There are a number of different types of insurance, and a number of different categories of insurance. We will first look at personal insurance, and then look at house and contents insurance.
Click here to find out about house insurance
Personal Insurance
You never know what may happen to you overseas, and given that you are far from home it is a good idea to have a comprehensive insurance policy. Many companies have a good range of so called "travel insurance", which should cover the following areas
1) Personal injury/medical insurance (to cover eventual medical costs, which most international citizens will have to foot the bill for) - don't forget to check if it covers pre-existing medical conditions
2) Dental cover - same reason as above; it is also good to consider this because dental and medical insurance are often seen as two separate things
3) Personal liability - this will cover you in the case that you have caused damages to someone else - check if it covers your legal costs as well
4) Loss of personal goods - you may wish to have a policy that covers a possible theft of your belongings
5) Travel costs - if you are travelling longer distances with more expense involved you may wish to get coverage for possible complications such as missing a flight because of illness
So now you know what to look for.
Who needs insurance?
In short, everyone! Students from the EU/EEA have the most coverage in Sweden because of the "European Health Insurance Card". This card entitles you to healthcare under the same conditions as a Swedish person - even in terms of cost. This card does not however cover dental work - and it certainly doesn't help if you face liability costs! It is however essential for European travelers. Note: You must acquire this card from your homeland before travelling abroad.
Read more about the European Health Insurance Card here
Citizens from Australia and Algeria have a special agreement with Sweden which allows them medical and dental services under the same conditions as for residents of Sweden. Take your passport with you.
Citizens from Quebec have a similar deal, except instead of needing a passport you will need a certificate showing that you are insured in Quebec as well as a certificate from your employer or education provider here in Sweden.
Should I get insurance in my home country or in Sweden?
If you are staying in Sweden less than a year then the answer is definitely "you should get your insurance from your home country". If you are staying less than a year you are not eligable for a Swedish civil registration number (personnummer). Many insurance companies in Sweden stipulate that you must have such a number to be able to buy an insurance plan. If you are staying less than a year but do not have insurance you may want to look up the following companies:
Eurostudent/Worldstudent - run by Gevfert AB.
phone +46(0)8 440 54 41
email address: info@gefvert.se
Europeiska försäkringar
email address: info@europeiska.com
Studentförsäkring
E-mail: info@studentforsakring.se
Telefon: +46 (0) 8 587 840 10
Adress: Primusgatan 20, SE-11297 Stockholm
But don't I already have insurance?
Exchange students, and only exchange students, are covered by the so called "Swedish State's insurance for foreign students in Sweden". In Uppsala this is known as "StudentIN". This is quite a comprehensive insurance plan, although your options with regard to damages while traveling may be more limited than under a comparable plan from home.
Read more about the terms of the StudentIN insurance
Students who are staying longer than one year are entitled to a Swedish civil registration number, which in turn entitles them to healthcare under the same conditions as a Swedish citizen. You are not however, coverd by the StudentIN agreement and you are not covered in case of liability and so forth. This is not an insurance; it is merely the right to subsidised health care. It should also be clarified that the right to subsidised health care is valid as long as your residence permit is valid, and proof of insurance may be required (same proof provided while applying for a residence permit).
You may have heard that you get free house and contents insurance through the Student Union. This is sort of true! Uppsala Student Union does not offer any insurance of its own. However, the Student Union does have an agreement with Länsförsäkringar that allows students at Uppsala University to get a home and contents insurance for a reasonable price. Furthermore, this insurance is not an automatic insurance that you get when you sign in. You must actively sign all the papers and so forth. Contact Länsförsäkringar: call 018-68 55 00 or visit them at Dragarbrunnsgatan 37.
Another good resource is the Swedish Consumer Insurance Bureau. Here you can compare different types of insurance from a range of different companies. They have an English portal at their webpage but the actual insurance comparison feature is in Swedish (at the time of writing). Please contact the International Officer if you would like help with this.
