Detailed guide: Healthcare for UK nationals living in Latvia

This information is about living in Latvia. There’s different guidance if you’re visiting Latvia.

State healthcare in Latvia is run by the Latvian National Health Service (Nacionalais veselibas dienests).

State healthcare is not usually free in Latvia. You may need to pay up front to use parts of the healthcare system.

UK nationals usually access the Latvian healthcare system in one of these ways:

• being employed or self-employed in Latvia and registering as a temporary resident
• private health insurance (it’s common for Latvian employers to offer this)
• using a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for temporary stays
• registering a UK-issued S1 form with the Latvian National Health Service

Healthcare if you live and work in Latvia

You must register as a resident if you’re living in Latvia for more than 3 months.

You can only register as a resident if you’re employed, self-employed or able to support yourself financially.

To begin with you must register as a temporary resident. You can only apply for permanent residency if you’ve been a Latvian resident for 5 years.

If you cannot register as a resident, you are not eligible for Latvian state healthcare. You need to take out private health insurance.

You may have the right to apply for a UK S1 if you start drawing a UK State Pension.

If you’re working and paying social security contributions, you may also be entitled to a Latvian EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.

How to register for healthcare

You need to register with a GP (website in Latvian).

Go to the GP practice to register and take your Latvian ID card, which you get when you register as a resident.

Show your ID card when you visit a doctor.

How much you’ll pay

See a list of costs for healthcare services.

If you pay more than around 570 euros a year for healthcare, you do not need to pay anything the following year. Keep all your receipts for healthcare so that you can apply for an exemption certificate from the Latvian National Health Service if you reach the limit.

Children, pregnant women and people on low incomes do not need to pay.

If your UK employer has sent you to Latvia temporarily (‘posted workers’)

A posted worker, also known as a ‘detached worker’, is someone employed or self-employed in the UK, but temporarily sent to a European Economic Area (EEA) country.

UK posted workers can access healthcare in Latvia using an EHIC, GHIC or S1 form.

HMRC has a helpline for National Insurance enquiries from non-UK residents. They can answer questions about posted worker status and explain which documents you will need to get healthcare while posted.

UK-funded healthcare: using an S1 form in Latvia

There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a posted worker.

You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a Latvian resident and receive a UK State Pension.

You may also be entitled to an S1 form if you’re a frontier worker (someone who works in one state and lives in another). You must contact HMRC National Insurance enquiries to find out if you’re eligible.

If you started living in Latvia before 1 January 2021, you may also be entitled to an S1 if you receive some other ‘exportable benefits’.

Once you have an S1 form, you must register it on the Latvian system.

This will mean you and your dependants will be entitled to healthcare in Latvia on the same basis as a Latvian citizen.

You’ll also get:

Dependants and family members may be classified differently in Latvia than the UK.

Check with the local authorities when you register your S1 form.

How to get an S1 form

If you have a UK State Pension, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services.

How to use an S1 form in Latvia

You must register your S1 form by contacting the Latvian National Health Service cross border contact point.

You must also show a copy of your S1 form every time you access healthcare to prove that you’re entitled to healthcare on the same basis as a Latvian citizen.

Studying in Latvia

You can use an EHIC or GHIC to get medically necessary healthcare until the end of your study period.

Getting treatment in the UK

Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes UK nationals who started living in the EU before 1 January 2021.

Read more about healthcare when you no longer live in the UK.

If you return to live in the UK you’ll be able to use the NHS like any other UK resident.

Read more about using the NHS when you return to live in the UK.

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