Our Insurance Plans
Early Return
When an employee on assignment or an expatriate needs to return home urgently—due to the death or serious hospitalization of a loved one, or a major event at home—their return becomes an emergency on a human, logistical, and financial level. Finding a flight from Bamako, Beirut, or Manila within a few hours, at an uncontrolled fare, cannot be improvised. Geodesk, an insurance broker specializing in international insurance for 30 years, provides this often-overlooked coverage and arranges the return of your teams from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The early return coverage covers the arrangements and costs associated with an employee’s or expatriate’s immediate return trip to their home country or country of residence when a serious and unforeseeable event forces them to cut short their stay abroad. The trigger is not the insured person’s state of health, but an external event: the sudden death or hospitalization of a close relative who has remained in the home country, or a major disaster affecting their home.
The assistance service searches for, books, and covers the cost of the fastest available transportation, without the employee having to pay—often substantial—expenses out of pocket in an emergency.
The early return coverage is often confused with medical repatriation, even though these two types of coverage address opposite situations. Medical repatriation applies to an employee whose health is deteriorating and who must be medically evacuated; early return applies to an employee in good health who is forced to return home due to a tragedy that has occurred elsewhere. This confusion leads many organizations to believe their teams are covered when they are not: a policy may include excellent medical repatriation coverage while completely excluding coverage for return due to the death of a loved one. Geodesk systematically verifies the presence, scope, and actual trigger conditions of this coverage in your policies.
A need that is often confused with repatriation—Geodesk understands the reality on the ground
An employee on an assignment in Southeast Asia learns of his father’s death in France. He must return within 48 hours for the funeral. The early return coverage arranges and pays for his ticket at the actual fare on the first available flight. The crucial question—one often overlooked in standard contracts—is: Is the return trip to the assignment location also covered, so the employee can resume his duties?
The spouse of a project manager on assignment in West Africa is involved in an accident and hospitalized in intensive care. The employee must return home immediately, even though no death has occurred. Many insurance policies only provide coverage in the event of death, not serious hospitalization—a distinction with far-reaching consequences. Geodesk verifies that the sudden hospitalization of a loved one is indeed covered.
A consultant on a six-month assignment for a development program must return urgently due to a serious family matter. Beyond the return trip itself, two issues arise that standard contracts do not address: coverage of the return travel expenses to resume the assignment, and operational continuity for the employer. Geodesk structures coverage that includes round-trip travel and anticipates the practical impact of an unexpected absence.
Early return: a guarantee that's more complex than it seems
The definition of a “close family member” varies widely from one policy to another: some are limited to a spouse, children, and parents, while others include siblings, grandparents, or in-laws. Geodesk reviews this specific scope, which is essential for expatriate families and teams with diverse family structures.
A relevant early return benefit applies in the event of both the death of a loved one and the sudden and serious hospitalization of a loved one. Geodesk verifies that both of these events are explicitly included in your coverage, as their omission is one of the most common exclusions.
Many contracts cover the cost of returning to the home country, but not the trip back to resume the assignment or expatriation. Geodesk negotiates coverage for both the outbound and return trips, so that a family event does not result in a permanent interruption of the stay.
In an emergency, the first available flight isn’t always the cheapest. Geodesk prioritizes contracts that cover travel at the actual fare and in the class appropriate for the emergency, rather than a flat-rate cap that would require the employee to pay the difference out of pocket.
For a locally hired employee, “place of residence” and “country of return” do not always match those of an expatriate. Geodesk provides consistent coverage for local teams—a recurring blind spot in contracts designed solely for expatriates.
An early return can be arranged in just a few hours. Geodesk provides 24/7 support, 365 days a year, managed by a representative who is already familiar with your case and handles reservations, transportation, and coordination without any delays.
For the past 30 years, Geodesk has focused exclusively on international insurance and provides coverage in more than 150 countries, including sensitive and high-risk areas. This specialization allows us to identify gaps in coverage that general insurers overlook.
At Geodesk, there are no anonymous phone numbers: a single point of contact manages your case from start to finish and is familiar with your employees’ situation even before an emergency arises. This personal touch makes all the difference on the day when a return trip must be arranged within a few hours.
Our teams’ responsiveness is our hallmark. During a field emergency—such as a suspected case of typhoid in Nepal, for example—we were able to respond very quickly because one of our staff members was already familiar with the case. It is this ability to react quickly that our clients appreciate most during a crisis.
No Geodesk contract is standard: each policy is negotiated and tailored to the client’s specific situation. Our strong partnerships with insurers and our recognized legal expertise—particularly as evidenced by our publications in the Cercle des Directeurs de Sécurité des Entreprises (CDSE)—ensure the reliability of your coverage.
We’ll conduct a free audit of your current international coverage and identify your risk areas in less than 48 hours—with no obligation and in complete confidence.
We design a customized early return coverage plan, specifying the scope of coverage for family members, triggering events, round-trip transportation coverage, and the relevant groups (expatriates, missionaries, local staff, consultants).
We set up the contract, the certificates, and access to the support platform, with clear activation procedures for your HR teams and your field staff.
Your dedicated representative will monitor your policies, provide assistance in the event of a claim, and tailor your coverage to changes in your assignments and local conditions.
Analysis of Your Needs
We’ll conduct a free review of your current international health insurance coverage and identify your areas of risk in less than 48 hours—with no obligation and in complete confidence.
Solution Architecture
We design a customized early return coverage plan, specifying the scope of coverage for family members, triggering events, round-trip transportation coverage, and the relevant groups (expatriates, missionaries, local staff, consultants).
Deployment
We set up the contract, the certificates, and access to the support platform, with clear activation procedures for your HR teams and your field staff.
Follow-up & Support
Your dedicated representative will monitor your policies, provide assistance in the event of a claim, and tailor your coverage to changes in your assignments and local conditions.
Pain Without Borders
Pain Without Borders
Pain Without Borders has been using Geodesk's services for several years. Geodesk regularly provides us with insurance solutions tailored to our experts' missions in our various areas of operation, particularly in Ukraine, Ivory Coast, and Mozambique. Communication is always smooth, quick, and efficient, and we are fully satisfied with our collaboration and the availability of our account managers. "
URD Group
A. Lefevre
HR Director
“The travel of Better with Water employees is essential to the success of our field missions. Having a reliable insurance partner allows us to support them with peace of mind, wherever they are working. The quality of the support, the responsiveness of the teams, and the coverage tailored to our needs are a real asset for our organization and for the safety of our employees.”
GERES
X.ARNOULT
HR Director
“For several years, Geodesk and IECD have been developing a structured partnership to benefit the social protection of employees on international assignments. Present in 18 countries, IECD works to promote access to education, employment, and entrepreneurship. Geodesk's support helps to secure these initiatives in sometimes complex or fragile environments, particularly in Lebanon and Madagascar. This long-term partnership is based on a strong and shared relationship of trust between IECD and Geodesk, serving their common commitments on the ground.”
Reporters Without Borders
“RSF has been working with Geodesk for several years. We particularly appreciate the quality of their personalized support. Their teams are always responsive, available, and attentive to our needs. We appreciate their follow-up and always enjoy communicating with them.”
The Alexandre Dumas French Lycée in Moscow
Jean-Paul SCHÜTZ
Principal
“The Lycée Français Alexandre Dumas in Moscow , a school directly managed by the AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad), places the safety and well-being of its students at the heart of its priorities. This is why we attach paramount importance to the quality of the school insurance we have purchased from CGEA GEODESK. Our school welcomes over 660 students, from preschool to the final year of high school, from numerous nationalities and spread across three separate campuses. In such a demanding international environment, we need a reliable partner. CGEA GEODESK fully meets this requirement. The “INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SCHOOL INSURANCE” coverage protects our students during school hours, on educational outings, and during all extracurricular activities organized by the school, thus providing continuous protection tailored to our daily lives.”
CartONG
L. Cailloce
Administrative and Logistics Officer
“Your speed and responsiveness ensure that we always receive our insurance certificates on time for our employees working in the field, even when we notify you relatively late. This is something we greatly appreciate, and it’s a relief to know that we can count on you in this regard.”
Medical repatriation and early return are two provisions that are often thought to be interchangeable—until the day one of them is needed. Medical repatriation involves the evacuation of an employee whose health is deteriorating; early return involves the return of an employee in good health who has been affected by a tragedy in their home country. This video clearly explains the difference and the consequences of confusion for an employer.
Drawing on real-life situations encountered by our teams, this video illustrates the points that Geodesk systematically verifies in your contracts: the definition of covered family members, coverage for both hospitalization and death, and the organization of the return to the assignment location.
Preparing for the unexpected is what we do—let’s work together to find the right coverage for your organization.
A business trip lasting just a few days does not eliminate the risk: it is often the situation for which people are least prepared and most vulnerable. An employee traveling for a 48-hour meeting may have an accident, fall ill, or find themselves stranded due to an unforeseen local event, without knowing who to call or how their expenses will be covered.
Geodesk’s international business travel insurance covers your business travelers for the specific duration of each trip: medical expenses, 24-hour assistance, and direct payment for emergency medical care to avoid out-of-pocket expenses. Each policy takes into account not only the destination country but also transit countries, which are too often overlooked by standard coverage.
Beyond medical assistance, Geodesk supports your employees in managing any unforeseen events that may arise during business travel. Whether it’s an interruption of a business trip, a security incident, an early return for family reasons, an evacuation, or any other critical event, our teams coordinate every step of the response promptly—from the initial report through to the complete resolution of the situation. This allows you to ensure the safety of your business travel, minimize the operational impact of incidents, and fulfill your duty of care toward your employees.
An expatriate does not leave for just a few weeks: he or she settles, sometimes with his or her family, in a country where he or she is unfamiliar with either the healthcare system or the legal framework. As soon as he or she leaves the French general social security system, his or her original social security coverage no longer applies, and the employer becomes liable in the event of a breach.
Geodesk’s expatriate insurance provides comprehensive and long-term coverage: health, accident, professional and personal liability while abroad, with coverage extended to the spouse and children. Each expatriate insurance policy is tailored to the host country, the employee’s actual status, and applicable local requirements.
Geodesk also handles the gray areas that standard contracts overlook: changes in employment status during an assignment, transition periods between two assignments, and temporary returns to France. These gaps, which are often not covered elsewhere, expose both the employee and the company to risk.
The cost of hospitalization abroad is unpredictable and can reach amounts far exceeding what a French health insurance plan reimburses. In the United States, just a few days in intensive care are enough to far exceed the coverage limits of a standard policy. For example, here are the average costs of a major hospitalization (3 to 5 days with surgery, depending on the condition):
The coverage limits recommended by Geodesk start at 1 million outside the U.S. and Canada, and at 5 million euros or unlimited, depending on the region
Geodesk’s international health insurance guarantees access to care in the country of assignment without any upfront costs, with coverage limits based on the actual cost of local care—not on a flat-rate schedule. Our team carefully reviews the specific coverage limits for intensive care and resuscitation, as well as deductibles and waiting periods—areas where unpleasant surprises often lurk.
This coverage extends to the employee's family when the assignment requires it, and is aligned with the local insurance requirements specific to each country. The goal is to ensure that no employee forgoes medical care and that no company finds itself facing an insufficient coverage limit when a claim arises.
Given the rising cost of healthcare—particularly in the United States, Canada, Singapore, and Switzerland—a coverage limit that is too low may leave the company responsible for a significant portion of medical expenses. Geodesk believes that HR directors and mobility managers must ensure this financial risk is fully covered.
International mobility exposes companies and their employees to major risks: death, disability, inability to work, or loss of independence.
The human, legal, and financial consequences can be significantly amplified, particularly outside the European Union.
Insurance policies designed for France often provide only partial coverage for situations encountered abroad, leaving the company and employees’ families exposed to significant risks.
With Geodesk’s international insurance solution, your employees benefit from comprehensive and consistent coverage in all their countries of assignment. Coverage is tailored to the employee’s status and country of assignment: death benefits, annuities, disability and incapacity benefits adapted to the employee’s status and assignment location, long-term disability coverage, and protection tailored to expatriates, seconded employees, and employees on international assignments.
Each type of coverage is integrated with international health and social security coverage to ensure seamless protection across all arrangements.
Because international career paths evolve rapidly, Geodesk pays special attention to changes in status, which are common in international mobility: an employee on a temporary assignment who becomes an expatriate, or a volunteer who becomes an employee; long-term assignments; local hiring; or changes in contract terms.
Each transition is managed to ensure continuity of coverage.
When an employee faces a medical emergency abroad, every minute counts.
The first reaction is often uncertainty: who to call, in what language, and who makes the decisions. The true quality of international travel insurance is measured at that very moment, not in the policy terms and conditions. Companies need international travel insurance that can provide an immediate, coordinated, and multilingual response.
With Geodesk and its assistance and insurance partners, international assistance services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Medical teams and emergency coordinators provide support to employees worldwide, taking into account time zones, local constraints, and language barriers. The goal is simple: to ensure rapid care while relieving the company of crisis management responsibilities.
Our responsiveness is proven: during a typhoid case in Nepal, our team responded in less than an hour to organize care for the employee—demonstrating our ability to act quickly even in areas with highly complex logistics.
Medical repatriation is a critical benefit; coverage levels, conditions of coverage, and exclusions can vary significantly from one policy to another. We systematically verify and analyze essential coverage provisions, including medical repatriation to the country of residence or an appropriate medical facility, repatriation of remains in the event of death, early return due to a serious family event, the terms of coverage, and any contractual limitations.
This analysis enables companies to avoid risk areas that are often discovered... by the time it is already too late, and to protect your employees, minimize operational disruptions, and fulfill your duty of care toward your employees.
An accident during an overseas assignment involves more than just covering medical expenses. It can have significant financial consequences for the employee, their family, and the company. Many companies assume that a work-related accident occurring abroad will be handled the same way as in France, which is rarely the case outside the European Union.
Geodesk’s individual accident coverage supplements health insurance by providing lump-sum benefits in the event of bodily injury, permanent disability, or death, regardless of medical reimbursement. This coverage protects the employee and their loved ones and limits the employer’s liability exposure.
We tailor this coverage to each employee’s profile, based on the risks associated with the country, the line of work, and the duration of the assignment: a consultant on a one-time business trip, an employee at an industrial site, and a staff member sent to a high-risk area do not face the same risks or have the same compensation needs.
Medical repatriation involves the medical evacuation of an employee whose health is deteriorating and who cannot be treated locally. Early return, on the other hand, applies to an employee in good health who is forced to return urgently due to an external event—such as the death or hospitalization of a family member, or a major disaster at home. The two types of coverage are distinct: a policy may cover one without covering the other, which is why it is important to review them separately.
The definition of a “family member” varies significantly from one policy to another. Some policies are limited to spouses, children, and parents; others extend coverage to siblings, grandparents, or in-laws. This definition is critical, particularly for expatriate families and locally hired teams. Geodesk systematically reviews this scope and negotiates it based on the actual family situations of your employees.
It depends on the policy. Many policies only provide coverage in the event of death and exclude serious hospitalization, even in intensive care. Adequate coverage should include both scenarios. Geodesk ensures that the sudden hospitalization of a loved one is explicitly listed among the reasons for early return covered by your policy.
Many contracts cover only the trip to the home country, without providing for the return trip to the assignment location. For an employee on a long-term assignment or living abroad, this oversight can turn a family event into a permanent interruption of their stay. Geodesk negotiates coverage for round-trip travel when the nature of the assignment warrants it.
Standard contracts are often designed exclusively for expatriates and leave local staff without a consistent solution: for a locally hired employee, the “home country” and “country of return” are different from those of an expatriate. Geodesk designs coverage tailored to local employees, a particularly critical issue for NGOs and organizations operating in multiple countries.
The process is initiated through the support platform, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. At Geodesk, a dedicated representative is already familiar with your case, which allows us to immediately organize the flight search, make the reservation, and cover the costs. It is essential that your HR teams and employees have the contact information and reporting procedure in advance.
Early return coverage is most often included in an international mobility insurance policy or an assistance plan, along with repatriation coverage. It is rarely purchased on its own. The real question, therefore, is not whether to buy it separately, but whether to verify that it is indeed included in your existing coverage, with sufficient scope. This is precisely the purpose of the free audit conducted by Geodesk.
