Health Insurance for Students in Poland: EHIC, NFZ Contract, Costs

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Poland has a public health system run by the National Health Fund (NFZ). What you need depends on where you are from. EU and EEA students use their home coverage, while many non-EU students either sign a voluntary contract with the NFZ or buy private insurance. This guide reflects the NFZ and Study in Poland pages in October 2026. For a Europe-wide view, see health insurance for students in Europe.

EU and EEA students

If you are insured in another EU or EFTA country, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you access to medically necessary, state-funded care in Poland under the same conditions and at the same cost as for Polish residents. Study in Poland, the official portal for international students, adds that the card does not cover private healthcare, planned treatment or every healthcare-related expense.

The NFZ also says that you cannot join its voluntary scheme if a public health system of an EU or EFTA country already covers you. Keep your home insurance active for the whole degree and check with your home insurer what the card covers.

Non-EU students

Study in Poland tells non-EU students to make sure they have adequate cover for the whole stay. Depending on your situation this can be private or international insurance, or the Polish public system. Two situations matter most:

Before you arrive. The visa and the residence permit both ask for insurance. See student visa for Poland for what the consulate and the voivodeship office require.
After you arrive. Eligible students can conclude a voluntary insurance contract with the NFZ, which gives access to NFZ-funded care at contracted facilities.

Voluntary insurance is not open to everyone. The NFZ excludes people who are already subject to mandatory insurance, for example through employment, and family members of an insured person. If you are unsure which group you belong to, ask the regional NFZ branch before you pay anything.

What the voluntary NFZ contract costs

For foreign students from outside the EU and EFTA, the NFZ applies a reduced contribution base of 620 zł, which gives a contribution of 55.80 zł a month (the NFZ says this has applied since November 2018). The general voluntary rate is far higher: the NFZ gives a minimum of 845.67 zł a month for July to September 2026, so make sure you are signed up under the student rules and not the general ones.

The contribution is monthly and indivisible: you pay the full amount for any month of cover, even a partial one.
It is due by the 20th day of the following month, paid to a ZUS account after you obtain an individual account number.
Students cannot register family members.

The NFZ also charges an additional fee to people who return to the system after a gap in cover. Foreign students and doctoral students studying in Poland who do not hold EU or EFTA citizenship or residence rights are exempt from it.

How to sign up

Gather your documents. For a foreign student the NFZ lists a passport copy with the photo covered, a copy of your visa or residence card, a student status certificate from your university valid for 30 days, and proof that you live in Poland, such as a rental contract or a dormitory certificate.
Submit the application with its declaration, in two copies, to the regional NFZ branch for your place of residence, in person, by post or through e-Doreczenia.
Sign the contract you receive.
After signing, submit the ZUS ZZA form with insurance code 24 10 XX and then file the monthly ZUS DRA declaration with your payment.

Cover starts on the date in the contract, never earlier than the day you submit the application, so apply soon after you arrive. Entitlement to services lasts until 30 days after the contract ends. The contract ends if you terminate it or if you leave contributions unpaid for a month. The NFZ gives its free information line as 800 190 590, open at all hours.

What you get

The contract covers publicly financed health services on the same terms as for other insured people, and the NFZ says it also entitles you to an EHIC issued in Poland. Study in Poland suggests that students consider extra private health or accident cover for services and costs that the public system does not include. Comparing a private plan with the NFZ contract is sensible: check what each covers, how fast you can see a specialist and which language the clinic works in.

Practical tips

Pay on time. Cover ends after one month of unbroken unpaid contributions.
If you plan to stay after graduating, health insurance is also a condition for the one-time job-search permit. See working after graduation in Poland.
Request the student status certificate only when you are ready to apply, because it is valid for 30 days.

Where to look next

Official sources

NFZ: voluntary health insurance (in Polish)
Study in Poland: health insurance

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.