Voluntary insurance
If you do not belong to any group of insured people, you can sign a voluntary insurance contract with the Health Insurance Fund and pay insurance premiums yourself. To enter into a contract with the Health Insurance Fund, two conditions must be met.
You have to be a permanent resident of Estonia or a person residing in Estonia on the basis of a temporary residence permit or the right of residence, and you have to have been insured for at least 12 months over a two-year period prior signing the contract, through:
- an employer,
- state,
- as a pupil or a student,
- as a sole proprietor or their spouse participating in their activities,
- as a notary, a sworn translator or a bailiff registered with the Tax and Customs Board.
The said insured persons may sign a voluntary insurance contract also to insure their dependents. A dependent must be a permanent resident of Estonia or a person residing in Estonia since a temporary residence permit or the right of residence.
The persons qualifying for the signature of the contract are those, who have paid social tax or for whom social tax has been paid during the preceding calendar year. Social tax must have been paid at least twelve times calculated based on minimum monthly rate of social tax. In 2022, the social tax monthly rate was 584 euros, and thus, the monthly minimum social tax liability was 192,72 euros. This means that if you want to sign a voluntary insurance contract in 2023, the social tax received for you in 2022 must be at least 12 x 192,72 euros, i.e. a total of 2312,64 euros.
Persons receiving pension from a foreign country also qualify for the signature of the contract, unless otherwise provided for by international agreements.
Insurance premium amount
Insurance premium equals to the average gross monthly salary of preceding calendar year (published by Statistics Estonia) multiplied by 0.13. The amount of premium changes annually after Statistics Estonia has published the average gross monthly salary of the previous calendar year.
The amount of the insurance premium for one calendar month is 201.20 euros, the quarterly premium is 603.60 euros and the annual premium is 2414.40 euros. Insurance premiums can be paid quarterly or annually. It is not possible to make payments once a month.
From July 1, 2023, the monthly payment of the insurance contract is 219.10 euros, the quarterly payment is 657.30 euros, and the annual payment is 2629.20 euros.
Commencement of health insurance
The insurance cover extends to the person one month after signature of the contract.
If the contract is signed at a time when the person has valid compulsory insurance cover under the Health Insurance Act, the insurance cover shall continue without any interruption.
Termination of health insurance
The insurance cover under a voluntary insurance contract terminates when the contract period expires or when the compulsory insurance cover extends to the person under the Health Insurance Act or when the person becomes a resident of a foreign country. The insured person has the right to terminate the contract for good cause.
If a person does not pay the insurance premium by the due date and has failed to pay the amount also within additional period granted, the Health Insurance Fund has the right to terminate the contract unilaterally.
If the contract is cancelled prematurely and the insured person has had insurance cover until the termination, he or she is obliged to pay the insurance premiums until the contract expires.
In the event of premature termination of the contract, the Health Insurance Fund will recover the prepaid insurance premiums to the current account indicated in the contract application.
You can sign a contract: via e-mail, by sending a digitally signed application to the EHIF customer service office at the EHIF customer service office.