Expat & Co

What Expat & Co is

Expat & Co, at expatinsurance.eu, is a plan brand working as an authorised underwriter. It designs and sells its own expat, student and travel health plans, while a separate insurer carries the risk. Its underwriter page says: "Expat & Co acts as authorised underwriter," and defines the role: "An authorised underwriter is an insurance intermediary who, acting on behalf of one or more insurance companies, has the authority to accept the coverage of risks in the name and on behalf of such insurance companies and to underwrite and manage insurance agreements." The page adds that its "main task is to determine the nature and size of the risk that is to be insured and to determine the insurance premium that must be paid."

The insurer is named on the same page: "Inter Partner Assistance (member of the AXA Partners Group) carries the risks endorsed by Expat & Co (authorised underwriter)." The lines of business Expat & Co may accept on that basis are listed as "health care, disability or death by accident (01) or sickness (02)," "goods in transit (07)," "fire and natural disasters (08)," "other damage to goods (09)," "general civil liability (13)," "miscellaneous financial losses (16)," "legal assistance (17)" and "assistance (18)." The site footer gives an FSMA registration, "Reg. N° FSMA13633," and an entry in the Brussels company register, with its office in Ternat, Belgium.

The homepage says the company "creates unique and tailor-made insurance plans for expats, students, academics and globetrotters," drawing on "30 years of knowhow." Its about page names the founder, Filip Declercq, "With more than 30 years of experience in the insurance sector," who combined "his own experience as an expat in Germany and his career as an insurer" when setting it up.

The expat plans

Two products sit under the Expat Insurances heading. The menu describes Expat Insurance as a "Complete package that covers your every possible need as an expat, full cover or additional to your social security," and Europat Insurance as a "Special version of the Expat insurance, tailored for EU officials." The expat page sets out who they are for: "Our Expat insurances are tailored for European expatriates, non-European expatriates in Europe and expats working for a European organization (which is the policy holder) for a duration of 1 year or longer."

Each policy comes in one of two structures. The page says: "Get Full Cover insurance, or choose Top-Up Insurance in case you are already on social coverage," and names where Top-Up applies: "AT, BE (riziv/inami), BE(osz/ssom), CH, CZ, DE, EE, FR (cfe), FR (cpam/cmu), IL, JP, LI, LU, NL and the EU officials." In plain terms, Full Cover is the whole health plan, and Top-Up sits on top of one of those national social security schemes, or the EU officials' scheme, to add to what it already pays.

The Chameleon Principle

The feature the site builds its pitch around is what it calls the Chameleon Principle. The about page says the founder "developed the Chameleon Principle© because he discovered that other international insurers do not take local social securities into account, resulting in double coverage for the client." The answer was "Switching between Full Cover and Top-Up coverage to complement the country benefits the client is enjoying." Continuity is the second half of the idea: "Switching coverage without any loss of benefits is possible within the same policy, irrespective of your country of residence. The policy travels with you and adapts to every local situation." The homepage puts it as "a smart plan that adapts to every country you move to" and "Proper coverage without paying double."

For an expat who moves from a country with no social cover into one where they join the state scheme, this means the same policy can shrink to a top-up instead of being canceled and replaced, and grow back to full cover on the next move.

Other plans on the site

Expat & Co sells beyond long-stay expat cover. The menu lists Student Insurance, "Plans that have carefully designed with international students, trainees, professors and staff members of educational institutions in mind," and Au-Pair Insurance, "Insurance intended for official Au-Pairs." Under Travel Insurances it lists Business Travellers Insurance, a "Comprehensive and flexible package for business travellers"; Globi Insurance, a "Comprehensive package for globetrotters, and other mid-to-long term travellers"; and Schengen Travellers Insurance, a "Basic obligatory package for short term visitors to Europe (< 90 days)." The homepage describes the travel range as cover "if you or your family have an unexpected illness or injury when travelling," and says buyers can "Tailor your own travel insurance for assistance and medical treatment."

The about page explains the breadth: the founder "felt that other policies on the market were singularly aimed at health coverage," so the company "developed a wide range of other international covers," which fits the non-health lines on its underwriting mandate.

Buying, claims and assistance

Buying starts from "Get a quote" or "Find your plan," and the site has a separate section for brokers and an online payment page. No premiums are printed on the pages. On claims, the homepage states: "If your file is complete and in chronological order, we prioritize your claim and settle within 10 days. Incomplete or non-ordered files can take more time." The about page mentions "24-hour assistance around the globe" and "world-class hospital networks" through its partners, and the homepage says "From our central location in Belgium, we arrange everything for your arrival into or departure out of Europe."

Member comments on the homepage describe how this works in practice, though they are single accounts rather than a record. One member in Liberia writes that "The Alarm Centre decided that repatriation was necessary" and that the company "arranged a flight to the Netherlands in one hour." Another, insured for two years while moving countries, mentions "the fast claim handling." The pages give no deductible, medical maximum or age limit for any plan.

Who it suits

Expat & Co suits an expat staying a year or longer in or from Europe, especially one whose access to a national social security scheme changes from move to move, since the Chameleon Principle lets one policy switch between Full Cover and Top-Up. Europat suits EU officials specifically. A student, au-pair, business traveler or short-stay Schengen visitor has a separate plan on the same site. It suits a reader less well if they want premium or limit figures before contacting the company, or a stay shorter than the one-year minimum on the expat plans.