Which type of health insurance do I need and where do I arrange it?
It is necessary to conclude a health insurance policy within 3 working days from collecting the residence document and submit the document to the Foreign Police confirming the health insurance within 30 days.
(Note: Only foreigners who have been granted temporary residence for the purposes of self-employed/business, other activity, research and development, family reunification and temporary residence of a third-country national who is granted long-term resident status in another Member State are required to send health insurance certificates to the Foreign Police. For other types of residence, they do not need to hand in the confirmation to the Foreign Police).
Compulsory public health insurance is generally required for an individual who has permanent residency in the Slovak Republic. Compulsory public health insurance also applies to persons who have been granted temporary residence. It is related especially to those who are employed, doing business (self-employed), are students from another Member State or foreign students studying at a school in the Slovak Republic as part of an international agreement, or are asylum seekers. These are the most common cases, however the unabridged information may be found on the IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC) web site. There are three health insurance companies providing public health insurance services to choose from: Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa, Union, Dôvera. Addresses of their Košice offices are listed below.
Individual (commercial) health insurance: on this basis, a policyholder is entitled to health care to the extent specified in the contract with the insurance company. This is relevant especially to temporary residence holders e.g. foreign students, family members who are not employed or not self-employed. Commercial health insurance providers are: Union (commercial health insurance), AXA, Maxima.
