loss, damage, and theft of tourists' belongings;
5. Expense caused due to tourist’s liability for the third party.
6. Other expenses incurred by the medical aid, luggage delay, trip cancellation, itinerary change, itinerary delay, etc.

Please note that insurance clauses provided by different insurance companies are not the same. You should read carefully and decide whether it suits you according to your travel length, age and types of coverage needed. Some high-risk activities like rock climbing, skiing, snorkeling, hot-air ballooning, paragliding, and parachuting are generally excluded from the travel accident insurances. If your tour involves such activities, please make sure your insurance covers them. If not, buy an outdoor sport accident insurance additionally.

Further Reading: Traffic Safety