Health Insurance in Ukraine: A Guide for Foreign Workers

Ukraine has reformed its healthcare since 2017 around the principle that money follows the patient, funding a guaranteed package of services from the state budget rather than the old Soviet model. For Ukrainian citizens and permanent residents, a defined list of care is provided without direct payment; for other foreigners, most care is paid for and depends on residence status. This guide explains how the system works, what it covers, what it costs, and what foreign workers and professional drivers need, including how coverage ties in with residence status. It is also written plainly about the wider situation: Ukraine has been at war since 2022, and that has placed the health system under severe strain, with services affected and some areas inaccessible. Ukraine is not in the European Union, though it is a candidate, and it does not use the euro; its currency is the hryvnia.

The short version: the system is run by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), which acts as a single national purchaser, contracting hospitals and paying for care from the state budget under the Program of Medical Guarantees. Care starts with signing a declaration with a family doctor. There is no separate compulsory insurance contribution — it is tax-funded. Foreigners are not entitled to all of it by default, must hold insurance for residence and entry, and often mix public and private care, with the war an unavoidable backdrop.

How health insurance in Ukraine works

Ukraine uses a tax-funded model reshaped by a financing reform that took effect in 2018. The National Health Service of Ukraine is the central body that implements the state’s financial guarantees: it acts as a single national purchaser, concluding contracts with hospitals and paying them from the state budget under the Program of Medical Guarantees, while owning no facilities itself — a deliberate separation of purchaser and provider. The programme is a defined list and scope of services, medicines and devices the state pays for at uniform tariffs, built on the principles of universality and extraterritoriality, meaning a person can receive the guaranteed services at any contracted hospital regardless of where they are registered. Care starts in primary care: you sign a declaration with a family doctor, who is your gateway and refers you onward through an electronic system, with electronic prescriptions and a national digital health record.

The types of cover you will come across.

A few kinds of cover sit side by side in Ukraine. The state-guaranteed package, purchased by the National Health Service, is the public layer — broad for citizens and permanent residents, but not extended to all foreigners by default. Voluntary private health insurance, sometimes offered by employers, gives access to private clinics and broader cover. International health insurance covers you inside Ukraine and abroad and is the usual choice for expats, often including medical evacuation. Travel and entry insurance is a mandatory document for entering Ukraine. Because Ukraine is not in the European Union, the European Health Insurance Card does not apply here. Hence, foreigners rely on private and international cover, or pay directly, except in emergencies. Given the war, cover that includes evacuation and accounts for the security situation is worth particular attention.

Who actually needs health insurance?

Eligibility for the public system is based on legal residency: Ukrainian citizens and permanent residents are entitled to the guaranteed package without direct payment, and internally displaced people can access services across the country. For other foreigners, the picture is different—medical care is mostly paid, depends on residence status, and foreigners are not eligible for all state-funded services by default. Temporary and permanent residents are required to obtain compulsory medical insurance for their residence, and a medical insurance policy is a mandatory document to enter Ukraine. Employers sometimes provide voluntary private cover. Emergency care is provided to everyone regardless of citizenship or status, though a foreigner given emergency care under the state programme must reimburse the state for the cost. The clearest message for a newcomer is to arrange insurance before arrival and confirm what your residence status entitles you to.

What the public system covers

For those entitled, the Program of Medical Guarantees covers a wide range: primary care through your family doctor, specialist and highly specialised care on referral, emergency care, hospital treatment, palliative care, medical rehabilitation, childbirth and cancer detection, with the package updated and expanded each year. A reimbursement scheme for affordable medicines provides certain prescriptions — for cardiovascular conditions, diabetes and insulin among others — free or with a co-payment via electronic prescription. The programme does not promise that everything is free, but guarantees a defined list within the budget. In practice, out-of-pocket payments still make up around half of total health spending, and since the start of 2025 state and municipal institutions may charge for some services, by transparent bank transfer. Above all, the war has placed the system under severe strain, with wartime outages affecting availability in many places.

What it costs

There is no separate compulsory insurance contribution — the public package is funded from the state budget through general taxation. Hence, for citizens and permanent residents, the guaranteed services carry no direct charge. For foreigners, however, most care is paid for: a visit to a general practitioner is modest, while specialist consultations and procedures cost more, and private clinics set their own prices, which vary widely. The realistic cost for a foreign worker is the private or international insurance needed for residence and entry, which depends on age, benefits and whether it includes military-risk and evacuation cover. All amounts are in Ukrainian hryvnia, since the country does not use the euro. Budget for comprehensive cover rather than a minimal policy, given the limits on public entitlement for foreigners and the security situation.

Why do most foreign workers add private cover?

For foreigners, private or international cover is close to essential, since the public package is not extended to them in full and most care is paid. Beyond eligibility, expats choose private clinics — concentrated in Kyiv and the larger cities — for faster service, comfort and English-speaking staff, and Ukraine has a developed private dental and cosmetic sector. International plans add treatment abroad and, importantly in the current circumstances, medical evacuation. When you compare policies, look at what is covered for a hospital stay, the outpatient and dental limits, any waiting periods, whether pre-existing conditions are excluded, and crucially whether the policy covers military risks and evacuation given the war. Standard travel policies may exclude conflict-related risks, so read the terms carefully and consider an extended policy designed for the situation.

Health insurance for your residence permit

Insurance is built into both entry and residence. A medical insurance policy is a mandatory document for entering Ukraine, and obtaining a temporary residence permit requires compulsory medical insurance alongside the rest of the application; permanent residents face the same requirement. The State Migration Service of Ukraine handles residence and migration. The wider context cannot be set aside: the country is under martial law, with curfews that vary by region, and large areas affected by the war are not accessible for normal residence processes. National governments routinely list occupied and active-conflict areas as entry-prohibited. Because the rules and the security situation can change quickly, always confirm the current requirements with the State Migration Service and check up-to-date official travel guidance before you act, and make sure your insurance is valid and appropriate to the circumstances.

Health insurance for truck and transport drivers

Professional drivers carry more health risks than most workers — long hours at the wheel, time away from home and the constant risk of a road accident — and in Ukraine these are compounded by the war. Ukraine is a large country and an important transit corridor, and since 2022 cross-border freight with the European Union has shifted heavily towards the western land routes through Lviv and the Polish, Slovak, Hungarian and Romanian borders, while the east and south are most affected by the conflict. Because the European Health Insurance Card does not apply, cross-border and comprehensive private cover matters: check on-road emergency cover along the routes you actually drive, accident and injury cover including hospitalisation and rehabilitation, evacuation, and crucially whether military risks are covered. Treat occupied and active-conflict areas as off-limits, and follow official guidance closely.

Using your insurance day to day

Day to day, primary care begins with signing a declaration with a family doctor, your first point of contact, who refers you onward through an electronic referral; you can choose any convenient contracted hospital. Electronic services let you find a contracted hospital or pharmacy and use electronic prescriptions, including for the affordable-medicines scheme. For foreigners, much of this care is paid, so private clinics — faster and more often English-speaking — are the common choice in the larger cities. In an emergency, call 103 for an ambulance, or 112; emergency care is provided to everyone, though foreigners reimburse the state for it. Ukrainian is the language of the public system, with English far more available in private clinics in Kyiv and other cities. Throughout, the practical reality of wartime conditions — outages, curfews and regional restrictions — shapes access to care.

Choosing a private insurer

For private or international cover in Ukraine, the most important checks depend on your circumstances. Confirm that the policy covers military risks and includes medical evacuation, since standard travel policies often exclude conflict-related risks. Check that the insurer or provider operates in Ukraine, and review the benefits for a hospital stay, outpatient and dental limits, waiting periods, and exclusions, since pre-existing conditions are the usual gap. Make sure any policy you rely on for residence or entry meets the official requirements. Keep your cover and emergency contacts to hand, and follow current official travel guidance. We do not recommend any particular insurer; the aim here is honest, unbiased information so you can choose well in a difficult and changing situation.

For professional drivers in Ukraine

If you are working as a driver connected to Ukraine, arrange comprehensive insurance that covers military risks and evacuation, confirm what your residence status entitles you to, and follow official guidance on which areas are accessible. Every employer on our platform is expected to comply with Ukrainian law, but the security situation makes up-to-date official advice essential before you travel.

• Browse driver vacancies in Ukraine.
• Register a driver profile.
• For employers — guidance on employment package requirements

Health insurance by Ukrainian region

Ukraine is divided into 24 regions (oblasts) plus the capital city of Kyiv, which has special status. Occupied Crimea and Sevastopol are not listed. Each region has its own page with the local details for this topic.

Cherkasy Oblast

Cherkasy Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Cherkasy Oblast.

Chernihiv Oblast

Chernihiv Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Chernihiv Oblast.

Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Chernivtsi Oblast.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Donetsk Oblast

Donetsk Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Donetsk Oblast.

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Kharkiv Oblast

Kharkiv Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Kharkiv Oblast.

Kherson Oblast

Kherson Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Kherson Oblast.

Khmelnytskyi Oblast

Khmelnytskyi Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

Kirovohrad Oblast

Kirovohrad Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Kirovohrad Oblast.

Kyiv Oblast

Kyiv Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Kyiv Oblast.

Luhansk Oblast

Luhansk Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Luhansk Oblast.

Lviv Oblast

Lviv Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Lviv Oblast.

Mykolaiv Oblast

Mykolaiv Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Mykolaiv Oblast.

Odesa Oblast

Odesa Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Odesa Oblast.

Poltava Oblast

Poltava Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Poltava Oblast.

Rivne Oblast

Rivne Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Rivne Oblast.

Sumy Oblast

Sumy Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Sumy Oblast.

Ternopil Oblast

Ternopil Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Ternopil Oblast.

Vinnytsia Oblast

Vinnytsia Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Vinnytsia Oblast.

Volyn Oblast

Volyn Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Volyn Oblast.

Zakarpattia Oblast

Zakarpattia Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Zakarpattia Oblast.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Zaporizhzhia Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Zhytomyr Oblast

Zhytomyr Oblast is a region of Ukraine. Driver jobs in Zhytomyr Oblast.

Kyiv

Kyiv is the capital city of Ukraine and has special administrative status. Driver jobs in Kyiv.

Related guides

• Health insurance in Europe — overview
• Ukraine residence permit guide
• Ukrainian citizenship guide

Official government sources

• National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) — the medical guarantees programme.
• Ministry of Health of Ukraine — health policy.
• State Migration Service of Ukraine — residence permits.
• Diia — the government services portal.
• National Bank of Ukraine — currency and the hryvnia.

Information only — not legal, medical or insurance advice. Rules, covered services and the security situation can change quickly. Always confirm current details with the official Ukrainian authorities above, and check up-to-date official travel guidance, before you act.