Health insurance as a residence condition
A key piece of a Bulgarian residence file is proof of health insurance. The requirement is not health advice but an administrative condition: the authority wants to see that health costs during your stay are covered. This page explains only that condition and how access to the system works — it contains no medical guidance of any kind.
Visas and residence · Last reviewed: 2026-10-10
This is not legal or financial advice
The logic behind the requirement
Residence rules require health costs to be covered for the period of stay. On some grounds this is achieved through inclusion in the statutory system; on others, through a valid private policy. Which route is accepted depends on the category you apply under, so there is no single document that works for everyone.
Two different foundations
| Statutory system (НЗОК) | Private policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Rests on | Insurance and contribution duty defined by law | A contract with an insurer |
| Covers | Employees, self-insured persons and other groups listed in law | The person named in the contract |
| Proved by | Insurance status in the revenue and health-fund records | The policy and a cover certificate |
| Administered by | The health-insurance fund and the revenue agency | The insurer and the supervisory authority |
Common mistakes
- Treating travel insurance as satisfying the condition — scope and duration usually do not match.
- A policy whose term does not cover the residence period applied for.
- A document not in Bulgarian, or lacking the required certification chain.
- A gap in statutory insurance status, noticed only at the counter.
- Confusing the European health insurance card with settling permanently; the card serves temporary stays.
How to check your insurance status
Identify your basis
Employee, self-insured, student or family member — your duty within the statutory system follows from that.Run a check
Insurance status is visible through the revenue agency and health-fund records. Any gap should be resolved before filing, not during.Obtain the document in the required form
For the format and language of the document submitted to the migration authority, follow the receiving office's own instructions.
The legal requirement and the 2026 figures
Article 24(2) of the Foreigners Act (ЗЧРБ) requires, for extended residence, secured housing, compulsory health insurance and cover, and sufficient means of subsistence without recourse to social assistance. In the state register of administrative services (ИИСДА), service 238 phrases it in the document list as "compulsory medical insurance valid in Bulgaria, where the person is not insured under the Health Insurance Act (ЗЗО)". In other words, a person insured under ЗЗО is not asked for a separate policy; an uninsured person is.
| Item (2026) | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance contribution | 8% of insurable income | НАП |
| Split for employees | Employer 4.8% · employee 3.2% (60:40) | НАП |
| Self-insured — minimum monthly contribution | 1 Jan–31 Jul 2026: €22.03; 1 Aug–31 Dec 2026: €24.81 | НАП |
| Payment deadline (self-insured) | By the 25th of the month following the month concerned | НАП |
| Loss of rights | If more than 3 monthly contributions are unpaid within 36 months | НАП |
| Restoring rights | Paying all health insurance debts for the last 60 months | НАП |
A person who is not insured on another basis and pays contributions on their own account (Article 40(5) ЗЗО) files declaration form 7 with НАП before starting to pay. Insurance status can be checked through НАП's "Здравноосигурителен статус" e-service. Once you are in the system, choosing a GP is an administrative step: according to НЗОК, a first choice can be made at any time, while a permanent choice can be changed every year from 1 to 30 June and from 1 to 31 December.
No medical information here
Frequently asked questions
As an EU citizen, is my European health insurance card enough?
The card is designed for temporary stays, not for establishing residence. Once you settle and register, the question becomes which statutory or private basis covers you — clarify it before filing rather than after.
I work remotely for a foreign employer — where am I insured?
That depends on the social-security coordination rules and on where the work is performed. Getting this wrong creates both an insurance gap and a contributions problem, so it is worth confirming with the competent institutions early.
Does a private policy replace the statutory system?
As a rule, no. A private policy may satisfy a specific condition in a specific procedure, but it does not cancel a statutory contribution duty where one exists.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the official sources listed below. Legislation changes — open the links and verify the current position.
- Дирекция „Миграция“ — МВР — https://www.mvr.bg/migration · 2026-10-12
- Национална здравноосигурителна каса (НЗОК) — https://www.nhif.bg/ · 2026-08-16
- Национална агенция за приходите (НАП) — https://nra.bg/ · 2026-08-16
- Your Europe — здравеопазване в ЕС — https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/health/index_en.htm · 2026-08-16
- ИИСДА — Разрешаване на продължително пребиваване на чужденци (услуга 238, МВР) — https://iisda.government.bg/adm_services/services/service_provision/21815 · 2026-10-10
- НАП — Размер на осигурителните вноски за здравно осигуряване — https://nra.bg/wps/portal/nra/osiguryavane/zdravno-osiguryavane/razmer-osiguritelni-vnoski · 2026-10-10
- НАП — Възстановяване на здравноосигурителни права — https://nra.bg/wps/portal/nra/osiguryavane/zdravno-osiguryavane/vuzstanovqvane-na-zdravnoosiguritelni-prava · 2026-10-10
- НЗОК — Права и задължения на здравноосигурените лица — https://www.nhif.bg/bg/people/rights · 2026-10-10
Related topics
Bulgaria's compulsory health insurance: who is covered
Who must be insured, when the obligation starts for a foreign resident, what the basic package means and how to verify your status — explained institution by institution.
How health insurance contributions are paid in Bulgaria
The mechanics for employees, the self-insured and those paying on their own account: who declares, where the money goes, what a gap causes and how the abroad exemption works.
Types of Bulgarian residence permit and how they differ
What separates continued, EU long-term and permanent residence? Who decides, how each status is acquired, and the ways it can be lost.
Using the EHIC in Bulgaria
What the European Health Insurance Card opens in Bulgaria, what it does not cover, where the Bulgarian card is issued and what to do if it is refused.