Russia provides care through the compulsory medical insurance system (OMS), funded via employer and government contributions to territorial insurance funds, available to citizens and to legally resident foreigners holding an OMS policy. Here is what that actually means for an American or Briton living in Russia: what the public system gives you, what it does not, and where private cover fits.
Can you use the public system?
- Working for a local employer: Yes, once you complete residence registration
- Self-employed: Only in limited cases
- Retired or not working: No
To get an OMS policy a foreigner must first hold a Temporary Residence Permit (RVP) or Permanent Residence Permit (VNZh), then obtain the policy in person at an MFC (multifunctional government service centre) or an insurance company office; employed foreigners typically get this arranged around their work registration. Self-employed residents can technically do the same but face more administrative friction without an employer to organise it. Russia has no retirement-residency route: a non-working foreigner generally cannot obtain long-term legal residence status without a family, investment, or other qualifying tie, which makes OMS effectively unreachable for someone simply retiring there.
If you are retiring here
This is the worst case of the six countries: there is no retirement-residency route at all, so a non-working US or UK retiree generally cannot legally reside in Russia long-term outside narrow bases like family ties or investment. As of July 2026 this is compounded by the wider geopolitical situation: most major Western insurers (Allianz, AXA, Bupa, Cigna, Aetna and others) no longer cover Russia under sanctions, US/UK nationals need a standard consular visa (not the e-visa), and the US State Department advises against travel due to a significant risk of wrongful detention. Flagging this whole country entry as in-flux given the fast-moving sanctions and visa environment.
What public cover will not give you
- OMS covers basic/public facilities only, not private or international-standard hospitals
- English-speaking care concentrated in Moscow and St Petersburg private clinics
- current sanctions-driven insurer and payment-processing problems for foreign nationals
So do you need private health insurance?
Legally required for any Russian visa application (private medical insurance valid in Russia is a precondition of entry), and de facto necessary throughout residence given care quality and the ongoing withdrawal of Western insurers. Proof of health insurance is also a condition of the main residence routes here, so most expats need a policy in place before they apply.
Loading the insurance checker…
Compare expat health insurance for Russia · Read the full Russia guide
General information, not insurance, immigration or medical advice. Rules change and individual situations differ; check the official position before you commit. Researched from official sources, July 2026.