The state covers the health insurance of asylum seekers. When you receive refugee or humanitarian status, you are obliged and personally responsible to pay your monthly health insurance.

When you receive your identity card – of a refugee or a foreigner with humanitarian status, you need to submit a copy of it to the State Agency for Refugees. The Agency will issue a document confirming that your health insurance was paid during the procedure for granting international protection when you had a Personal Number of a Foreigner (PNF). The Agency shall send this document ex officio to an office of the National Revenue Agency at the permanent address. There will be a transfer of the contributions paid by PNF to your new Personal Identification Number (PIN), which you have received upon registration in the municipality of permanent address.

It is important that you carry out the transfer of social security contributions as soon as possible after receiving your personal documents, otherwise if you need medical care, you risk being obliged to pay the social security contributions that were covered during the procedure for granting international protection.

If you do not pay your health insurance regularly, you are not entitled to benefit from the Bulgarian healthcare system (except for emergency medical care, see item 2.3.). You are entitled to receive medical services, but at a much higher price.

• If you are employed under an employment contract, the payment of monthly health insurance is mandatory. They amount to 8% of your salary. Part of the amount is paid by the employer (60%), while the remaining 40% is automatically deducted from your remuneration.
• If you are self-employed or unemployed, you need to pay your monthly social security contributions personally. As of 2019, the monthly installment amounts to BGN 22.40. In order to pay the social security contributions, you must fill in a special declaration and submit it to the regional office of the National Revenue Agency at your permanent or current address.
• If you are registered as an unemployed person with the Employment Office and receive unemployment benefit, your health insurance is covered by the state for the period during which you receive the benefit.
• If you are under the age of 18, a full-time student up to the end of secondary education, but no later than the age of 22, a full-time student up to 26 years of age or pensioners, your health insurance is covered by the state budget.

• You lose your health insurance rights if you do not pay your insurance for more than three months. These rights can be restored after paying the missing contributions. At any time you can check your health insurance status, as well as the value of your outstanding personal obligations for monthly health insurance installments at: nap.bg