PhD students who ARE citizens of a European Union Member State or a European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Member State – parties to the European Economic Area Agreement, residing in the territory of that state may use healthcare on the same terms as Polish insured persons, provided that they have a valid European Insurance Card Health insurance (EHIC) issued in the country of origin.
PhD students who ARE NOT citizens of the European Union Member States or a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties to the European Economic Area agreement and unable to present a valid Pole’s Card or a document certifying that they have been recognized as persons of Polish origin within the meaning of the repatriation regulations, may conclude a voluntary health insurance contract with the National Health Fund (can join the National Health Fund for voluntary health insurance) and pay the monthly premium yourself.
Not all insurance policies concluded by PhD students provide cover related to hospitalization. Although concluding an insurance contract with the National Health Fund is theoretically voluntary, it will protect the PhD student from incurring high costs or treatment.
How to insure yourself voluntarily
1 Fill out the application (available at ☞ https://www.nfz.gov.pl/dla-pacjenta/zalatw-sprawe-krok-po-kroku/jak-ubezpieczyc-sie-dobrowolnie/)
2 Prepare an identity document (eg passport) and a certificate of admission to the doctoral school. If the insurance is not confirmed in the Central Register of Insureds, it may be necessary to present a document confirming the last insurance period.
3 Together with the application and documents, go to Wielkopolski Oddział Wojewódzkiego Narodowego Funduszu Zdrowia (the Wielkopolska Provincial Branch of the National Health Fund) at Piekary 14/15 in Poznań (side entrance). The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and you must reserve about 30-40 minutes for your visit (you should therefore visit the office by 3:30 p.m.)
4 After presenting the application and documents, you will receive a contract, which should be signed. The contract is drawn up in Polish and you will receive its translation. The contract is concluded for an indefinite period.
5 After signing the contract for voluntary insurance with the National Health Fund, you are obliged, within 7 days from the conclusion of the contract, to submit a form ZUS ZZA with the insurance title code 24 10 XX to the appropriate branch of the Social Insurance Institution for your place of residence.
For each month of being subject to health insurance, you are required to submit a ZUS DRA settlement declaration to ZUS and pay contributions to the ZUS account, the number of which, generated especially for you, you will receive when registering the contract with ZUS.
The premium for each calendar month should be paid by the 15th day of the following month for the previous month to the account indicated by ZUS. The health insurance premium is indivisible. This means that regardless of the number of days in a given month on which the Insured is covered by voluntary insurance, the premium must be paid in full. The amount of the monthly premium is PLN 55.80.
6 If it is not possible to confirm the insurance with the service provider through the e-WUŚ system, your proof of insurance will be a copy of the contract with a proof of payment of the premium for the last month. These documents should be presented together with the proof of identity.
Coverage with voluntary health insurance takes place on the date specified in the contract concluded with the National Health Fund – but not earlier than on the date of submitting the application, and shall cease on the date of termination of this contract. The contract may be terminated by the Insured by informing the National Health Fund in writing of the resignation from voluntary health insurance, indicating the date of termination of the contract and enclosing all proofs of paid premiums (or a printout of social security contributions). The indicated date may not be earlier than the day the notification is received by the branch of the National Health Fund.
Voluntary health insurance also expires in the case of:
• obtaining a compulsory title to health insurance,
• loss of the doctoral student status,
• failure to pay the premium for an uninterrupted period of one month or in the case of failure to pay the next installment of the additional fee within the prescribed period,
• upon the transfer of the Insured’s place of residence outside the territory of the Republic of Poland. Termination or expiry of the contract does not result in the lifting of the obligation to pay the premiums due for the duration of the contract.
If the doctoral student has a confirmation of residence in Poznań (e.g. in a dormitory) – a certificate – he or she can apply to Urząd Miasta Poznania (the Poznan City Hall) and apply for a PESEL number, which will significantly facilitate the use of public health care services. Office address:
Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Uprawnień Komunikacyjnych (Department of Civil Affairs and Communication Rights), Libelta 16/20, 61-706 Poznań