SafetyWing vs IMG Global: Budget Expat Insurance Compared (2026)

SafetyWing is travel medical insurance designed for digital nomads. It's built for flexibility—month-to-month billing, easy enrollment, coverage that follows you across countries. It's not traditional health insurance; it's emergency and medical coverage for people who move frequently.

IMG Global is more traditional international health insurance. It offers comprehensive plans with broader coverage, designed for people establishing themselves abroad. It's structured more like what consulates expect to see for visa applications.

This fundamental difference matters for visa compliance. SafetyWing's travel-style structure may not meet visa requirements in some countries; IMG's traditional structure typically does.

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: Covers medical emergencies, hospitalization, and some outpatient care. Has coverage caps (~$250,000), deductibles, and exclusions typical of travel insurance. Pre-existing conditions are limited. Includes travel benefits like trip interruption.

IMG Global Medical Insurance: More comprehensive health coverage including inpatient, outpatient, specialists, prescriptions, and emergency care. Higher coverage limits (often $1M+). Multiple deductible options. Structured as health insurance, not travel insurance.

For routine care, preventive visits, and ongoing health needs, IMG provides more complete coverage. For emergency protection while traveling, SafetyWing may be sufficient.

SafetyWing: ~$45/month for under-40, increasing with age. Simple pricing, month-to-month billing. No annual commitment required.

IMG: ~$100-200/month for comprehensive coverage, depending on age, plan tier, and deductible. Annual policies typical, though some flexibility exists.

The cost difference is significant—SafetyWing can be 50-70% cheaper. The question is whether the coverage difference justifies the price gap for your situation.

IMG for visas: IMG's Global Medical Insurance is structured as traditional health insurance. It's more likely to meet visa requirements for countries like Spain, Portugal, and other European destinations that require comprehensive coverage with no gaps.

SafetyWing for visas: SafetyWing may work for some visa applications—some digital nomad visa applicants have succeeded. But it's not designed for visa compliance, and rejections or requests for additional coverage do happen.

If visa compliance is critical (and it usually is), IMG is the safer choice in this comparison. SafetyWing is better as post-visa coverage or for situations where visas aren't required.

SafetyWing's approach: Built specifically for nomads. Month-to-month billing means you only pay when you're traveling. Coverage follows you across countries. The product is designed for people without a permanent base.

IMG's approach: Traditional insurance that works internationally. You can use it as a nomad, but it's not specifically designed for that lifestyle. Annual policies are more common, and the structure assumes more stability.

For pure nomads constantly moving without visa requirements, SafetyWing's flexibility is valuable. For nomads settling in one place with visa needs, IMG's compliance advantage may matter more.

IMG (International Medical Group) has strong US roots and focuses significantly on the American expat market. Their products are designed with US healthcare expectations in mind.

SafetyWing is also popular with US nomads, but it's a Norwegian company with a more global focus.

For US expats, IMG's familiarity with American customers may provide smoother customer service and claims experiences. SafetyWing is still perfectly usable for Americans but has a more international orientation.

Choose SafetyWing if: You're a nomad without visa requirements, you prioritize low cost and flexibility above all, you're healthy and mainly need emergency coverage, or you want coverage you can start and stop easily.

Choose IMG if: You need visa-compliant coverage for European residency, you want more comprehensive traditional health insurance, you're an expat settling somewhere rather than constantly moving, or you're willing to pay more for better coverage.

Consider both as complements: Some expats use comprehensive coverage (IMG or premium options) for visa compliance, then switch to SafetyWing once residency is established. Or use SafetyWing as supplemental coverage alongside other plans.

For strict visa requirements like Spain's non-lucrative visa, neither SafetyWing nor IMG may be the best choice. Premium insurers like Cigna or Allianz provide the coverage certainty that strict consulates expect.

If you have significant health needs, pre-existing conditions, or want the most comprehensive coverage, premium options may be worth the extra cost.

Both SafetyWing and IMG serve the budget-to-mid tier. If that's not your tier, look elsewhere.