Insurance is cheap—in Ukraine. And it’s a requirement for volunteers looking to extend their visa. How cheap is it? I have 3 Ukrainian insurance policies. When it comes to basic insurance coverage for volunteers in Ukraine, There are a few companies that populate from a quick Google search, and they all offer the basics for volunteers needing to fulfill the D10 checkbox. Some popular names are Salamandra, Kirins, and APTECA. They offer a coverage of €30,000 and are valid for one year. Salamandra and Kirins can be conveniently purchased online for approximately 1000 - 1200 UAH / year. It provides essential medical coverage, including hospitalization, emergency services, and repatriation. I purchased APTECA for 956 UAH at the Passport Services office in Lviv when applying for my TRP. The one key detail to pay attention to is your insurance has to cover a year or more from the date of application of your Visa extension. Worth noting–these common insurance providers will generally only cover visits to state hospitals. The ones with long wait times and barely sanitized conditions. To use your insurance coverage, you must present the policy at the time of payment on your visit, and wait a few business days to see if the company will approve it. Private hospitals–while much quicker on making an appointment with you–are not typically covered, but it’s worth trying them here before paying out-of-pocket.
This basic insurance is not military-level–we’ll analyze that next. The common 30,000 Euro policy does not cover “the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk Oblasts and Crimea, as well as territories of armed conflicts, wars, and emergency situations.” So this coverage will vary geographically as the conflict changes. As a policy holder, here are the key incidents to which you are entitled to a payout/bill payment: 1) a sudden acute illness of the Insured or a health disorder that occurred unexpectedly, 2) . death of the Insured Person due to a sudden acute illness or accident, 3) damage during a road accident, breakdown or theft of a car belonging to the Insured Person and on which he traveled in Ukraine, 4) sudden health disorder of the Insured person-driver traveling by motor vehicle, if such disorder is the result of an accident. It seems most any health disorder caused by an accident is covered.
So what do you need to do to use this coverage if you become ill in-country? Call your provider and let them know:
Name, address, department (of the hospital)
a medical statement with an indication of the diagnosis (itemized report, if possible, stating each prescribed treatment)
medical bills for received medical services, prescriptions for medications, which were paid
series and number of the insurance contract, and the period of its validity
To obtain compensation for an insurance accident, you have to contact the insurance company within 24 hours after receiving all required documents confirming the occurrence of the insured event.
I enrolled for a 1 year policy with Kirins before entering Ukraine, but when I reached out to the company via email to extend by a few months for the benefit of my TRP application 90 days later–they were unresponsive. So, in the spirit of expediency, I simply paid for another 1 year policy with APTECA in the Passport Services office for a very cheap 965 UAH. The coverage was still 30,000 Euro, with similar coverages to Kirins. To me, the convenience was worth paying for another policy.
For volunteers operating in regions affected by military conflict or engaging in activities with inherent risks, insurance coverage for military-related risks becomes paramount. One such insurer offering this coverage is Ingo. They offer insurance specifically tailored to cover military-related risks, including disability and death resulting from military or combat operations. Coverage can be purchased for as short as seven days or longer durations, providing flexibility for volunteer assignments. Worth noting here is the restriction on which territories are not covered. Per the language on the policy: “ territory of the AGREEMENT is the territory of Ukraine, with the exception of territories of active hostilities, temporarily occupied territories, territories of possible hostilities”. A list of excluded territories can be found on the official document–updated as needed to keep pace with military accomplishments on the front line (https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1085-2014-%D1%80#Text). Highlights of military risk insurance with Ingo include: protection against disability or death resulting from military or combat operations; coverage for temporary loss of working capacity due to military-related injuries; and evacuation and repatriation assistance in case of emergencies. A week of military-risk insurance may cost in the range of 700 UAH for a policy of 200,000 UAH coverage. Be sure to carry your policy (translated into your language, as well), and a copy of your paid receipt for that duration.
In short–know your policy. Know what’s covered (most any health disorder caused by accident). Have a digital record of your policy number and provider contact info in case you need it. Ask for all documentation after any hospital visit (or a police report in the event of an auto-related accident). Submit the report ASAP. Make your policy work for you.