Healthcare for UK nationals living in Romania
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Romania.
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This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Romania.
This information is about living in Romania. There are different rules if you’re visiting Romania - 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.
You need to register with your local Health Insurance House (CAS in Romanian) to access state healthcare in Romania.
You have to pay to use parts of the state healthcare system, although some parts are free.
UK nationals usually access the Romanian healthcare system in one of these ways:
- paying social security contributions
- 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 CAS (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Romania’ below)
- paying for private health insurance
Healthcare if you live and work in Romania
If you are planning on moving to Romania, see the guidance on Living in Romania 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 Romania or the appropriate Romanian embassy or consulate in the UK.
You must register as a resident in Romania if you’re living there for more than 3 months.
To access state healthcare, most people need to be making social security contributions and register with CAS.
Some people can register with CAS without making social security contributions, including:
- children under 18
- students aged 18 to 26 with no income (if they’re a registered Romanian resident)
- disabled people who have a certificate of proof
- pregnant women who earn below the Romanian minimum wage
Your dependants (for example, a husband or wife with no income) are entitled to register with CAS through your social security contributions.
You may be entitled to a Romanian 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 Romania’ below).
How to register for healthcare
You must be a resident of Romania to register for state healthcare.
If you’re employed, your employer will register you with CAS. Your social security contributions will come out of your salary before you’re paid.
If you’re self-employed, you need to give a tax declaration to the tax authorities (Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală (ANAF)) and arrange to make social security contributions. Then register with CAS.
If you are not working and you are not someone’s dependant, you need register with the tax authorities (ANAF) and arrange to make social security contributions. Then register with CAS.
Once CAS has confirmed your application, you’ll get a health card (Card Național de Asigurări de Sănătate) in the post.
To register with a GP, go to your nearest CAS office. There’s a CAS office in the main city of each county.
How much you’ll pay
You have to pay to use parts of the state healthcare system in Romania, although some parts are free.
Charges are usually between 10% and 80% of the cost of treatment.
For prescription medicines, the minimum you’ll pay is 10% of the cost. The maximum you’ll pay is the full cost.
GP appointments and A&E visits are both free of charge.
If you’re hospitalised because a doctor says you need to go to hospital, you may be charged around 2.50 euros when you’re discharged.
Dental care is not usually free, and most dentists have private practices. You can get emergency free dental care at some health centres and state hospitals.
If your UK employer has sent you to Romania 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 Romania using an 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 Romania
There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a ‘posted worker’ (see ‘If your UK employer has sent you to Romania temporarily (‘posted workers’)’ above).
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a resident in Romania 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 Romanian system.
This will mean you and your dependants will be entitled to healthcare in Romania on the same basis as a Romanian 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 Romania 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 Romania
You must register as a resident before registering your S1.
You must register your S1 form with CAS in your local area. There is a CAS office in the main city of each county.
Once registered, you can present the S1 form to medical service providers in Romania’s health insurance system when you need medical support.
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 Romania
You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in Romania, 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 Romanian 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 5 October 2022 + show all updates
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Updated information to say you must now show a registered S1 form to access healthcare.
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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 Romania' 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 to reflect that posted workers can continue working and accessing state healthcare in Romania, 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 Romania, using an S1 form in Romania, posted workers and studying in Romania. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to Romania 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 Romania' and ‘Healthcare if you’re studying in Romania’. Students and people with a registered S1 in Romania 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.