Hi everyone, my name is Stanislav Tsys, this is the OnlineTeam project, and our section where we talk about everything related to doing business and living in Poland. Today I want to talk about insurance.
Right away, I’ll say this — if you found this video hoping to get visa insurance for Poland by purchasing it in Ukraine or another country, this video is not quite about that. This video is about how the insurance world works in Poland.
I’ll tell you a little about our personal situation, our experience, and the experience of our friends and colleagues. This video will be interesting and useful for those who are already living here or planning to live here — for those who want to get a residence permit (karta pobytu) and arrange proper insurance.
Who Needs Insurance in Poland?
You may need insurance in Poland in the following cases:
- You want to apply for a residence card (karta pobytu) — it’s always required for that.
- You simply want to have health insurance — it’s a normal practice for you.
- Your employer, educational institution, or another organization requires it.
Let’s start with the first point — the residence card. We recently got insurance specifically for the residence card. Before that, we didn’t need it due to personal reasons. I’m not planning to insure my health because, personally, I don’t expect anything to happen to me.
But that’s just my personal stance — and it’s quite debatable. If you agree or disagree with me, feel free to leave a comment under this video. Let me know if you agree with the idea that there’s no point taking a parachute on a plane if you’re not planning to fall — and that there’s no need for insurance if you believe you’ll be fine. I’d love to hear your opinion.
Back to the topic. We got insurance for the karta pobytu, and it’s a completely valid and common option. Just remember that insurance is mandatory when applying for your first residence card, so you’ll need to get it one way or another.
You can either get insurance in Poland or bring one from Ukraine or another CIS country. However, in that case, you’ll need to have the insurance translated into Polish to verify that it’s valid and recognized.
Just a heads-up — I got insured here for 100 zloty for six months. If you’re under 25 (and I am), you can get this insurance for 100 zloty. If you’re older, it might cost around 120 zloty. But again, this insurance is just for the sake of having it — just a checkmark on paper.
Let me tell you about some nuances regarding this.
My Personal Healthcare Experience in Poland
The idea to make this video came after I thought: “What would I have done if I didn’t have insurance — or if I did?”
Here’s what happened: I was playing basketball with some guys and twisted my ankle badly. I couldn’t walk for almost a month — it hurt so much that I was ready to do anything to ease the pain. So the first thing we did was get in the car and go to the nearest clinic.
When we arrived and went to the reception, the first question they asked was: “Do you have insurance?”
We said, “No.”
They looked at us like we were from Mars. Personally, I had never insured my health before. Probably for many of you watching this, it’s also normal not to have insurance. In our country, insurance isn’t common — people don’t believe in it, and it’s expensive. But in Poland, it’s a completely different story — insurance is a must here.
Here’s how our conversation with the medical staff went:
Medical staff: Do you work anywhere?
Us: No.
Medical staff: Do you run a business?
Us: Yes.
Medical staff: Then you should have business-based insurance.
Us: No, we don’t pay ZUS (Polish social security contributions).
In the end, we went through the whole process without insurance.
Let’s talk about the costs: I had a primary check-up, which I waited three hours for in line. Then they told me I needed an X-ray. I got an X-ray of both legs (so they could compare the injured leg to the healthy one). Then they gave me a diagnosis — a second-degree sprain — and put a cast on. After four hours, I left the hospital with a cast and a very swollen leg.
They also gave me a quick 3-minute consultation and quietly mentioned which pills and meds I should buy.
Later we realized that much of what they said wasn’t really necessary, so we managed without most of it. That was my experience — that’s how everything happened. Afterward, I realized that if I had insurance, it would have probably covered everything.
I paid around $100 in total. They charged me for everything — even for the CD with my X-ray images. They really included every little thing in the final bill. If I had insurance, I probably wouldn’t have paid anything at all.
