Health Insurance Waiver Request

This e-form is for international students seeking to have their International Health Insurance Fee waived if they are covered by an alternative insurance policy that meets the same level of coverage as the Binghamton University Health Insurance Plan. This also holds true for J-2 family members.

Please Note!

The act of filing a waiver application is not a guarantee that you will be waived out of the mandatory insurance. For a waiver to be granted your current medical insurance must fulfill ALL New York State requirements.

Uploading Documents

Depending on the reason for requesting a waiver, you may be required to upload supporting documentation. Notes about uploading documents:

  • Be sure your documents are clear and readable.
  • You can only upload a PDF or image file (JPG, JPEG, GIFF, PNG).
  • PDF files work best.
  • Please DO NOT upload Bitmap or BMP images.
  • If the files you are attempting to upload are too large, the e-form cannot be submitted.

Health Insurance Waiver Request

You need to enter your visa type, the semester (term and year) for which you are requesting the waiver, and the reason (Funding/Adjustment Type) for the request in this section. Drop-down lists are available for each field, and can be displayed by clicking on the arrow on the right-hand side of the field.

Teaching, Research and Graduate Assistants

Effective fall 2021, waivers for RAs/TAs/GAs are not processed automatically. Please complete a waiver e-form.

In home country

Effective fall 2020, students are not automatically eligible for a waiver of the international health insurance fee based on remaining in their home country. Waivers may be approved if students meet the following criteria:

  • You are in your home country AND do not have an active SEVIS record, OR
  • You are in your home country with an active SEVIS record AND have a health insurance policy that meets the SUNY and federal minimum requirements.

CPT with employer insurance

Students on CPT are required to upload their employer's health insurance policy and their insurance card or certificate of enrollment.

Private insurance

If you are requesting a waiver because you have private health insurance, you will need to upload the policy information (in English) and your insurance card or certificate of enrollment. (NOTE - if you have had your international health insurance fee waived in the past because your private health insurance was accepted by ISSS, you need to upload your insurance card or certificate of enrollment ONLY.)

Other

Please provide an explanation if the reason you are requesting the waiver is not shown in the drop-down list.

Visa other than F-1 Or J-1 / Adjunct Lecturer

If you are requesting the waiver because you have a visa type other than F-1 or J1, or you are an adjunct lecturer, no additional information is required.

Check the verification box to certify the e-form information is correct, then click the "Submit" button.

The top of the e-form is displayed, with a message that the e-form is in "Pending"status.

Your request will be processed within 3-5 business days. You will receive an email whether it has been approved or denied. If approved, your Student Account will be credited.

Accessing the E-Form

Once you have logged in to iSSS BU Client Services, the e-form is found under "Insurance and Finances" in the "iSSS BU Home Page" block.