Who is insured
A non-EU foreigner is insured with the NFZ, among others, when staying in Poland on a work visa or a temporary, permanent or EU resident permit and being subject to compulsory insurance or having insured voluntarily (Art. 3 para. 1 point 2 of the Act on publicly funded healthcare services).
Compulsory insurance
- Compulsory insurance covers, among others, employees, persons on a contract of mandate and persons running a business (Art. 66 para. 1 point 1).
- You are entitled to services from registration for insurance (Art. 67 para. 2). You register family members within 7 days (Art. 67 para. 3).
- After the insurance obligation ends, the right to services lasts for another 30 days (Art. 67 para. 4).
Voluntary NFZ insurance
- If you are not subject to compulsory insurance and live in Poland, you can insure voluntarily on a written application submitted to the NFZ (Art. 68 para. 1). Insurance starts on the day stated in the agreement with the NFZ (Art. 68 para. 5).
- The contribution is based on the declared monthly income, not lower than the average wage (Art. 68 para. 4 point 1).
- If you were without insurance for at least 3 months, you pay an additional fee: from 20% of the base for a break of up to a year to 200% for a break of over 10 years (Art. 68 para. 8). In justified cases the NFZ may waive the fee or spread it into instalments (Art. 68 para. 11).
- Foreign students pay a contribution based on a lower amount and do not pay the additional fee (Art. 68 para. 4 point 3 and para. 9).
Insurance ends, among other things, after one month of continuous arrears in contributions (Art. 68 para. 5).
Insurance and the residence card
Most residence permits require NFZ health insurance or confirmation that an insurer will cover the costs of treatment in Poland - e.g. EU resident and studies.