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Travel or receive medical or dental treatment abroad

On this page you can order the European Health Insurance Card. You will also find information here about what applies if you live or work in Sweden and

  • are spending time abroad temporarily and need to seek medical care or dental care
  • are planning to travel to another EU/EEA country or Switzerland for treatment
  • are planning to travel to another EU/EEA country to receive dental care.

If you live in Sweden and are going to work abroad or move abroad, you will find information that applies to you on the pages Working abroad or Move abroad.

Travel, live or work abroad

The European Health Insurance Card entitles you healthcare and dental care abroad

The European Health Insurance Card entitles you to medical and dental care while you are in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland. Order a European Health Insurance Card well in advance of your trip, as it can take up to ten working days before you receive it. Children must have their own European Health Insurance Card. The card is sent to the registered address of you or the child.

Information about the European Health Insurance Card

The European Health Insurance Card only covers medical and dental care that

  • cannot wait until you return to Sweden
  • you receive from a care provider connected to the public healthcare system in that country.

Care that cannot wait until you return to Sweden refers not only to emergency care, but also care related to a chronic illness. Such care includes collection of samples and medical checks.

With the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you pay the same amount for medical and dental care as those who live in the country. This is why you pay the patient fee yourself. In some countries, you must first pay the entire care cost yourself and then request compensation from that country's equivalent of Försäkringskassan. In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, you must both have an EHIC and be a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland in order for you to be able to receive care.

The EHIC does not entitle you to compensation for travel home, e.g. on an ambulance plane. It is therefore important that you have private travel insurance. Within the Nordic countries, there is a special agreement that under certain circumstances covers extra expenses for travel home.

If you do not have a European Health Insurance Card and need healthcare or dental care

If you fall seriously ill while abroad but do not have your European Health Insurance Card with you, you or your care provider can contact us at 0771-524 524, to obtain a provisional replacement certificate. You or your care provider must provide your Swedish personal identity number.

Digital COVID Certificate

Seven days after you have been vaccinated you can down load you digital COVID Certificate. The digital COVID Certificate is valid within the EU. It is also valid in Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Keep in mind that it is the country you are travelling to that determines what rules apply there. It is your responsibility to check whether or not you fulfil the requirements to be allowed to enter.

You can read more about the digital COVID Certificate on the Swedish eHealth Agency´s (E‑hälsomyndighetens) website.

COVID Certificate • E-hälsomyndigheten (ehalsomyndigheten.se) External link, opens in new window.

Apply for reimbursement of healthcare or dental care afterwards

You can also choose to pay for the care yourself and apply for compensation from us afterwards. You apply for retrospective compensation on Mina sidor (My Pages).

Longer processing times

At the moment we have longer processing times than usual. We apologise for this and are doing our utmost to shorten them.

Reimbursement for healthcare or vaccination abroad

If you have been treated for covid-19 in another country within the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you can for reimbursement for costs exceeding the patient fee that was applicable in the country where you received treatment.

You have to have been insured for health care in Sweden during the time you received the treatment. The treatment itself must have been available within the public health system in Sweden.

If you have been vaccinated against covid-19 in another country within the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you can also apply for reimbursement. Please note that this only applies if you would have had the opportunity to be vaccinated in Sweden during the time you were vaccinated.

If you are travelling outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland

The European Health Insurance Card is not valid outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. It is therefore important that you have private insurance. Find out what is included in your home owner’s insurance and whether you need supplementary travel insurance.

Planned medical treatment abroad

Planned medical treatment abroad is when you live or work in Sweden and travel to another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to receive medical treatment.

When can I get compensation for planned medical treatment abroad?

You can choose from several options when you apply for reimbursement for planned medical treatment abroad. All options are subject to the condition that:

  • you must be insured for healthcare benefits in Sweden.
  • the medical treatment would be paid for by the public healthcare system if you received it in Sweden.

Medical treatment paid for by the public system is treatment that you receive within the public healthcare system in Sweden, for the patient fee, for your illness or diagnosis.

The regions are responsible for healthcare in Sweden. Which medical treatment may provide entitlement to therefore depends on the region in which you are registered.

What reimbursement options are there for planned medical treatment abroad?

If you want reimbursement for planned medical treatment abroad, you can choose to apply for

  • an authorisation for costs to be met (S2) to receive a certificate to take with you
  • an advance decision, and then apply for reimbursement afterwards
  • reimbursement afterwards, without first obtaining authorisation or an advance decision.

Apply for an authorisation for costs to be met or an advance decision to be sure that the medical treatment you wish to receive is approved by your home region and provides entitlement to reimbursement. Apply well in advance.

 

Authorisation for costs to be met is a certificate you take with you. With it, you only need to pay the patient fee that applies in the country of care. The authorisation for costs to be met is valid in EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. There is also an authorisation for costs to be met for planned medical treatment in Turkey.

 

An advance decision is a decision regarding how much money you can receive for the treatment and when you can receive it. You receive the decision before you leave for the trip. You then apply for reimbursement once you have received the treatment.
Advance decision is valid for medical treatment in EU/EEA countries.

You cannot receive an advance decision if you are travelling to Turkey, Switzerland or Great Britain.

 

You can claim retrospective compensation for planned medical treatment received in an EU/EEA country if

  • you are insured for healthcare benefits in kind in Sweden
  • the treatment you received would have been covered by the public healthcare system if you had received it in Sweden
  • the treatment was provided by qualified healthcare personnel
  • you paid more than the standard patient fee that applies in the country that provided the treatment.

You are insured for healthcare benefits in kind in Sweden if you live or work here, or if Sweden is the authorised Member State for you. There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you live abroad, you can contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency to get more information about what applies to you.

These countries belong to the EU/EEA

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.

National contact points

Each country has one or more national contact points that provide information on opportunities for treatment within the EU/EEA.

National contact points for cross-border healthcare (ec.europa.eu) External link, opens in new window.

Planned dental treatment abroad

Planned dental treatment abroad is when you live or work in Sweden and travel to another EU/EEA country to receive dental treatment. If you want to apply for planned dental treatment abroad, you can choose to apply for an advance decision and then apply for compensation retrospectively. An advance decision is a decision regarding how much money you can receive for the dental treatment and when you can receive it. You receive the decision before you leave for the trip. You then apply for compensation once you have received the treatment. You can apply for retrospective compensation without having an advance decision. If you received planned dental care without having an advance decision, you can apply for compensation retrospectively.

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