Insurance for staff

Information about which insurances applies for staff at Umeå University.

You are insured against injuries and illnesses

You are insured from your first day of employment and you may have the right to be compensated for a work related injury.

The work injury insurance does not apply when you are on holiday or taking time off. If you suffer an accident at work when you are actually on holiday, this does not qualify as a work injury. In this case, you will need to have private accident insurance.

Work injury insurance for government employees (Försäkringskassan)

If you have been injured at work, if you have gotten an occupational disease or an infection, you can receive compensation from the work injury insurance via Försäkringskassan (Swedish social security agency). An occupational injury is an injury that has arisen at work. It can for example be an accident that occurs at work, while while traveling to work, an occupational disease or getting an infection. 

Read more about work injury insurance

Compensation for Personal Injury Agreement (AFA Försäkring)


Staff at Umeå University is insured through the Compensation for Personal Injury Agreement (PSA). If you have costs which has arisen from you occupational injury, you may submit a claim to compensation from AFA Försäkring. You can receive compensation for your work injury from AFA Försäkring regardless of whether Försäkringskassan has approved the injury or not. 

Read more about personal injury insurance (Swedish only)

If you are injured when working remotely from home 

Injuries that occur in your home are in principle assessed according to the same rules as in the event of an injury at work. What determines whether it is a work injury or not has to do with how the injury occurred.

Unlike working at the workplace, the injury must have a direct connection with the work you are performing. This means that in order to classify it as a work injury, it must have occurred while you are performing your working duties, for example:

  • If you stumble on your work computer cord
  • Work done on the computer, answering work related emails, talking on the phone with a colleague or other work related person
  • Moving around the home while talking on the employer's phone with a colleague or other work related person
  • During working hours, travelling from your home to work to attend a work related meeting
  • Travelling to work to pick up a computer / phone / letter
  • Walk-and-talk meetings if the nearest manager has given his/her approval

You are insured when travelling

If you are employed by the university or work on behalf of the university, you are covered by the business travel insurance. The insurance applies to all business trips you make on behalf of the university in Sweden and abroad.

Read more about business travel insurance

You are insured if you are posted abroad (URA)

Umeå University has taken out collective insurance for employees who are stationed abroad with a URA contract. The insurance includes, among other things, personal injury insurance that corresponds to a travel insurance. The insurance does not contain any property protection, but you can take out supplementary property insurance.

The insurance also covers accompanying family members who meet the requirements and are stated in the URA agreement.

Read more about URA insurance

Supplementary property insurance to URA

If necessary, separate property insurance can be taken out for the employee. This insurance is not a collective insurance and an order must be sent by HR/prefect to Kammarkollegiet. 

Information about property insurance

Your family can be reimbursed if you decease

As an employee at the university, you are covered by a occupational group life insurance. You are insured throughout your employment.

The insurance provides a fixed sum for funeral assistance to your husband, wife or partner and children and applies from the day you come to the workplace and as long as you are employed, but no longer than 65 years of age. The insurance also applies during holidays, sickness and leave.

You can change who gets the reimbursement from your life insurance at any time.

Remember to tell your family that you are insured through your work.

Read more about the occupational group life insurance

Getting a a private insurance

Everybody living in Sweden should arrange a private insurance such as a home insurance and an insurance for accidents.

These insurances will provides protection around the clock and is an important complement to the insurances provided by the university. Both employees and guests/fellows are recommended to get additional insurances.

Contact an insurance company for more information.

Occupational injury and incident

If you are injured at work or experience that an event is risky it is important that you notify your manager. There are also some other things to consider.

Jannike Hurenkamp
11/2/2023