Why long-term digital nomads in Southeast Asia consider insurance
Long-term stays in Southeast Asia can involve a range of health-related risks, and many private hospitals may ask non-residents to pay upfront before treatment. Insurance can help travellers manage unexpected medical expenses during extended periods in the region.
Key reasons travellers consider insurance
- Healthcare costs: Medical treatments in private facilities can be costly, and expenses for emergency care or hospital stays can add up quickly.
- Common risks: Conditions such as foodborne illness, dengue fever, or scooter-related injuries are commonly reported among visitors.
- Long-term needs: Staying for several months or more may increase the likelihood of needing check-ups, diagnostics, or outpatient care.
- Access to care: Insurance can help with the cost of private healthcare, which may otherwise involve significant upfront payment.
- Financial planning: Insurance can reduce the financial impact of unexpected medical bills during extended travel.
Detailed comparison of Genki and SafetyWing for long-term digital nomads in Southeast Asia
Insurance plans vary widely, and travellers often compare options based on factors such as health coverage, travel duration, budget, and preferred benefits. To provide a clear overview of what these plans include, the comparison below outlines key features of Genki Native and SafetyWing Complete, two international insurance products commonly used by digital nomads and long-term travellers.
Genki Native: Health-only insurance for long-term travellers
Genki Native is a international health insurance designed for long-term travellers and remote workers. It comes in two variants (Basic and Premium) and provides broad worldwide medical coverage, including all countries in Southeast Asia.
What Genki covers
Genki includes a wide range of medical care such as doctor visits, examinations, hospitalisation, surgery, and prescribed medication. Both plans cover common illnesses, injuries, emergency treatment, cancer care and serious diseases such as major infections (e.g., dengue).
Annual limits
- Basic: €1,000,000 per insurance year
- Premium: No annual limit
Deductibles
Genki offers optional annual deductibles of €0, €500, or €1,000. The deductible applies to all covered costs except hospitalization.
Additional premium benefits
Premium adds several extras that some long-term travellers find useful:
- Preventive care: routine checkups, screenings, tests, and vaccinations (combined limit of €250/year)
- Dental care: up to €2,000/year, including checkups, cleanings (€200/year limit), fillings, crowns, bridges, dentures, and other treatments, with waiting periods for some procedures.
- Vision: frames, lenses, and contact lenses (up to €250/year, 6-month waiting period)
- Alternative treatments: acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, homeopathy, and massages (combined limit of €500/year when prescribed or approved).
- Mental health: psychiatric care and talk therapy (both require prior approval), plus therapy apps when talk therapy is prescribed and covered (6-month waiting period).
Transportation & emergency care
Both plans include ambulance transport, medically necessary transport to another country with prior approval, and transportation of mortal remains with prior approval.
Activities & motorbikes
Genki covers treatment for incidents resulting from many recreational activities, including:
- diving
- hiking and trekking
- martial arts
- skiing and snowboarding
- surfing
- motorbike and scooter driving, as long as the driver wears a helmet
Professional sports are excluded.
Country coverage
Genki provides broad worldwide coverage, including Southeast Asia, with specific rules depending on your chosen region and country. For your Countries of Nationality, Basic covers up to 182 days per insurance year, while Premium also allows coverage in these countries but follows the same regional rules and time limits.
For Canada and the USA, limits and time restrictions apply. Check the policy for details.
Exclusions (summary)
Genki lists exclusions in areas such as cosmetic procedures, experimental treatment, intentional harm, criminal activity, illegal drug use, addiction, home-use health products, and treatment not performed by a doctor, along with other administrative and legal exclusions.
Pre-existing conditions are only covered if all criteria listed by Genki are met, including accurate disclosure during sign-up and no stated exclusions for that condition.
Pricing
- Starting from €189 / month for Basic (as of November 2025)
- Prices vary depending on age, package details and chosen deductible
What SafetyWing covers
SafetyWing Complete includes international medical coverage and several travel-related protections. Medical benefits include hospitalisation, surgery, emergency treatment, diagnostics such as MRIs, and outpatient visits within the stated limits.
Coverage limits
- Overall maximum limit: $1,500,000
- Outpatient care: up to $5,000
- Medical evacuation: $100,000 lifetime
- Hospitalisation: Covered when medically necessary, including ICU care.
Who can get it
Most people between 18 and 65 can apply, except residents of certain restricted countries listed in the policy.
Travel benefits
SafetyWing Complete includes several travel-related protections:
- Travel delay: allowance for unplanned overnight stays (up to the stated limit)
- Lost checked luggage: up to $500 per item, $3,000 max
- Trip interruption: up to $5,000
- Trip cancellation: up to $300 per trip, $600 per year
- Stolen belongings: up to $5,000 (electronics covered only with the add-on)
- Evacuation due to local unrest: up to $10,000 lifetime
This version reflects every benefit from the fact sheet and removes everything not explicitly listed.
Optional add-ons
SafetyWing Complete offers optional add-ons that travellers can select depending on their needs:
- Dental add-on
- Electronics theft add-on
- Hong Kong, Singapore, and USA access add-on
Coverage details and limits for these add-ons depend on SafetyWing’s policy terms.
Country coverage
SafetyWing Complete can be used throughout Southeast Asia, as long as you are traveling outside your primary residence. Most popular destinations in the region, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, are covered without special requirements.
Travel to the US, Hong Kong, or Singapore requires an add-on; otherwise, these destinations are not included.
Residency restrictions apply for some nationalities, so travellers should check eligibility if they have lived long-term in countries such as the USA or Canada.
Exclusions (summary)
SafetyWing excludes coverage for incidents related to negligence, crime, or anything that happens in your primary residence. The plan also excludes routine travel or accommodation costs unless they are specifically listed in the benefits.
Medical exclusions include experimental or investigational treatments, non-medical services such as custodial care, and situations outside your active insurance period. Certain restrictions also apply when travelling to sanctioned or high-risk countries.
Pre-existing conditions from before the start of the plan are not covered. Any new conditions that arise after the plan started will be covered as long as the plan is renewed.
Pricing
- Starting from €161.50 / month (as of November 2025)
- Prices vary depending on age, package details, and chosen add-ons
Explore additional digital nomad insurance options
Genki and SafetyWing are two well-known options used by digital nomads in Southeast Asia, but different insurance plans offer varying benefit structures, limits, and regional conditions. Some policies include features such as higher activity-related limits, documents that travellers may use for administrative purposes, or longer allowances for temporary home-country visits, depending on the provider.
You can explore more international insurance plans in our digital nomad insurance directory, which provides an overview of additional providers and their general features.
Genki and SafetyWing compared for digital nomads in Southeast Asia
Genki Native and SafetyWing Complete take different approaches to international coverage. Below is a factual overview of how each plan is structured, based solely on provider policy wording.
Genki Native is a health-focused plan that provides medical coverage only, without travel-related components. The Premium variant lists no annual limit for medical coverage. The plan includes waiting periods and regional rules, including specific conditions for coverage in Canada and the USA.
SafetyWing Complete includes medical coverage and several travel-related protections. The plan lists medical benefits with defined limits, an outpatient cap, and optional add-ons such as dental or electronics theft coverage.
In the context of Southeast Asia, both plans provide medical coverage based on their stated categories of covered care. Genki includes medical transportation benefits subject to policy rules and approval requirements, and covers motorbike-related injuries when helmet requirements are met. SafetyWing includes travel-related protections such as lost checked luggage, trip interruption, trip cancellation, travel delay, and stolen belongings, with optional electronics theft coverage.
Insurance considerations for specific situations
The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and is not insurance advice. Always review the full policy wording before making any insurance decision.
Price considerations for younger nomads
SafetyWing Complete lists one of its lower monthly prices for travellers aged 18–39 (at approximately $161.50 per month). The plan includes both medical and travel-related benefits, with optional electronics coverage available as an add-on.
Health-only coverage considerations for budget-conscious nomads
Genki Basic is the lower-coverage variant within the Genki Native product range. It includes medical benefits with a €1 million annual limit and offers optional annual deductibles of €0, €500, or €1,000, which apply to all covered costs except hospitalization.
Health-focused features nomads often look for during long stays
Genki Premium includes medical coverage with no annual limit under the plan’s overall maximum. Additional features include preventive care (€250 annual limit), alternative care and therapies (€500 annual limit), dental benefits (€2,000 annual limit), vision support (€250 annual limit), certain mental health benefits with waiting periods and approval requirements, and maternity coverage with defined waiting periods.
Coverage features for nomads engaging in higher-risk activities
Genki Native lists a wide range of covered activities, including motorbike and scooter driving (with helmet requirements for drivers), surfing, hiking and trekking, diving, skiing, martial arts, and several other recreational and outdoor sports.
SafetyWing Complete includes coverage for injuries resulting from leisure sports and activities, up to a US $250,000 limit. The full list of covered activities is provided in SafetyWing’s official documentation.
Home-country coverage considerations for long-term nomads
Genki Native provides coverage in your Countries of Nationality with specific time rules. The Basic plan includes up to 182 days of full coverage per insurance year when you return to a country that recognizes you as a national (except Canada and the USA). The Premium plan allows full coverage in Countries of Nationality, following the regional rules stated in the policy wording.
Options for nomads travelling with valuable electronics
SafetyWing Complete includes coverage for stolen belongings up to the stated limits, and travellers can add an electronics theft add-on for extra protection. This optional add-on extends coverage to items such as laptops or smartphones, according to SafetyWing’s policy terms.
Age-related eligibility and pricing considerations for nomads
Both providers use age-based pricing brackets. Genki Native allows new enrolments until age 55, while SafetyWing Complete allows enrolment until age 65, based on current eligibility rules.
Key factors to review when comparing insurance options in Southeast Asia
When comparing international insurance options for long stays in Southeast Asia, travellers often review several elements in the policy wording to understand how different plans may apply to their situation:
- Motorbike conditions: Many insurers outline requirements for incidents involving motorbikes or scooters, such as helmet rules or local licensing regulations. These vary between providers and are typically listed in the activity or accident sections of the policy.
- Coverage categories: Medical policies usually organise benefits into categories such as inpatient care, outpatient visits, diagnostics, emergency treatment, and other defined limits. Reading these categories helps clarify the types of care included and any caps that may apply.
- Medical transportation rules: Plans may list transportation or evacuation benefits for situations where treatment is not available locally. These benefits often include approval steps, limits, or destination rules that differ between insurers.
- Age and eligibility conditions: Some insurers outline age-related application rules or eligibility conditions that determine who can enrol and how long coverage can continue. These requirements are typically defined in the enrolment section of the policy wording.
- Travel-related protections: Certain international policies include non-medical features, such as lost luggage or trip interruption coverage. These are usually described in a separate section from the medical benefits and may have distinct limits or claim procedures.
- Regional rules: Some plans include specific terms for coverage within certain countries or regions, which can influence how benefits apply during long-term stays across Southeast Asia.
Comparing insurance options often involves reviewing these areas directly in the policy documents to understand the structure of each plan, the limits applied to different types of care, and any conditions that may affect coverage during extended travel.
