Short answer
Yes. A foreigner with residence in Slovakia must be health insured no later than 3 working days after collecting the residence card and must be able to prove it at a residence check. Breaking this duty can be fined up to €1,600 (Act No. 404/2011 on the Residence of Foreigners, §118). The insurance can be bought online in a few minutes.
The deadlines, step by step
1. When you apply. Health insurance is not an attachment to a first application for temporary residence, and it is not a condition for the police to accept the application.
2. When you collect the residence card. From that day you have 3 working days to take out health insurance (§111(1)(d)). This applies to every purpose of stay: work, study, business, family reunification and the others.
3. Within 30 days: only some purposes. If your temporary residence is for business, a special activity, research and development or family reunification, or you are a long-term resident of another EU country, you also hand the proof of insurance to the police within 30 days of collecting the residence card (§32(9)). If you were already insured when you applied, you can attach it to the application instead. Employees and students do not hand it in.
4. When you renew. An application to renew temporary residence needs a document not older than 90 days proving that you are health insured during the stay (§34(3)(c)). Residence for employment and for study is exempt.
5. At any time. At a residence check you must be able to show that you are insured, so keep the insurance valid for your whole stay.
One more deadline: you report the beginning of your stay to the police within 3 working days of arriving in Slovakia (§111(2)).
What counts as proof
The law asks for a confirmation in your name that you are health insured in Slovakia or that the cost of your treatment in Slovakia is insured (§123). It sets no minimum cover, sum insured or insurer licence, so emergency-only insurance is enough: is emergency-only insurance enough?
Who does not need commercial insurance
People in Slovak public health insurance use it instead, for example:
- ·permanent residents,
- ·employees of an employer based in Slovakia earning at least the minimum wage,
- ·self-employed people with a residence permit,
- ·holders of a scholarship that meets the legal conditions.
Everyone else needs commercial health insurance for foreigners, typically students, family members on family reunification, company directors without permanent residence and researchers.
How to be insured in time
- ·Choose Simple or Safety and the start date on klido.sk, today at the earliest. Simple takes about 5 minutes and needs no health questionnaire under 60.
- ·Sign online and pay by card through the link in Union's e-mail; a card payment goes through at once.
- ·Union e-mails the confirmation for the Foreign Police after payment. You will also find it in your klido account.
The confirmation comes only after payment, so do not leave it to the last day of the deadline.
Simple costs €34 for 1 month, €100 for 3 months, €193 for 6 months and €327 for 12 months (ages 6 to 59, paid once). Safety starts from €569.40 for 12 months, after a short health questionnaire.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the fine for not having health insurance? Up to €1,600 under the Act on the Residence of Foreigners (§118).
I collected my residence card two days ago. Is it too late? If 3 working days have not passed yet, you are still in time. Choose today as the start date and pay by card straight away.
Do I need insurance before I apply? No, it is not attached to a first application for temporary residence. You need it within 3 working days of collecting the residence card.
I work for a Slovak company. Do I hand proof in to the police? No. Employment is not among the purposes that hand proof in within 30 days, and an employee earning at least the minimum wage is in public health insurance.
Which insurance document do I need for a renewal? A document not older than 90 days proving that you are insured during the stay. Residence for employment and for study does not need it.
More on the documents the police accept: health insurance accepted by the Foreign Police. The whole procedure: residence permit guide.
