Guidance: Healthcare for UK nationals living in Slovenia

State healthcare in Slovenia is not completely free. Healthcare costs are covered by both the state and through patient contributions. These are known as co-payments.

If you’re a resident in Slovenia, you must have health insurance.

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

• paying into the Slovenian national health insurance system (ZZZS)
• paying for private health insurance
• using a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for temporary stays when studying, or as a ‘posted’ (detached) worker
• registering a UK-issued S1 form with ZZZS (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Slovenia’ below)

Healthcare if you live and work in Slovenia

If you are planning on moving to Slovenia, see the guidance on Living in Slovenia for more information about visa and residency requirements.

You must show proof of healthcare cover:

• before you can register as a resident
• when you apply for a visa

For details about the healthcare cover required for residency applications, contact local authorities in Slovenia or the appropriate Slovenian embassy or consulate in the UK.

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

All residents must pay for Slovenian national health insurance (ZZZS). How much you pay will depend on your salary.

If you do not pay into the Slovenian health service, you’ll need private insurance to pay for any non-emergency healthcare.

Anyone can get emergency medical treatment regardless of their insurance cover.

Your dependants are also covered by the contributions you make.

You may be entitled to a Slovenian EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.

You may also have the right to apply for a UK S1 if you start drawing a UK State Pension (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Slovenia’ below).

How to register for healthcare

The ZZZS website has information about registering for health insurance.

If you’re employed in Slovenia, your employer will register you with the ZZZS.

If you’re self-employed, check that you’re registered for healthcare at a local ZZZS office.

If you’re unemployed and receiving benefits you do not need to pay contributions.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll get a Slovenian health insurance card. Show this whenever you access state healthcare. It covers you for treatment by healthcare providers contracted to the ZZZS.

This includes:

• GP visits
• state hospitals
• health centres
• state dental care
• private doctors who have a contract with the ZZZS
• prescription costs

You’ll need to register with a GP. They will usually be your first point of contact to access specialists and hospital treatment.

How much you’ll pay

You’ll usually have to pay between 10% and 90% of the cost of most non-emergency healthcare in Slovenia.

Most people in Slovenia have private voluntary health insurance to cover any co-payments you must make. This costs around 35 euros a month.

If you’re registered for state healthcare with ZZZS, you can get voluntary insurance. This means you will not pay for state healthcare services. Your healthcare provider will charge your insurance company directly.

You’ll only have to pay if you see a GP or get dental treatment at a private clinic.

If you don’t have voluntary insurance, you’ll need to make the co-payment yourself.

Some people get free healthcare and are exempt from co-payments, for example:

• children
• students
• pregnant women
• people with long-term or chronic conditions
• unemployed people or those on low incomes

A&E care and treatment is free, as are certain state healthcare services.

Find out what’s covered by ZZZS

You’ll usually have to pay either 30% or 90% of the full cost of a prescription, depending on the medication. The ZZZS also sets a maximum amount payable for each medicine. Your doctor will be able to tell you how much you’ll need to pay.

If you have a chronic illness or long-term condition, you can get free prescriptions.

You’ll always have to pay in full for your healthcare when you visit:

• providers who do not have a contract with the ZZZS
• specialists without a GP’s referral
• private dentists

If your UK employer has sent you to Slovenia 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 Slovenia 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: getting and using an S1 form in Slovenia

There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a ‘posted worker’ (see ‘If your UK employer has sent you to Slovenia temporarily (‘posted workers’)’ above).

You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a resident in Slovenia and receive a UK State Pension or an exportable benefit. See Planning your healthcare abroad on the NHS website for more information about eligibility.

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.

Once you have an S1 form, you must register it with the ZZZS.

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

You’ll also get:

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

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

If you’re entitled to an S1 form as a dependant of a State Pensioner, your health cover will be cancelled once you begin claiming your UK State Pension.

You will be sent a new S1 form to your registered address from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You must register this form to ensure continuation of healthcare cover.

You are responsible for informing NHS Overseas Healthcare Services if you change your address or your circumstances change.

How to get an S1 form

If you have a UK State Pension or another qualifying exportable benefit, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services (see contact details above).

How to use an S1 form in Slovenia

You must register your S1 in person at a local ZZZS office. You’ll be able to get help filling in the forms if you do not speak Slovene.

You’ll also need to show:

• proof that you get a UK State Pension
• proof of identity, such as your passport

Once registered, you will be issued with a Slovenian health insurance card. This will show you’re entitled to healthcare on the same basis as a Slovenian citizen.

Studying in Slovenia

You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in Slovenia, whether this is for part or all of your course. This means that you’ll get necessary healthcare services on the same basis as a Slovenian citizen either for free or at a reduced cost.

If you already hold a valid Student EHIC you can use this until the card expires.

Read more about eligibility and how to apply

If you’re studying in Slovenia for more than 3 months, you should register for a Slovenian health insurance card.

You’ll need to register in person at a ZZZS office. Take your passport and proof that you’re enrolled on a course in Slovenia.

Getting treatment in the UK

Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis may lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.

If you are a UK national and move to the EU, you should not expect to be able to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless you have an EHIC, PRC or S2 to show your healthcare costs are funded by the EU country in which you now live, or another exemption applies.

Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes:

• UK war pensioners
• UK government employees
• UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020, once they have a registered, UK-issued S1

Read more about using the NHS when you no longer live in the UK (see ‘UK nationals who no longer live in the UK’ in Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU).

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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