Status of foreign citizens in relation to compulsory medical insurance in the Russian Federation
The stay of foreigners in our country is regulated by Federal Law No. 115 of July 25, 2002, which imposes certain features on the procedure for exercising their rights and obligations in the Russian Federation. So, all foreigners are divided into 4 categories:
- permanent residents;
- temporary residents;
- employed;
- unemployed.
All permanently residing (not to be confused with residence!) foreigners and stateless persons, according to clause 31.1 of the Rules, the compulsory medical insurance policy is issued exclusively in paper format, and its validity period expires on December 31 of the current year.
For those with a temporary residence permit, health insurance is valid for the same period as the permit, but not longer than December 31 of the current year.
Refugees can also receive a paper compulsory medical insurance policy. It is valid for the same period as for foreigners, unless the person's period of stay expires before December 31 of the current year.
Employed citizens of member states of the EAEU (Eurasian Union) are issued free medical insurance for the duration of the employment contract, but also only until the end of the year - no longer.
After the expiration of the validity period of the form in hand, the person remaining in the country again contacts the insurer’s office, presenting documents confirming the legality of his stay in the Russian Federation. If a foreigner leaves the country or the conditions of his stay change, he is obliged to notify the insurer within 1 month.
How do employed foreigners receive insurance?
When a foreigner has a work permit on a general basis (a temporary residence permit has been issued, or a residence permit has been issued, or refugee status has been confirmed), then the employer pays insurance premiums for him. This is done like this:
procedure for employed people
- The Federal Migration Service (FMS) issues a foreigner a work permit with a precise validity period, or, when applying for a residence permit, an unlimited permit.
- The employer must have permission to hire foreigners. He submits information about foreign employees to the insurance company operating in the compulsory medical insurance system.
- The insurer, after receiving information from the employer, issues temporary policies within 1-3 days, and after 30 days - permanent ones, the validity period of which is equal to the validity period of the employment contract. If necessary, the insured person presents either a temporary or permanent document at the clinic.
Important: upon dismissal, a foreign employee is required to hand over a policy (any) to his employer, since the form is a strictly accountable document.
You can do otherwise and get a labor patent. In this case, the foreigner first draws up a VHI agreement, and then submits it to the Federal Migration Service for the issuance of a patent.
In this case, upon further employment, the employer will not pay standard mandatory insurance premiums for such an employee. You can choose the insurance company and paid package of services at your discretion.
A starter package within the framework of voluntary health insurance (VHI) will cost 1,500 rubles. This is enough for a patent to be issued. However, the list of services included in this package is quite limited.
Otherwise, foreign individual entrepreneurs take out a policy. They must be insured in the compulsory medical insurance system. The standard procedure is as follows:
procedure for foreigners-individual entrepreneurs
- Register with the territorial compulsory medical insurance fund as a payer of compulsory insurance contributions.
- Sign an agreement with the compulsory medical insurance at the place of registration.
- Obtain a compulsory health insurance policy from the selected insurance company.
Foreigners who have received a residence permit, as well as their minor children, receive exactly the same compulsory medical insurance policy as citizens of the Russian Federation, that is, without a validity period (indefinite).
procedure if you have a residence permit
- Select an insurance company at the place of registration and submit an application to it in person or through the website electronically.
- Confirm your right of residence and submit other documents.
- Get a temporary policy, and after 30 days - a permanent one.
Exactly the same procedure applies to unemployed foreigners. Lack of employment does not deprive them of the right to receive free medical care.
Why do foreigners need insurance?
As already noted, VHI for foreign citizens confirms the right of a foreign citizen to stay in the Russian Federation.
The issued insurance gives foreigners the right to go to a medical institution on the territory of the Russian Federation and receive free medical care.
The very volume of medical care provided directly depends on the foreign citizen’s policy, in particular on the amount specified in it for which the foreigner is insured.
Please note that the cost of insurance has increased recently. Thus, from May 1, 2021, the minimum cost of the insurance amount for foreigners is 100,000 rubles.
To obtain insurance, a foreigner will need to submit to the insurance company:
- a copy of your passport or other identity document;
- a copy of the migration card.
To get insurance, a foreigner needs to contact one of the companies where you can get VHI for foreign citizens. There are enough such companies in the insurance market.
Insurance is not a cheap pleasure for foreigners, and therefore in practice it is common for the employer to pay for it at his own expense or with subsequent reimbursement of costs from the foreign employee’s salary.
However, foreign citizens from EAEU member countries who are officially employed and legally working in the Russian Federation since January 1, 2021, can take out compulsory health insurance policies completely free of charge.
This means that citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan who officially work in the Russian Federation have the right to contact an insurance company to apply for a compulsory health insurance policy.
Foreign citizens from EAEU member countries who work under civil contracts rather than labor contracts cannot count on free medical care. The validity period of the compulsory medical insurance policy for working citizens of the EAEU is until the end of the calendar year, but not longer than the validity period of the concluded employment contract.
What documents are needed
Both during the initial registration of insurance and when changing the insurer, any applicant provides his personal data. This is done every time, for whatever reason a person applies: initial registration, issuance of a duplicate, replacement of a temporary policy with a permanent one, etc.
Such information includes: full name, gender, date and place of birth, citizenship, if any - SNILS number, address of actual stay, registration.
Foreigners permanently residing in the Russian Federation represent:
- Passport.
- Residence permit.
- If available - SNILS.
Temporary residents of the Russian Federation represent:
- Passport.
- Temporary residence permit.
- SNILS - if available.
Important: all documents are submitted together with official notarized translations into Russian. Such a translation can be made at a translation agency, and documents are certified at notary offices (a paid service).
Similar to citizens of the Russian Federation, foreigners can only have 1 compulsory medical insurance policy. This must be checked when submitting an application to the insurer.
If the fact of previous registration of insurance is revealed, the applicant will be denied. If a document is lost (theft, damage, etc.), you must contact the same office where the original was issued and submit an application to have a duplicate made.
Registration of VHI medical insurance for employees from Uzbekistan
The minimum list of VHI services is established by the Russian Ministry of Health and provides for the provision of primary health care and specialized emergency medical care to workers. Quote from Federal Law No. 409 of December 1, 2014 “On introducing changes into the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and Article 13 of the Federal Law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” related to the specifics of regulating the labor of workers who are foreign citizens or stateless persons”:
Art. 327, part 3, Federal Law No. 409
Documents presented by a foreign citizen or stateless person when applying for a job: “... a contract (policy) of voluntary health insurance, valid on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The voluntary health insurance contract (policy) must ensure the provision of primary health care and specialized medical care to such an employee in an emergency manner.”
An employee from Uzbekistan has the right to choose an insurance program at his own discretion, as well as establish the insurance amount and the volume of medical services that he will receive upon the occurrence of an insured event.
The cheapest insurance program does not provide payment for dental care and treatment of sudden illnesses (ARVI, influenza, sore throat, gastrointestinal diseases, heart attacks, etc.). If you are planning a long-term stay in the Russian Federation (more than 15 days), it is recommended to choose tariff plans that cover the relevant risks.
Where to get insurance
A foreigner can obtain a policy himself, or his employer can do it for him. Each document issued in accordance with the Rules is registered with the territorial compulsory medical insurance body. There are a total of 86 such units in the country.
You can find out where you can find yours on the MHIF website; the information is publicly available and can be found on our website on this page.
Insurance companies issue compulsory medical insurance.
You can choose any one in your locality. There are no restrictions.
All issued policies are absolutely identical and have no differences. You can contact them at any medical institution operating in the public health care system.
Medical care (except for emergency and urgent cases) is provided to the patient only after registration at a medical institution (issuance of an outpatient card) in the established order of priority (by appointment).
What to do if you only have a temporary residence permit?
If you only have a temporary residence permit with a limited validity period, a foreign citizen in the Russian Federation can also take out a medical insurance policy, however, the Rules in this regard allow the following:
procedure if you have a temporary residence permit (TRP)
- Medical care in emergency cases is provided free of charge even without a policy.
- You can buy voluntary health insurance.
- You can get the necessary medical care without any insurance, but only for a fee.
When issuing a temporary residence permit, the policy is valid for exactly the same period as the permit itself. The insurance procedure is standard.
Registration of a compulsory medical insurance policy is always carried out at the place of residence. Although the document itself does not contain any information about the address of the insured person, this information is assigned to each insurance issued in hand in the MHIF electronic database.
According to the latest innovations, the insured person can move freely from one region to another, notifying the Federal Migration Service about this. In this case, you will not have to re-insure.
However, it is necessary to notify the insurer of your departure for a long time. If there is no office of this company at the point of arrival, upon arrival you need to contact a branch of any other insurer.
Important: the minimum list of medical services provided under compulsory medical insurance is the same in each region. But local (territorial) lists can be much wider. You can check this information at your local MHIF office.
Is it necessary for an employee from Uzbekistan to have a voluntary health insurance policy to work in Russia?
VHI insurance is required for all foreign citizens entering the territory of the Russian Federation. This is a mandatory condition and does not depend on the intended purposes and timing of the trip.
Federal Law of the Russian Federation dated August 15, 1996 No. 114-FZ “On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation” obliges every citizen of Uzbekistan, his children and relatives entering with him, to take out a VHI policy for the entire period of stay on the territory of the Russian Federation. Federations:
Quote from Art. No. 27, 114-FZ
“Entry into the Russian Federation by a foreign citizen or stateless person is not permitted if: clause 5) the foreign citizen or stateless person has not presented a health insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation.”
A VHI medical policy allows an employee from Uzbekistan to receive full medical care in the region of his residence and regardless of the social status of the holder of the VHI policy or the availability of employment.
How much does health insurance cost?
In all regions of the Russian Federation, without exception, the issuance of compulsory medical insurance policies for all categories of insured persons is free of charge. Only VHI insurance is available for a fee, the prices of which vary within quite significant limits. According to statistics, the minimum cost of voluntary health insurance is 1,500 rubles.
When choosing a voluntary health insurance program, it is important to pay attention to the list of services included in the scope of this insurance, as well as the list of medical institutions attached to it that accept this policy.
Unlike compulsory medical insurance, voluntary insurance is not required to be accepted by all medical institutions without exception.
