Latvia - European Health Insurance Card

Emergency

Nacionālais veselības dienests (Latvian National Health Service - NHS)
Tel: +371 6704 5005; 80001234 (only in Latvia)
Email: nvdvmnvd [dot] gov [dot] lv (nvd[at]vmnvd[dot]gov[dot]lv)

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to state-funded healthcare if you require urgent/necessary medical care during a temporary stay in Latvia.
State-funded healthcare is provided by healthcare providers working under contract with the Latvian National Health Service.
You must show a valid EHIC and a passport (or other identification document) to receive state-funded healthcare. If you do not, the healthcare provider may ask you to pay the full cost.
You need to pay a patient's fee to see a doctor. There is no charge for
- patients under 18
- pregnant women being treated in connection with their pregnancy
- certain groups of patients with particular diagnoses (tuberculosis, psychiatric diagnoses, certain infectious diseases).
For specialised medical care, you will need a referral from a doctor, usually your general practitioner.
If you are suffering from certain diseases, you do not need a referral to see any of the following: gynaecologist, ophthalmologist, children's surgeon, paediatrician, psychiatrist, addiction specialist, pneumonologist (lung doctor specialising in tuberculosis), dermatovenerologist (skin doctor specialising in sexually transmitted diseases), endocrinologist (for example when you have diabetes), oncologist, chemotherapy specialist, a specialist in infectious diseases (HIV / AIDS).
The patient's fee cannot be refunded in Latvia, but you can claim reimbursement when you get home.

State-funded dental care is only available for children.
Adults must pay for dental treatment, which is not refundable in Latvia.
If dental treatment is covered in your home country, contact your national health insurance provider when you get home to claim a refund.

If you are admitted to hospital (in an emergency), show your EHIC and passport (or other identification).
You will be charged a patient's fee for in-patient treatment, starting from your second day of hospitalisation. There is no such fee no for:
- patients under 18
- patients hospitalised because of pregnancy or childbirth
- patients undergoing dialysis or some other treatments (e.g. for certain infectious diseases, mental illness).
There are additional fees for:
- CT scans (computed tomography)
- MRI scans (magnetic resonance imaging).
In addition to the patient's fee, the healthcare provider may charge a co-payment for a surgical procedure carried out in an operating theatre.
These payments cannot be refunded in Latvia, but you can claim reimbursement when you get home.

As an EHIC holder, you are entitled to medicine on the basis of a prescription (special prescription form) issued by a doctor working under contract with the Latvian National Health Service.
From 1 January 2018, prescriptions for drugs refunded by the state can only be issued electronically with some exceptions (for example, if the patient has informed the doctor that he/she will use the prescription in one of the EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland).
To get prescription drugs, you need to go to a pharmacy operating under contract with the National Health Service. To buy prescription drugs, you need to show:
- your EHIC,
- your passport (or other identification)
- your prescription (if you need prescriptions drugs which are not refunded by the state).
The state refunds 100%, 75% or 50% of the cost of prescription drugs depending on the condition diagnosed.
The amount you pay upfront cannot be refunded in Latvia, but you can always claim reimbursement when you get home.

You can use an ambulance free of charge if it has been sent by the 113 service and you present a valid EHIC and a passport (or other identification document).

Latvia operates a benefit-in-kind healthcare system, so there is no reimbursement system. You should only be charged the patient's share of the treatment.
If you have to pay for care, contact your national health insurance provider once you return home to seek reimbursement.

Out-patient examinations by a general practitioner – between €1 and €2
Daycare hospital – €7
Specialist consultation fee – €4
In-patient treatment – between €7 and €10 a day, starting on the second day of hospitalisation
Additional diagnostic examinations – between €2 and €35 (for example for CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalograms (EEG), electrocardiagrams (EKG), X-rays, for an endoscopy)
Patients with certain medical conditions pay reduced fees

Chronic hemodialysis, haemodiafiltration and peritoneal dialysis are free of charge with a referral from a specialist.
Oxygen therapy expenses are not covered by the National Health Service.
Chemotherapy is free of charge with a referral from an oncologist.

Nacionālais veselības dienests (Latvian National Health Service)
Tel: +371 6704 5005
Email: nvdvmnvd [dot] gov [dot] lv (nvd[at]vmnvd[dot]gov[dot]lv)