Parents visiting you abroad: medicines, insurance and health papers

Before your parents fly to the US, UK, Canada, Australia or Europe: visitor insurance, carrying medicines, records and a plan for the long flight.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-09-29

Insurance first

Medical care abroad is expensive for visitors, and cover for existing illnesses is limited in most visitor policies. Buy the policy before they travel and read what it says about pre-existing conditions, the deductible and the claims process. Some visas — Canada’s Super Visa and the Schengen visa among them — make medical insurance a condition.

Medicines for the whole stay

Carry enough for the trip plus two weeks, in original packaging.
Carry a prescription that lists each medicine by its generic name.
Keep medicines in hand luggage, split between two bags.
Check the destination’s rules: some medicines that are ordinary in India are restricted elsewhere.

A short medical summary

Ask their doctor in India for a one-page summary in English: conditions, surgeries, current medicines, allergies. Carry recent reports and a copy of the latest ECG if they have a heart condition. A doctor abroad can do far more with one page than with a folder.

The flight

Ask the doctor whether your parent is fit to fly, especially after recent surgery or a hospital stay.
Request wheelchair assistance when you book. It is free and it covers the long walks in transit.
An aisle seat, water, and a walk every couple of hours.
Keep medicine times steady; ask the doctor how to handle the time change.

While they are with you

Find the nearest urgent-care clinic and check that it accepts their insurance.
Keep the insurer’s emergency number on the fridge.
Watch for isolation. Parents can be lonelier in your suburb than in their own lane.

Insurance and visa rules by destination

Destination	What to know
USA	Visitor insurance is not required for the visa but is strongly advised; care is very expensive
Canada	Super Visa applicants must hold private medical insurance that meets the programme’s minimum
UK	Visitors are generally charged for NHS hospital treatment; travel insurance is advised
Schengen area	Travel medical insurance with a minimum cover is a visa condition
Australia	Some visitor visas carry a health-insurance condition; cover is advised for all
UAE, Singapore	Travel insurance is advised; long-stay visas may require cover

Rules change. Check the official visa page for the destination before buying a policy.

Reading a visitor policy

Is it a fixed-benefit plan or a comprehensive plan? They pay very differently.
What is the deductible?
What does "acute onset of a pre-existing condition" cover, and up to what age?
Which hospitals are in the network near you?
How is a claim made — directly by the hospital, or by you afterwards?

If they fall ill during the visit

For an emergency, call the local emergency number.
For anything else, use an urgent-care clinic rather than an emergency department where that is the local custom — it is usually far cheaper.
Call the insurer’s helpline before treatment when you can.
Keep every bill and report for the claim, and for their doctor in India.

Going home

Before they fly back, update the medicine list, restart the daily check-in at their usual time, and tell your local contacts that they are back.

Questions families ask

Does visitor insurance cover diabetes or blood pressure?

Many plans exclude pre-existing conditions or cover only a sudden, acute episode up to a limit. Read the policy wording.

Can the daily check-in continue while my parent is abroad?

It can be paused while they are with you and restarted when they return.

Can my parents buy medicines abroad with an Indian prescription?

Usually not. Pharmacies generally need a prescription from a locally registered doctor, which is why carrying enough for the whole trip matters.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency in India call 112.