health insurance requirements for expats

are you and your wife UK citizens ?

or have you paid NI contribs in the UK in the last two years ?

I am aware of five Maltese providers - GasanMamo, BUPA Malta, Atlas (fronting for AXA PPP), LaFerla, Middlesea.  There are also international providers who will give you quotes covering Malta (at least one advertising on this forum).

The five providers I mentioned all have websites and will give you quotes if you ask them.  GasanMamo, unusually, have a price list on the website.

sorry georgeingozo, I didn't reply earlier I am from the US, But I have a UK insurance provider now.  Health insurance international...   Thanks to JohnS though I found a provider for 1/2 of what I am paying my UK company....   I think it's Middlesea if I remember correctly.

If you are a UK citizen you don't need health insurance for residency permit application - you also don't need it if you have paid sufficient NI contribs in the last 2 years

What is an NI contribution?

NI = National Insurance

Hi George,

Are you sure ? I hold a British passport , have complete health insurance in Germany too yet last year Castille forced me to buy private health insurance in Malta when I applied for temp. residency or transfer my German entitlement to Malta. Which I didn't want to as the coverage for me in Germany is important for other reasons .

Ricky

yep - as of July 2010 it was formalised and you fill in a form - before that it still existed, but you needed to insist on it - it was called the bilateral health agreement, not sure of exact name now. The form is from the "Entitlement Unit", and is on their website.

Ah, you can only get it if you live permanently in Malta, which you weren't

Ah ! At the moment I can only have the temporary residency on the basis of being economically self-sufficient..After 5 years I will become a permanent resident !

So even if I never paid any NI contributions in the UK as I left England as a child and lived and worked in Germany for 40 years I should qualify for coverage in Malta as I hold a British passport and I'm a resident. I have received the official residency card.

So I should make a visit to the entitlement office in Valletta !

I know a few UK citizens here in Malta who keep telling me that  they have free health treatment just by having an UK passport and an ID card without 'official' residency .Is that correct ?

And does anybody check that when  you need treatment at Mater Dei?

Regards

Ricky

Ricky - you are an ordinary resident, not a temporary resident - a temporary resident doesn't have an official residency card. "economically self-sufficient" is one type of ordinary resident permit - others include working and student.

Thanks for the clarification George.

So I'll go and apply for the RHA Entitlement Card and see how it goes.