Coronavirus in Czechia: How to Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine Reimbursement

Although third-country citizens living in Czechia have been able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 since 11 June, some things are still not completely clear. For example, many expats don’t know that if they’ve purchased comprehensive health insurance for foreigners, they might be able to get reimbursed. Here’s a look at how different Czech insurance companies handle COVID-19 reimbursements and what you need to do to get yours.

 

vaccination refund

Third-country residents have been able to register since 11 June.

 

Foreign nationals without public insurance have been able to get self-paid COVID-19 vaccines in Czechia since 11 June. All you need to do is register on the vaccination registration website, wait for your confirmation text message, pick a date and location, and go get the jab, for which you will be asked to pay with a card.

Don’t forget to make sure you’ve been given proof of payment both times, because you’ll need them to get your reimbursement.

Once you’ve gotten your jabs, you can also download the certificates. These are available at the ocko.uzis.cz portal and can be accessed by inputting your birth date, email address, and a phone number. 

Of course, the vaccine is not cheap and paying for both doses out of your own pocket can be disheartening. Worry not, though, because if you have commercial comprehensive health insurance, you should be able to get your money back by asking for a reimbursement!

 

Health insurance for foreigners

All Czech residents are obligated to have health insurance. This includes foreigners who are staying in Czechia for more than 90 days (and therefore are holders of a residence permit). Chances are that if you’re a third-country citizen, you probably have comprehensive insurance for foreigners, which you’ve purchased from a commercial insurance company here in Czechia. 

According to our information, all commercial insurance companies in Czechia that provide comprehensive health insurance for foreigners will reimburse you for your COVID-19 vaccine. You just need to make sure your vaccine was administered to you at an official facility and that it was one of the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency.

The process for making a claim is very similar with each of these companies. However, there can be slight differences. Here’s a look at how all the commercial insurance companies in Czechia deal with vaccinations and what you can do to get your COVID-19 vaccine reimbursement.

 

Slavia pojišťovna

If you’re insured with Slavia pojišťovna, the process is very straight-forward. 

According to the company, they will cover the vaccination cost for all clients who have purchased their Comprehensive healthcare insurance for foreigners (coverage over 3 millions), valid for more than 90 days.

They will reimburse you 850 CZK for each vaccine dose (so, 1.700 CZK in total) and the reimbursement will take place after you’ve been fully vaccinated

To apply for your reimbursement, you need to fill out an application (in English or here in Russian) and attach the originals of a proof of payment from both doses. Once you’ve done this, mail both to the health insurance headquarters at the following address:

Slavia pojišťovna a.s.
Táborská 940/31
140 00, Prague 4
Czech Republic

If you’re feeling confused about anything concerning your Slavia insurance, get in touch with us or contact the company directly at +420 255 790 111 (call between 8 am and 6 pm only).

 

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PVZP a.s.

According to PVZP, a.s., they are ready to fully reimburse all clients who have purchased their Foreigners’ Comprehensive Medical Insurance – Plus and Exclusive. 

They will give you a refund only if you request it and support your request using valid documentation, including:

  • proof(s) of payment – for both doses
  • other documents (e.g. your vaccination card)

You can make your request at the PVZP by: 

If you provide all necessary documentation, you should be fully reimbursed for the full cost of your COVID-19 vaccine.

In case of additional questions, you can contact this insurance company at info@pvzp.cz or 233 006 311.

 

UNIQA pojišťovna

According to UNIQA, they will also reimburse their clients who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. These clients need to have purchased their product Complex health insurance for foreigners. They will give you a refund of 2 x 810 CZK maximum.

What do you need to do to claim your refund? UNIQA understands COVID-19 vaccination as an insurance event. Therefore, you need to fill out an insurance claim report form

You can do this:

You will need to support your claim with a proof of payment for both doses of your vaccine (either scans or originals) as well as your vaccination card (or other documents proving that you received the vaccine on a specific date – either scan or a copy)

If you choose to fill out the paper form, send it (along with the other 2 documents) to the following address:

UNIQA pojišťovna a.s.
Oddělení cestovního pojištění
Evropská 136
160 12 PRAHA 6

 

ERGO pojišťovna

According to ERGO, those who have purchased their ​​comprehensive medical insurance for foreigners Welcome (i.e. KOMPLEX, Dítě +, Baby and Prenatal tariffs) can get reimbursed for their COVID-19 vaccine as well.

According to an ERGO representative we’ve talked to – you will be fully reimbursed for both doses.

All you need to do is report your claim (or here online) once you’ve had both doses of the vaccine and send it to the insurance company along with:

  • an original of a proof of payment (both doses)
  • a copy of your vaccination card (or medical report)

to the following address:

ERGO pojišťovna, a.s.
Vyskočilova 1481/4
140 00 Praha 4
Czech Republic

If you have any questions, you can reach the company at info@ergo.cz.

 

Maxima pojišťovna

Maxima will also reimburse you for your COVID-19 vaccine if you report it as an insurance claim. You can claim your refund if you have purchased either their Standard Comprehensive Health Insurance of Foreign Nationals product or the Exclusive version of this product. 

The only condition is that you have to buy insurance for 4 months minimum.

Maxima will reimburse you in accordance with the cost of the vaccine on the proofs of payment you’ll provide.

You can claim your refund by filling out the claim report form, including the number of your bank account, which the company will use for payment.

You should also attach:

  • Medical report/copy of your vaccination card
  • A proof of payment for both COVID-19 vaccine doses

According to the Maxima website, the insurance company prefers that you claim your reimbursement related to COVID-19 exclusively electronically. However, in case you cannot do it that way for some reason, the address for sending in your claim by post is as follows:

Maxima pojišťovna a.s.
Italská 1583/24
120 00 Praha 2 Vinohrady
Czech Republic

If you have any issues or questions, you can contact Maxima through this form.

 

AXA Assistance

According to an AXA Assistance representative, AXA will not at this time be reimbursing your COVID-19 vaccines. Not even if you’ve purchased their Complex Health Insurance for Foreigners. If you’d like to discuss this issue with them directly, contact them at zakaznickalinka@axa-assistance.cz.

 

Are you anxious about finding the best health insurance for your specific needs? We can help you with that! As a part of our services, Foreigners offer help with Comprehensive health insurance in all major Czech cities.

Are you still abroad and in the process of visa application? Arrange the insurance distantly and we’ll send you the insurance contract by express delivery.

Would you like to stay updated not only on the current coronavirus situation? Make sure to follow our blog and our social media not to miss any important coronavirus news.

 

Photo source: by geralt, pixabay.com
Article source: maximapojistovna.cz, uniqa.cz, ergo.cz, pvzp.cz, slavia-pojistovna.cz, axa-assistance.cz

Tereza Walsbergerová

Hello! I'm Tereza and I'm a wordsmith and literature nerd from Brno. Although I was born and raised in the Czech Republic, I know all too well from my time living in Texas what it's like to be a "stranger in a strange land." I am excited to share all kinds of information with y'all!

4 thoughts on “Coronavirus in Czechia: How to Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine Reimbursement

  1. AXA CZ Comprehensive policyholder here, and I can confirm that they ARE NOT reimbursing for the vaccine (though, per their website, AXA SK is reimbursing??).

    So is it correct that, despite every other provider besides AXA doing so, reimbursement is actually still not mandatory according to the latest MZCR directives?

    1. Hi, George,
      Sadly, yes, it’s up to the insurance companies to decide if the comprehensive insurance covers the vaccine or not. The MZCR can’t dictate that to them, since they’re independent businesses.

      I personally think it’s sad that AXA doesn’t cover it. I talked to two different people at AXA and they both told me since the vaccine isn’t mandatory, they don’t see a reason why.

      Hope you’ll be able to get the shot anyway!

      Best,
      Tereza

      1. Thank you for the response, Tereza! I’m still all set for my vaccination regardless, but dealing with AXA over this for a month has been frustrating. Even more so now that it appears all other private insurers are reimbursing, so in the end the only ones of us who will pay for the vaccination are the few thousand AXA comprehensive policyholders and all those that have basic foreigners’ insurance or less (out of 5 million+ people).

        It seems like such an odd choice to make, given that everyone else is being given the “free of charge” benefit. I imagine a number of their policyholders will at least consider switching after their policy is up…I know I’ll be moving to a new insurer.

        1. Hi George,
          Indeed – you still have a number of insurance companies to choose from. We cooperate with Slavia and have great experience with them.

          Best,
          Tereza

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