Private health insurance for your residence permit

If you are a non-EU student on a national (D) visa or applying for a temporary residence permit (TRP) in Lithuania, you must show private health insurance that covers your whole stay. Non-EU students are not in the state system by default, so the private policy is on you. EU/EEA students normally use their home EHIC instead.

This is the single most common detail that holds up a residence-permit file, so sort it before you submit.

Who actually needs private insurance

• Non-EU students on a national (D) visa — yes. A D-visa holder is not covered by the state PSD system, so you need a private policy for the whole period.
• Non-EU, self-funded degree students applying for a TRP — yes, you need a private policy. Non-EU students are not automatically state-insured.
• EU/EEA/Swiss students — no. Bring a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your home country; it gives you state-funded care on the same terms as locals.
• Erasmus / exchange students — usually here on a national visa or visa-free, not a TRP. You generally rely on your EHIC (EU) or a student/travel policy. Check what your visa type requires.

How much cover, and for how long

The amount depends on what you are applying for:

Application	Minimum cover (as of 2026 — confirm)
Temporary residence permit (TRP)	€10,000
National visa (D)	€30,000

These figures appear in Vilnius University and Foreign Ministry guidance. Because they are an official requirement, confirm the current amount on the Migration Department student page before buying — amounts and rules change.

Your policy must:

• be valid for the entire intended stay (the whole permit period, not just a few months);
• cover illness and accident, emergency hospitalisation, and medical repatriation to your home country.

When employment moves you into state insurance (PSD)

Lithuania has a compulsory state health insurance system, PSD (privalomasis sveikatos draudimas). Non-EU students are not automatically in it — that's why you start with a private policy.

You enter PSD once you are legally employed by a Lithuanian employer: the employer pays your PSD (the health part of your Sodra contributions) and deducts it from your salary, which brings you and dependent children into the state system. From that point, PSD cover satisfies the permit's insurance requirement, and you typically no longer need the private policy.

Two important limits:

• An unemployed student usually cannot just "buy in" to PSD. A foreigner with a TRP (or on a D visa) who is not employed, not state-covered and not self-employed generally cannot pay PSD contributions on their own. For most non-EU students, private cover is the realistic option until you are employed — confirm your own situation with Sodra or the Migration Information Centre.
• State PSD via employment is not the same as a private travel/repatriation policy. Check that PSD cover is in force on the dates the Migration Department needs before you cancel anything.

Buying a policy

A few practical points:

• Many universities point students to local insurers or to student insurance portals; your international office can confirm what the Migration Department accepts.
• Some private insurers will sell to people who do not yet have a personal code (asmens kodas) — but this is not guaranteed, so confirm directly with the insurer before assuming you can buy a policy on arrival.
• If you already have international student/travel insurance, check it is valid in Lithuania and meets the cover amount and repatriation rules before relying on it.
• Annual student policies are usually inexpensive, but price is not the point — buy one that clearly states the required cover and repatriation, or your application can be refused.