Insurance in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has an established private insurance market, although access and market activity differ by province, provider and customer type. The General Directorate of Takaful and Insurance, or GDTI, under the Ministry of Finance is the central body for insurance regulation, licensing, supervision and consumer protection. GDTI reports activity in 32 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Da Afghanistan Bank is not the primary insurance supervisor. The Ministry of Finance lists Afghan National Insurance Company (ANIC), Insurance Corporation of Afghanistan (ICA), Afghan Global Insurance, Sky International Insurance Company, Sadra Insurance Company, Khairkhwa International Insurance (KII) and Capital Star Insurance. The same official page also contains Iranian entries such as Razi, Kowsar and Alborz; those should not be treated as Afghan providers. License validity and current operations should be checked directly with GDTI or the insurer before signing a contract. ANIC is a state-owned company founded in 1964 and reports branches in more than 22 provinces and three ports. Its listed products include health, comprehensive vehicle cover, third-party vehicle cover, travel, fire, aviation, cargo, personal accident, student, employee and project liability insurance. Other commercial products available from insurers can include property, machinery and engineering, business interruption, money, mortgage and commercial liability cover. Household contents and residential building insurance are not established as a broadly available standard product. Vehicle third-party insurance covers defined injury, death or property damage suffered by another party within the policy limits. It does not normally cover damage to the insured vehicle itself. Fire and property policies can use cash settlement, repair, replacement or reinstatement, depending on the contract. War and terrorism are often excluded or available only through an additional cover. Wear and tear, deliberate damage and other listed exclusions can also prevent payment. A written بیمه نامه should identify the insurer and address, insured object, sum insured, insurance value, period, حق البیمه, payment time and place, and the information used to assess the risk. The insurer may request a تذکره or other identity evidence, ownership or tenancy documents, valuation records, payroll information, invoices, packing lists or waybills, depending on the product. Acceptance, deductibles, territorial scope, reinsurance and payment arrangements are contract-specific. Agents and brokers should hold the relevant license. Public pensions are not currently confirmed as a restored contribution-based social insurance system. Payments to public employees were stopped from financial year 1403, which began on 20 March 2024, and pension payments have been interrupted since 2021, although the Ministry of Finance continues to publish payment and settlement dates for pensioners. This indicates continuing handling of earlier claims or entitlements rather than a confirmed restoration of regular contributions. No universal accident or sickness cash-benefit insurance system is established by the available research. Historically, private employees generally did not have broad social insurance coverage. Afghanistan’s Labour Law provides an end-of-service payment of ten months’ wages when an employee leaves at age 65, according to the available research. This is separate from private insurance. Employers can also arrange optional workers’ compensation or employee insurance, with products such as ANIC’s covering death, permanent, temporary or partial disability and medical costs. Such policies commonly run for one year, and the premium depends on the work type and annual turnover; they do not replace a public social insurance system. Current public premium tables were not verified. Premiums generally depend on the insured object, value, activity, risk, duration and selected limits. ANIC’s health product is listed for one year with a maximum claim settlement of 500,000 AF. Travel product pages show conflicting duration ranges, from one day to six months and from 15 days to one year, so the signed contract controls. For a claim, notify the insurer without delay and provide the original بیمه نامه, claim notice, identity and ownership evidence, invoices and any required police report or survey. A fire product page specifies written loss notification within 15 days. Cargo claims can require an invoice, packing list, bill of lading or truck waybill, port or short-landing evidence and a survey report. Afghanistan has no generally verified current statutory payment deadline in the available research. Disputes follow the contract and applicable insurance or commercial law; the published legal framework refers to the Commercial Court and arbitration, but current procedure is not fully verified. Takaful legislation published by the Ministry of Finance provides for family and general Takaful, Takaful windows, brokers and agents. The final version is dated 9 July 2019, but its operational licensing and current market activity are not confirmed. Proposed capital figures of AFs 70,000,000 for a family or general Takaful operator and AFs 1,500,000 for a broker describe the draft framework, not consumer premiums. An active family Takaful or life insurance market has not been reliably confirmed. Do not cancel an existing policy until replacement cover is confirmed in writing. Check the contract for expiry, cancellation, unpaid premiums, transfer of ownership and changes to the insured object, location or condition. Commercial Code Article 906 requires material changes to risk, location or condition to be reported; failure can create a dispute or loss of cover. There is no confirmed central portability system. Insurance is most relevant for businesses, NGOs, traders, vehicle owners, projects, travel and formal employers, while households may face limited access, low market penetration, trust concerns, payment constraints and security-related exclusions. Family support, informal assistance and humanitarian aid can reduce financial hardship but are not insurance.