United KingdomLevel 2/4

Level 2/4 — Exercise Increased Caution, U.S. Department of State, retrieved on 24 October 2026.

• Is the whole country advised against? United States: no · France: no · Switzerland: no (reading of 24 October 2026).
• Contractually, only an FDFA, FOPH or WHO advisory against the trip opens Module A (art. 18.1) — that is not the case today.
• International medical cover, 24/7 number saved, and a read of the areas named under Safety & risks before booking the itinerary.
• We check these sources every morning and e-mail you the day one changes (Alerts button).

Sourcestravel.state.gov · updated 08.09 · read 24.10France Diplomatie · updated 05.10 · read 24.10DFAE · updated 04.09 · read 24.10207-country comparison

An area advised against does not rule out the country.

• Official answers: United States: no · France: no · Switzerland: no.
• Keep your country of residence's advisory on booking day and on departure day: that is what your policy's clauses cite.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 05.10 · read 24.10Foreign OfficeState Department · updated 08.09 · read 24.10

The rules depend on the passport, not on the destination alone.

• French passport (France Diplomatie): French and EU travellers must hold a valid passport to enter the UK; only EU residents with settled or pre-settled status may use a valid national ID card until further notice. From 1 January 2021, French nationals can enter the UK without a visa for stays up to six months for tourism, visiting family or friends, or short business trips; a long-stay visa is required for work, study or settlement. Personal goods up to £390 (£270 if arriving by private plane or boat) may be brought into Great Britain duty-free; amounts above this must be declared and duties paid on the total value, not just the excess.
• American passport: the requirements are on the State Department country page (travel.state.gov).
• Swiss passport: the FDFA refers you to the destination's embassy in Switzerland.
• Pick your passport at the top of Before you go › Entry: the official text that concerns you comes first, with its “In brief” summary.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 05.10 · read 24.10Foreign OfficeState Department · updated 08.09 · read 24.10

For a Schengen visa, yes: at least €30,000 of travel medical insurance (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, art. 15).

• Many other countries ask for it on entry or for a visa, case by case: check Before you go › Entry, with your passport.
• Subscribe: the named certificate arrives by e-mail on payment, with your name, dates and limits (EUR 1.5M medical expenses, unlimited evacuation and repatriation) — the ones consulates check.
• Attach it to the visa file; if in doubt about the format, write to us.

SourcesRegulation (EC) 810/2009, art. 15General conditions, policy 20 00 479

VIP Pack — €990 for twelve months, unlimited trips.

• EUR 1.5M emergency medical expenses, unlimited medical evacuation and repatriation, search and rescue USD 50,000, cancellation or change USD 5,000.
• One 24/7 number, +41 22 ••• •• ••: Maximum sends its direct payment guarantee to the hospital (art. 2.12).
• Network of 45,000 providers (art. 6.9); evacuation is decided, organised and paid by Maximum's medical team if the local facility is not enough (art. 6.2.2).
• Around Londres, the nearest hospital read from OpenStreetMap: Great Ormond Street Outpatients - Zebra and Hippo Clinic Areas · 1.5 km · 24/7 emergency room.
• Named certificate by e-mail on payment, no medical questionnaire.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479OpenStreetMap · read 19.10

Six steps, in this order.

• 1. Call +41 22 ••• •• •• before paying anything, or have the front desk call: it is the condition for full cover (otherwise: reduced or refused benefits).
• 2. Ask for a hospital in the Maximum network (art. 6.9) — the nearest: Great Ormond Street Outpatients - Zebra and Hippo Clinic Areas · 1.5 km · 24/7 emergency room.
• 3. See a doctor the same day and leave with the certificate: without an on-the-spot finding, nothing is covered (art. 33).
• 4. Admitted for more than 24 h? The front desk calls Maximum: direct payment guarantee, no deposit (art. 2.12).
• 5. Book no ambulance or flight yourself (art. 6.2.2).
• 6. Once home, file within 30 days (art. 35.7).
• Local emergency services: single number 999 / 112.

SourcesSpecial conditions 01.26General conditions, policy 20 00 479

Local emergency services: single number 999 / 112

• Maximum, 24/7, before any payment: +41 22 ••• •• ••.
• France — Ambassade de France (2.3 km) · +44 20 7073 1000
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse (2.6 km) · +44 20 7616 6000
• United Kingdom — UK Government Visa and Citizenship Application Services (162.9 km)
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis (2.9 km) · +44 20 7499 9000
• Save these numbers before leaving; in immediate danger, call local emergency services first, then Maximum.

SourcesEmergencyNumberAPI · Wikidata · read 22.10OpenStreetMap · read 19.10

At today's level 2/4, card by card:

• Amex Platinum — No area exclusion at this level — but three written limits: deductible and prior approval, 90-day cap, advance under conditions.
• Visa — No express area exclusion — but a €156,000 cap, 90 days, and the war/instability exclusion in the background.
• Mastercard — No exclusion in play at this level — but a €155,000 cap and 90 covered days.
• Three lines to read in your notice: the duration (often 90 days per trip), the settlement (reimbursement afterwards or direct payment of the hospital) and the area exclusion at level 4/4.

SourcesAmex Platinum France T&Cs, 01.2025 — general exclusion n° 11BNP Paribas Visa Infinite notice (policy PT7), 04.2025 — comFortuneo World Elite Mastercard notice, 01.2026 — art. 5.5 '

A health plan reimburses at home; here, the hospital asks for a payment guarantee before admission.

• Health plan — A health plan treats you at home. Here the hospital asks for a guarantee before admission — not a later reimbursement.
• Travel policy — No area exclusion at this level — compare cap, deductible and covered duration.
• A travel policy often has a territorial clause at level 4/4 and a 90-day limit per trip.
• Have your IPID number or the PDF of the terms and ask an expert to call you back: the answer is in the document, not in the brochure.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

Around Londres: 80 hospitals and clinics, 8 with a 24/7 emergency room, 40 pharmacies, 40 doctors' practices (OpenStreetMap, hospital list read on 21.10.2026).

• Type your city, hotel or beach: the map re-centres, 24/7 emergency rooms come first.
• Each row gives the phone when the source publishes it, the nearest street, directions and the Google Maps listing.
• The PDF briefing repeats the same places, numbered on a printable map.
• No customer reviews: OpenStreetMap has none, and we invent none.

SourcesOpenStreetMap (ODbL) · read 19.10

The sourced detail is under Medical network › Health: vaccines, diseases present, altitude, outbreaks.

• CDC (Travelers' Health), depending on the trip: Routine vaccines, COVID-19, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Monkeypox, Polio.
• France Diplomatie reports in the country: chikungunya — mosquito protection day and night.
• See a doctor or a travel clinic 8 weeks before departure (Foreign Office).
• Carry your medicines in their packaging, with a prescription using international non-proprietary names (France Diplomatie).

SourcesCDC Travelers' Health · read 24.10France Diplomatie · updated 05.10 · read 24.10OMS · read 24.10Foreign Office

3.3 physicians per 1,000 people (2023) versus 4.5 in Switzerland.

• 2.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people versus 4.4 in Switzerland (World Bank).
• With 3.3 physicians per 1,000 people (27% fewer than Switzerland), the nearest hospital does not always have the capacity for a serious case: evacuation to an adequate centre is the rule, not the exception — that is what unlimited evacuation and repatriation cover. Health spending of 5,860 USD per person (Switzerland: 11,784): expensive care, settled directly by the insurer with the payment guarantee.
• When the local facility is not enough, Maximum's medical team decides the evacuation to a suitable centre, and pays for it (art. 6.2.2).

SourcesWorld Bank · read 24.10General conditions, policy 20 00 479

1.1 homicides per 100,000 people (2021) versus 0.6 in Switzerland and 1.3 in France.

• 3.2 road deaths per 100,000 people versus 2.2 in Switzerland (World Bank, WHO).
• The homicide rate is above Switzerland's, without being out of range. On the road, a level close to Switzerland's; road crashes are the leading cause of death of healthy travellers (CDC) — seat belt, no night driving, a driver or a taxi from a rank.

SourcesWorld Bank (UNODC, WHO) · read 24.10UCDP

The nearest representations, by passport (OpenStreetMap):

• France — Ambassade de France (2.3 km) · +44 20 7073 1000
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse (2.6 km) · +44 20 7616 6000
• United Kingdom — UK Government Visa and Citizenship Application Services (162.9 km)
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis (2.9 km) · +44 20 7499 9000
• Register before leaving: France: Ariane · Switzerland: Travel Admin · United States: STEP.
• Two minutes, and in a crisis your country's authorities can reach you and count you in an evacuation.
• Pick your passport at the top of Contacts: your embassy comes first.

SourcesOpenStreetMap · read 19.10DFAE · updated 04.09 · read 24.10

No region is advised against by the official readings checked (Global Affairs Canada and France Diplomatie): the national advice applies everywhere.

• Your point (Westminster): country-wide vigilance.
• Maximum does not exclude these areas: the VIP Pack covers care and repatriation there (sanctions, embargoes and a country already at war at departure remain enforceable).

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 05.10 · read 24.10Foreign OfficeFrance Diplomatie · updated 05.10 · read 24.10

Local laws apply to every traveller; here is what the official texts say.

• Canadian drivers may use their valid Canadian licence for up to 12 months, but car rental agencies might require an international driving permit if the licence is not in English.
• Drivers entering central London must pay a daily Congestion Charge and meet Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) emission standards, or pay a daily charge.
• Travellers must declare if carrying £10,000 or more in cash, banknotes, coins, or other specified monetary instruments when entering or leaving the United Kingdom.
• Possession, use, or trafficking of illegal drugs, including cannabis, carries severe penalties of prison sentences and heavy fines for convicted offenders.
• It is illegal to carry, purchase, sell, or enter the country with certain knives, pepper spray, or personal imports of meat and dairy products from most non-EU countries.

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 05.10 · read 24.10Foreign Office

Every foreign ministry runs a 24/7 emergency line for its nationals.

• France — Crisis and Support Centre — French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: +33 1 53 59 11 00. 24/7 emergency line, standard rate. First contact abroad: the French embassy or consulate.
• Switzerland — FDFA Helpline: +41 58 465 33 33 · +41 800 24 7 365. 24/7, 365 days a year — helpline@eda.admin.ch. Beware of scam calls spoofing these numbers.
• United Kingdom — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: +44 20 7008 5000. 24 hours, for British nationals.
• United States — Overseas Citizens Services — U.S. Department of State: +1 202 501 4444 · +1 888 407 4747. From abroad; the second number from the U.S. and Canada.
• On site, Ambassade de France: +44 20 7073 1000.

Sourcesdiplomatie.gouv.fr · updated 05.10 · read 24.10eda.admin.ch · updated 04.09 · read 24.10

Keep the entry stamp, the invoices, the prescriptions and the medical report.

• File within 30 days (art. 35.7) from your client area, with the documents; the official forms are pre-filled.
• Costs advanced on site are reimbursed against receipts.
• Fever, persistent diarrhoea or a rash in the following weeks? See a doctor and say where you have been — chikungunya circulate in the country (France Diplomatie).

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

Cancellation or change up to USD 20,000, special risk USD 5,000 per person, crisis management and security, optional Kidnap & Ransom.

• Special risk (Module A): political event, attack, epidemic, natural disaster — opens when the FDFA, the FOPH or WHO advise against the trip (art. 18.1).
• Epidemic: assistance must be requested within 7 days of the WHO or FDFA qualification (art. 36.2).
• Crisis management and security: trip registration, monitoring, extraction, evacuation in case of riot, war, terrorism or disaster; Kidnap & Ransom subject to eligibility (art. 18.4).
• €2,290 a year, unlimited trips.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479