Observations · residenceNo fixed residence

Travel insurance when you have no fixed country of residence

Every application asks where you live, and for a growing number of people the honest answer is nowhere in particular. Country of residence is the single most common reason a policy is refused or, far worse, sold and then voided at claim time. A small number of insurers have stopped pretending everyone has an address.

Residence is not nationality, and it is not where you are standing today. Insurers use it to decide which regulated market they are selling into, so the question is really about legal jurisdiction rather than geography. That is why a policy sold to a resident of one country can be worthless to someone who has drifted out of residency altogether.

Who accepts which residence situation

Insurer	Accepts no fixed residence	What the wording says	Source
GenkiTraveler	Yes	Explicitly sold to people with no legal residence.	source checked 2026-08-03
EKTATravel / Seniors / Visa-Ready	With conditions	No residence gating found in purchase flow.	source checked 2026-08-03
SafetyWingNomad Insurance (Essential)	With conditions	Subscription model tolerates nomadic life; formal 'no residence' status not addressed in wording.	source checked 2026-08-03
IMGPatriot International / America	With conditions	Keyed to 'country of residence' declaration; nomad purchases common.	source checked 2026-08-03
WorldTripsAtlas Travel / Atlas America	With conditions	Home-country logic; nomads routinely covered outside declared home.	source checked 2026-08-03
World NomadsStandard / Explorer	No	Quote flow is keyed to country of residence.	source checked 2026-08-03
Globelink InternationalAlready Travelling / Single trip / Annual	No	Requires UK, EU or EEA residence.	source checked 2026-08-03
SafetyWingNomad Insurance Complete	With conditions	Sold on a declared residence country; nomads commonly enrol, but the excluded-residence list still applies.	source checked 2026-08-03
Allianz Travel (US)OneTrip / AllTrips	No	US residency required.	source checked 2026-08-03
AXA Travel Protection (US)Explorer series	No	US residency required.	source checked 2026-08-03

The workarounds people suggest, and why they are dangerous

Search any nomad forum and you will find the same three suggestions: use your parents' address, keep an old residence on file, or just do not mention that you have left. Each of them is a misrepresentation of a material fact, and each converts a policy you paid for into one that can be refused at exactly the moment you need it. The insurers listed above exist so you do not have to do this.

When travel insurance is no longer the right product

If you have been out for years, are not returning to a home country, and want chronic conditions and routine care rather than emergencies, you have outgrown travel insurance. The successor products are international health insurance plans such as Genki Native, SafetyWing Complete or a full expat policy. They cost more, underwrite you properly, and do not assume you will be home by Christmas.

Questions people actually ask

What counts as my country of residence?+

Generally the country you consider your permanent home and where you are legally entitled to live, not simply where you have spent the most nights. Insurers set their own definitions and some are strict: they may ask about time physically in the country, a local doctor, or a tax or national insurance record.

I am a dual national. Which country do I use?+

Residence and nationality are separate answers, so give both accurately: where you legally live, and which passports you hold. Nationality only tends to matter for sanctions rules and for a few products aimed at visitors to a specific country, while residence decides almost everything else.

Can I keep my old home country policy if I have moved away?+

Only if you still meet that insurer's residence test, and many people who have moved no longer do. Renewing a policy you were once eligible for does not re-qualify you: the test is applied at purchase and again at claim.

One-way and open-ended tripsCover with no return date Buying cover after departureThe waiting periods explained SafetyWing vs GenkiThe two nomad subscriptions compared

Every rule on this page comes from the insurer's own policy wording, FAQ or terms, and carries the date we last checked it (2026-08-03). Insurers change eligibility rules without notice, so confirm anything that matters directly with them before buying. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will re-verify it.