The National Hospital Insurance Fund is a governmental initiative aimed at initially helping civil servants have hospital cover. However, now, any Kenyan resident above the age of 18 years is eligible to register and make monthly contributions to the fund. For the longest time, interested applicants had to find NHIF offices and make queues throughout the day in order to have their official NHIF membership cards and numbers. Thanks to technology, you can now apply both online and in person. Here is a guide on how to make the online NHIF registration for self employed individuals.
Importance of having NHIF cover
Being a member of the NHIF accords you some benefits including
- Highly subsidized hospital bills. NHIF may cover some or your entire medical bill depending on the hospital and type of treatment. This helps you save a lot of money in the long run.
- NHIF comes in handy especially when the medical treatment needed is unplanned and an emergency.
- With an NHIF cover, your spouse and registered dependents also receive medical cover.
What you need for registration
Now that you know the importance of having said cover, here is what you need for your online registration.
- Scanned copy of your original ID.
- Scanned copy of your marriage certificate if applicable.
- Recent and clear passport sized photos of you and your spouse if applicable.
For foreign residents
If you are foreign resident who also wants to join NHIF you will need
- Scanned copy of your passport or alien certificate.
- Scanned copy of your current passport photo.
Steps to follow
With all the documents ready and available, here are the steps to follow
- Go to your computer browser and key in the address http://www.nhif.or.ke/healthinsurance/registeronline
- On the dashboard menu find the ‘Self Employed’ tab and click on it.
- Now choose the type of identification that best applies to you i.e. Kenyan Citizen or Alien Identity Card.
- A new page will appear with a form with blanks for you to fill in the details. Make sure to enter the details carefully to avoid any registration errors.
- Now upload and attach the scanned copies of your ID card or passport or alien certificate as applies to you.
- Upload and attach your scanned copy of your current passport photo.
- Attach your marriage certificate as well if applicable.
- Once you are sure everything is correct, click on save to apply.
Once the application is successful, NHIF will send you (the contributor) a SMS message to confirm the status of your application. You can now begin to make your monthly (Ksh 500) contributions.
Bonus Information
You will notice that the online registration does not support spousal and dependents’ registration. If you want to include your spouse and dependents in your cover, you will have to physically visit any NHIF office near you. You will need the following documents:
- Yours and your spouse’s ID copy.
- Dependent’s original birth certificates and copies.
- Original birth notification and copies for dependents between 0-6 months.
- Copy of your marriage certificate or certified affidavit from the magistrate’s court in the absence of the marriage certificate.
- Coloured passport photos of you, your spouse and dependents.
