Healthcare for UK nationals living in Slovenia
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Slovenia.
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This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Slovenia.
This information is about living in Slovenia. There are different rules if you’re visiting Slovenia - 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.
Healthcare if you live and work in Slovenia
You must register as a resident if you’re living in Slovenia for more than 3 months.
If you have residency in Slovenia you must have health insurance. This applies to all residents, including dependants. You will be required to 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.
State healthcare in Slovenia is not completely free. However, emergency medical treatment is provided regardless of your insurance cover. Accident and emergency care and treatment is free at the point of delivery.
UK nationals and their dependants usually access the Slovenian healthcare system in one of the following ways:
- by paying into the Slovenian national health insurance system (ZZZS)
- by registering a UK-issued S1 form with ZZZS
- by using a GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a ‘posted’ (detached) worker
- by paying for private healthcare insurance
Accessing the Slovenian National Health Insurance System (ZZZS)
The ZZZS website has information about registering for health insurance.
If you are employed in Slovenia, your employer will register you with the ZZZS.
If you are self-employed, you should check that you are registered for healthcare at a local ZZZS office.
If you are unemployed in Slovenia and receiving benefits, you should check that you are registered at a local ZZZS office.
Once you and your dependants have registered, you will receive a Slovenian Health Insurance Card (a ZZZS card). This covers you for treatment by healthcare providers contracted by ZZZS, and you should show this whenever you access state healthcare. Services covered by the ZZZS card include:
- GP visits
- state hospital visits
- health centre visits
- state dental care
- private doctors who have a contract with 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.
The ZZZS website has more information about what is covered.
With a ZZZS card you will need to pay if you see a private GP or get dental treatment at a private clinic.
For prescriptions, ZZZS set a maximum amount it will cover for different types of medicine, which usually covers the majority of prescription costs, depending on the type and brand of medication. If a top-up payment is required, your doctor will be able to give you more information.
You will be required to pay in full for your healthcare when you visit:
- providers who do not have a contract with ZZZS
- specialists without a GP referral
- private dentists
From 1 January 2024, most people living in Slovenia will be required to make monthly healthcare payments to ZZZS. The amount you pay will depend on your income.
If you are employed, your employer will deduct all mandatory healthcare contributions directly from your salary, including for any dependants.
If you are self-employed, you will need to make payments as part of your monthly tax contributions, including for any dependants.
Some people and their dependents are not required to make these monthly healthcare payments. Examples of those for whom this payment is not required include:
- posted workers (those sent to work in Slovenia by a UK employer)
- those eligible for UK state-funded healthcare and who have registered their S1 – (from 1 January 2024 a voluntary monthly top-up payment of 35 euros is no longer required)
- GHIC or EHIC student card holders (studying in Slovenia for under 3 months)
- those who choose not to register with ZZZS and have private health insurance for non-emergency healthcare
More information about the mandatory payment scheme can be found on the ZZZS website. This information is currently only available in Slovenian.
Once you have a ZZZS card you may be entitled to a Slovenian EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.
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 state healthcare in Slovenia using a GHIC, EHIC or S1 form. From 1 January 2024, there is no longer a requirement for S1 form holders to make a monthly healthcare payment.
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 the section of this guide – ‘If your UK employer has sent you to Slovenia temporarily (‘posted workers’)’.
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.
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 with the ZZZS. From 1 January 2024, there is no longer a requirement to make a monthly healthcare top-up payment.
Registering your S1 form with ZZZS means you and your dependants will be entitled to state healthcare in Slovenia on the same basis as a Slovenian 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 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.
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 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.
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 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 state 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 on the NHS website.
If you’re studying in Slovenia for more than 3 months, you should register for a Slovenian health insurance card (see ZZZS registration).
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.
Updates to this page
Last updated 15 January 2024 + show all updates
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The chapter "Healthcare if you live and work in Slovenia" was shortened, since some of the information that was in this chapter is now part of a newly added chapter "Accessing the Slovenian National Health Insurance System (ZZZS)". This chapter additionally describes the changes to the mandatory health insurance that came into effect on 1 January 2024 - from this date, there is no longer a requirement to make a monthly healthcare top-up payment.
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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 Slovenia' 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 Slovenia, 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 Slovenia, using an S1 form in Slovenia, posted workers and studying in Slovenia. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to Slovenia 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 Slovenia' and ‘Healthcare if you’re studying in Slovenia’. Students and people with a registered S1 in Slovenia 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.