--- title: "Health insurance (NFZ) for foreigners in Poland | MyPermit.pl" description: "How foreigners get health insurance in Poland: automatic through an employer or business, or voluntary with NFZ at 9% of the declared base. Conditions…" lang: en url: https://mypermit.pl/en/guides/health-insurance-nfz-for-foreigners.html --- [Home](https://mypermit.pl/en/) › [Guides](https://mypermit.pl/en/guides/) › Health insurance (NFZ) # Health insurance (NFZ) for foreigners in Poland: employed or voluntary By [Małgorzata](https://mypermit.pl/en/about.html) · Published 25 Oct 2026 · Updated 25 Oct 2026 If you work in Poland under an employment or civil-law contract, or run a business, you are insured compulsorily and the payer registers you. If you have no such title, a non-EU foreigner may insure voluntarily with the National Health Fund (NFZ) by a written application, but only if you live in Poland. The monthly contribution is 9% of the declared base, which cannot be lower than the average wage. **Short answer.**Voluntary insurance is costly (a minimum base equal to the average enterprise-sector wage) and starts only after you sign the agreement with NFZ. A gap of 3 months or more adds a one-off fee. **On this page**1. [Who is insured automatically](#who) 2. [Voluntary insurance with NFZ](#vol) 3. [Cost](#cost) 4. [Fee after a gap in insurance](#fee) 5. [What to bring](#docs) 6. [Students and other special groups](#students) 7. [Where we help](#help) 8. [Step by step](#steps) ## Who is insured automatically - People working under an employment contract, a contract of mandate or a similar service contract, and people running a non-agricultural business, are subject to compulsory health insurance (art. 66(1) of the health act). - The employer or client registers you with ZUS; you do not apply to NFZ. See the [ZUS guide](https://mypermit.pl/en/guides/zus-social-insurance-for-foreigners.html). - Family members (spouse, children) can be registered by the insured person. Registering them is done on the ZUS form. ## Voluntary insurance with NFZ - A person who is not covered by compulsory insurance may insure voluntarily, on a written application to NFZ, if they have their place of residence in Poland (art. 68(1)). - Non-EU/EFTA foreigners other than students must make their place of residence in Poland probable. NFZ accepts, among others, a residence card or a decision granting temporary or permanent residence (not a permit on the basis of art. 181 of the Act on Foreigners). - Cover starts on the day set in the agreement and ends 30 days after the agreement ends. It ends earlier, on the day the agreement ends, if you are over a month in arrears with contributions (art. 68(5)). ## Cost - The contribution is 9% of the base (art. 79). For voluntary insurance the base is the declared monthly income, but not less than the average enterprise-sector wage. - NFZ updates the minimum every quarter. For July to September 2026 it was at least 845.67 zł per month. Check the current amount on the NFZ website. - The contribution is monthly and indivisible: you pay in full for any month you were insured, even part of it, by the 20th of the following month. ## Fee after a gap in insurance If you were not insured for 3 months or longer, NFZ charges a one-off fee before you sign the agreement: 20% of the base for a gap of 3 months to a year, 50% for over 1 to 2 years, 100% for over 2 to 5 years, 150% for over 5 to 10 years and 200% for over 10 years (art. 68(7)–(8)). Time spent on a foreign ship is not counted for seamen. Check with NFZ how your own gap is assessed. ## What to bring - An identity document (or a copy if you send the application by post or e-mail). - The application for voluntary insurance with the declaration, in two copies, and form ZUS ZZA (and ZUS ZCNA for family members). - For a non-EU foreigner who is not a student: documents making your residence in Poland probable, such as a residence card or decision. - A document that proves your last insurance period, if NFZ has no data (for example an employment certificate). ## Students and other special groups NFZ lists special rules for non-EU students, doctoral students, graduates doing a mandatory internship, members of religious orders and people on Polish-language courses: they can insure on a reduced base and show a certificate from the school instead. Ask NFZ for the current amount. ## Where we help We explain which route fits your situation and prepare the documents. You sign the application and the agreement yourself, and NFZ decides. ## Step by step 1. Check whether your employer, client or business already insures you. 2. If not, confirm you live in Poland and have a residence document. 3. Prepare the application, the ZUS form and identity documents. 4. File them at the voivodeship branch of NFZ and pay any one-off fee first. 5. Pay the contribution by the 20th of each following month. **Not legal advice**This guide explains formalities. It is not legal advice from an attorney and does not replace the official instructions on gov.pl. ## Sources - [nfz.gov.pl: NFZ: how to take out voluntary health insurance](https://www.nfz.gov.pl/dla-pacjenta/ubezpieczenia-w-nfz/jak-sie-ubezpieczyc-dobrowolnie/) - [Dziennik Ustaw: Act on health care services financed from public funds (consolidated text 2025)](https://dziennikustaw.gov.pl/DU/2025/1461) - Legal basis: Act on health care services financed from public funds art. 66–68, 79 (Dz.U. 2025 item 1461); NFZ guidance on voluntary insurance Facts checked against the official MOS portal on 25 Oct 2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the source before you act. **Need help with this?**[Book a consultation](https://mypermit.pl/en/contact.html) --- Source: https://mypermit.pl/en/guides/health-insurance-nfz-for-foreigners.html MyPermit.pl helps with formalities and is not a law firm. This is not legal advice.