Health Insurance for Foreigners in Poland

Health Insurance for Foreigners in Poland

Moving to a new country often raises one of the first and most important questions: what do I do if I get sick? Poland has a public healthcare system based on insurance — and if you're registered in it, you can receive many medical services free of charge or for a small fee. This article explains the basics so you can start using the system with confidence, no matter where you're coming from.

Who is entitled to public healthcare?

The right to NFZ (National Health Fund) benefits belongs primarily to insured people. The most common situations in which you gain this right:

• You work under an employment contract (umowa o pracę) — your employer automatically pays your health insurance contribution.

• You work under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie), in most cases — the party commissioning the work also registers you for insurance.

• You run your own business (działalność gospodarcza) — you pay your own health insurance contribution to ZUS.

• You are registered as unemployed with the Labour Office (Urząd Pracy) — the office pays the contribution for you.

• You are a family member of an insured person (e.g. a child or spouse) — you can be registered as a co-insured person, with no separate contribution.

• You are a student under 26 — you can be registered by a parent or your university, depending on the situation.

If none of these apply to you — for example if you're on a dependent visa, studying without a working parent in Poland, or between jobs — you can pay for voluntary health insurance directly with the NFZ.

How to check your insurance status

Before you go to the doctor, it's worth making sure you're actually actively insured. The simplest way:

1. Go to pacjent.gov.pl and log in using a trusted profile (profil zaufany), an e-ID, or online banking.

2. In the insurance section you'll see your status: whether you're currently registered, and by whom (employer, labour office, etc.).

3. If you don't yet have a trusted profile, you can also call the NFZ helpline or ask directly at a clinic — reception checks your status in the eWUŚ system at your first visit.

If the system shows you're not insured, but you believe you should be (e.g. your employer was supposed to register you), it's worth clarifying this as soon as possible — a missing registration is often just a simple administrative oversight, not something specific to foreigners.

What if you don't qualify?

People who don't fall into any of the situations above have a few options:

1. Voluntary insurance with the NFZ — the monthly contribution is based on the average salary; the application is submitted at the NFZ branch for your place of residence.

2. Private health insurance — offered by companies such as LuxMed, Medicover, Enel-Med, or Signal Iduna, popular among students, freelancers, and people on non-work visas.

3. Paying for visits privately — a wide network of private clinics lets you book an appointment without insurance, paying for each service individually.

Insurance for children

Children of foreigners whose parent is insured in Poland automatically gain the right to healthcare as family members — you simply need to register the child through the insured parent's employer.

The EHIC card for EU citizens

EU citizens who are insured in their home country can use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) while staying in Poland — on the same terms as Polish citizens.

This material is for informational purposes only. For official, current, and complete information, please contact the relevant government institutions or qualified professionals.

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This material is for informational purposes only. For official, up-to-date, and complete information, please contact the relevant government institutions or qualified professionals. Want to see everything explained step by step? The full article, along with many other important topics, is available at familyinpoland.com. If this video was helpful to you, subscribe to Family in Poland to get more practical information about living and working in Poland. Thanks for watching!