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Travel abroad

Here, you can order a European Health Insurance Card and read about what applies if you need medical or dental care while temporarily abroad.

If you are travelling within the EU/EEA or Switzerland

Order a European Health Insurance Card if you are travelling within the EU/EEA or Switzerland. Order the card in good time as it can take up to 10 working days to receive it. Children must have their own European Health Insurance Card. The card is automatically sent to the registered address of you or the child.

Order the European Health Insurance Card (in Swedish)

What is the European Health Insurance Card?

The European Health Insurance Card entitles you to medical and dental care while you are in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland. The card is free of charge. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) 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 become acutely sick

If you become acutely sick while abroad but do not have your EHIC card with you, you or your care provider can contact us at +46 (0)771-524 524, to obtain a provisional replacement certificate. You or your care provider must provide you with your Swedish personal identity number.

Apply for retrospective compensation – care

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

When you apply, you must attach digital copies of receipts and medical documents. If you do not already have the documents as files on your computer, you can take photos of them with your phone or scan them. If you cannot add the appendices when you submit your application, it is fine to submit them later. Try to do this as soon as possible.

Apply for retrospective compensation – dental care

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

When applying, send your application, receipts and medical documents to:
Försäkringskassans inläsningscentral, 839 88 Östersund.

If you have X-rays, photos and models, these must be sent to:
Försäkringskassan Internationellt tandvårdsstöd, 901 81 Umeå.

 

Do I need an EHIC for travel in the Nordic countries?

No, you do not need the European Health Insurance Card for travel within the Nordic countries. To receive essential health care, it is sufficient to show an ID and provide your home address in Sweden. If your child needs essential health care, they must have their own ID. If your child lacks an ID of their own, we recommend that you take your child’s European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you.

If you are travelling outside of the EU/EEA or Switzerland

The European Health Insurance Card is not valid outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland. If you are travelling to countries outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland, it is therefore important for you to have private insurance. Find out what is included in your home owner's insurance and whether you need supplemental travel insurance.

However, there are some countries outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland that Sweden has an agreement with.

 

Algeria

If you are a Swedish or Algerian citizen, live in Sweden and are temporarily visiting Algeria, you are entitled to emergency medical care within the public healthcare system. You must be able to present a Swedish passport and a certificate of entitlement to care benefits in Algeria.

Order the certificate before you begin your travels, by calling us at +46 (0)771-524 524.

If you already paid for medical care and want compensation retroactively, contact:

Caisse Nationale des Assurances Sociale des Travailleurs Salariés
Route des Deux Bassins – Ben Aknoun BP 218 EL BIAR 16030 ALGER ALGERIA

Australia

If you live in Sweden and are temporarily visiting Australia, you are entitled to essential health care. You must show either a Swedish passport, or a certificate 6393 from Försäkringskassan if you do not have a passport.

Order the certificate before you begin your travels by calling us at +46 (0)771-524 524.

Inform the care provider before you receive medical care, if you wish to receive care from Medicare, which is the governmental care provider in Australia. You must pay for the entire cost of medical care yourself and then contact Medicare to obtain retrospective compensation:

Medicare Eligibility Section, MDP 106 Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, GPO Box 9848 Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA

Medicare (humanservices.gov.au) opens in a new window

The medical care agreement between Sweden and Australia does not include ambulance transportation, dental care, or injuries sustained during activities such as adventure sports. Medical care costs in Australia are high, therefore supplementary sickness and accident insurance is recommended.

Quebec

If you are working or studying in Quebec for less than a year, you are entitled to medical care through the public healthcare system. You must have a work or study permit in Quebec and a certificate of entitlement to care benefits in Quebec.

Order the certificate before you begin your travels by calling us at 0771-524 524.

Israel

If you are on a temporary visit to Israel, you are entitled to maternity care. You must have a certificate of entitlement to maternity care in Israel.

Order the certificate before you begin your travels by calling us at +46 (0)771-524 524.

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

If you live in Sweden and are visiting Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you are entitled to emergency medical care within the public healthcare system. You must present a Swedish passport or a certificate of entitlement to care benefits.

Order the certificate before you begin your travels by calling us at +46 (0)771-524 524.

Turkey

There is a convention between Sweden and Turkey that may entitle you to planned medical treatment. The convention does not apply to necessary health care, which means that you cannot receive retrospective compensation for care costs.

 

Frequently asked questions

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) applies in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cypress, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the UK, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. You do not need the card within the Nordic countries.

The EU card is valid as long as you are insured in Sweden, but no longer than three years.

Essential health care includes medical care that cannot wait until you return to Sweden. It is always the doctor or another healthcare professional who decides whether the care is essential. The assessment depends on what illness you have and how long you will stay in the country.

Yes, provided that it does not negatively impact your rehabilitation or recovery. 

If you are travelling within the EU/EEA, you normally do not need to do anything. But, if you are travelling to Switzerland, Turkey or another country outside of the EU, you must apply to keep your sickness benefit during your stay abroad. Apply before you begin your travels by logging in to My pages (Mina sidor) or use the form.


If you are unable to use My pages (Mina sidor), you can apply using the form 

7430 Request for consent to keep compensation during stay abroad (75.6 kB)PDF opens in a new window

Within the Nordic countries, there is a special agreement that under certain circumstances covers extra expenses for travel home. In other countries, you need private insurance to receive compensation for travel home. Find out what is included in your home owner's insurance and whether you need supplementary travel insurance.

The healthcare provider in Spain sometimes requires you to present a certificate showing that you are a pensioner. We issue the certificate in Spanish so please contact us to apply for the certificate. This enables you to purchase medicine at a reduced price in connection with essential healthcare.

Yes, you can receive compensation for the medicine if it was obtained through a prescription and is approved for sale in Sweden.

You can only receive compensation for costs of medicines that are covered by high-cost protection. You can only get compensation if you bought medicines for at least SEK 1,150 in one year (for 2018 the amount was SEK 1,125 and for 2017 the amount was SEK1,100). If you want the costs to be included in the high-cost protection, you must provide your consent using the application form. To enable Försäkringskassan to be able to calculate your compensation for medicines, you must send in a register transcript from Apoteket (pharmacy).

More information on how to request a register transcript can be found at
eHealth Authority (ehalsomyndigheten.se) opens in a new window.

The EU card is automatically sent to your registered address. Therefore, remember to order the card well in advance of travelling.

Försäkringskassan can send a provisional paper certificate to another address. The certificate provides you with the same rights as the European Health Insurance Card. Phone the Customer Centre at 0771-524 524 if you need a provisional paper certificate.

A prescription needs to contain the following information:

  • The patient’s first name and surname (computer-printed) and date of birth
  • The issue date of the prescription
  • The doctor’s first name and surname (computer-printed), professional title, contact details, work address (including country) and signature (handwritten or electronic)
  • The generic name of the medicine (since the medicine may be sold under different trade names), dosage form (tablet, solution, etc.), quantity, strength and dose.

There may be several reasons for why you are receiving this error message. The most common is that you are not registered as insured in Försäkringskassan’s system.

Insured in Sweden

If you have technical issues

If your e-identification does not work or if you have other technical issues, you can get help on our technical support pages. There, you can get assistance from an administrator directly in a web meeting. You are then connected with the administrator, who can see your screen and help you. Web meetings are available during the Customer Centre’s opening hours.

Technical support

If you have a protected identity

If you have a protected identity, you cannot use all of the e-services found on My pages (Mina sidor). You can instead apply using a paper form.

If you must apply using a paper form

All forms that can be downloaded from the website can be found under Forms and certificates.

Forms and certificates

Yes, the EU card is valid if you are travelling to another EU/EEA country or Switzerland even if the Ministry for Foreign Affairs advises against any non-essential travel there.

Ja du kan använda ditt EU-kort för dialysbehandling hos en allmänt ansluten vårdgivare. Detta gäller även för andra sjukdomar som innebär att du behöver livsnödvändig medicinsk behandling som kräver specialistvård.

Tänk på att du i förväg ska söka upp och ta kontakt med en vårdgivare på orten där du kommer att vistas, detta för att du ska vara säker på att få tillgång till den utrustning eller behandling som du behöver. Säkerställ samtidigt också att vårdgivaren kan ta emot EU-kortet (EHIC).

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