Healthcare for UK nationals living in Latvia
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Latvia.
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This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Latvia.
This information is about living in Latvia. There are different rules if you’re visiting Latvia - find out how to get healthcare cover abroad with a UK-issued Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) on the NHS website.
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:
- through entitlement to healthcare if they’re employed or self-employed and make social security contributions in Latvia
- private health insurance (it’s common for Latvian employers to offer this)
- using a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a ‘posted’ (detached) worker
- registering a UK-issued S1 form with the Latvian National Health Service (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Latvia’ below)
Healthcare if you live and work in Latvia
If you are planning on moving to Latvia, see the guidance on Living in Latvia 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 Latvia or the appropriate Latvian embassy or consulate in the UK.
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.
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.
You may 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 Latvia’ below).
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 to access healthcare services
Find your nearest hospital or clinic on the National Health Service of the Republic of Latvia website.
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 a GHIC, EHIC 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 Latvia
There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a ‘posted worker’ (see ‘If your UK employer has sent you to Latvia temporarily (‘posted workers’)’ above).
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a resident in Latvia 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.
Not all UK benefits that can be claimed while abroad entitle you to UK-funded healthcare. Read more about claiming benefits if you move abroad or contact Jobcentre Plus to ask about a benefit.
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:
- a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for travel
- planned treatments in other EU countries
You can find out more about using your GHIC or EHIC abroad and the rules on planned treatments in other EU countries on the NHS website.
Dependants and family members may be classified differently in Latvia 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.
NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm
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 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.
If you are experiencing delays registering your S1 with local authorities and require emergency or urgent treatment, contact the Overseas Healthcare Services on 0044 191 218 1999.
Studying in Latvia
You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in Latvia, 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 Latvia 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 on the NHS website.
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.
Updates to this page
Last updated 21 October 2021 + show all updates
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Updated 'Healthcare if you live and work in Latvia' to include information about how to find your nearest hospital or clinic. Updated 'UK-funded healthcare' to include information for S1 dependants who begin claiming a UK State Pension, and guidance for S1 holders who are experiencing delays in registering their S1. Updated 'Studying in Latvia' to include more information on Student GHIC and Student EHIC cards. Updated 'Getting treatment in the UK' to provide additional detail about NHS access when visiting the UK.
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Updated posted worker section as Latvia has confirmed posted workers can continue working and accessing state healthcare in Latvia, and added detail to ‘getting treatment in the UK’ section about healthcare when you no longer live in the UK.
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Updated sections on living and working in Latvia, using an S1 form in Latvia, posted workers and studying in Latvia. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to Latvia under the new rules of the UK’s deal with the EU.
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Updated 2 sections: ‘Healthcare if you’re using an S1 form in Latvia' and ‘Healthcare if you’re studying in Latvia’. Students and people with a registered S1 in Latvia can now apply for a new UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that will remain valid from 1 January 2021.
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First published.