Latvia's health system works on a simple principle that surprises many newcomers: the door is the family doctor. Your path to nearly everything state-funded, from a specialist to a scan, starts at that small practice around the corner, where the receptionist may switch to Russian or English if your Latvian runs out.
Healthcare in Latvia is good where it is funded and expensive where it is not, so the first question is whether you have a right to state-funded care. Everything else follows.
Who is entitled to state-funded healthcare in Latvia?
The National Health Service (Nacionālais veselības dienests, NVD) pays for care through the state budget. For a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland the entitlement comes in two main ways:
- You work in Latvia, as an employee or self-employed person. You are insured, and so are your family and your children under 18. EURES adds that once you start working, you can obtain a Latvian health card free of charge from the NVD.
- You are insured in another country, for instance as a pensioner paid by another EU state, EEA state, Switzerland or the UK, or as an employee of a foreign employer. You obtain an S1 form from your insurer and register it with the NVD.
A person who neither works in Latvia nor has an S1 does not appear among the beneficiaries of state-funded care in the sources we read. Such a person pays for care, or takes private insurance. Someone with sufficient resources is in any case required to hold health cover to obtain the registration certificate (see residence in Latvia for EU citizens). The official list of beneficiaries we used dates from October 2022, so check with the NVD before settling without work.
What does the EHIC cover while you settle in?
Before you leave, request your European Health Insurance Card from your home health fund. In Latvia it covers necessary and urgent care at trauma points, hospital admissions and with the emergency service (113), while you remain insured at home. It does not cover the patient payment or repatriation.
The rule to remember is that you can only be insured in one country. The NVD refuses an S1 if you work or receive a pension in Latvia, and a Latvian health card is cancelled if you already hold a European one.
How do you register an S1 with the NVD?
- Ask the insurer in the country that pays your pension for an S1 before you leave.
- Get your Latvian personal code and declare your address (see the Latvian personal code).
- Send the NVD the original S1 with a registration request giving your name, personal code, real address in Latvia, telephone and e-mail. You can do it in person at the Riga client centre, by post, by e-mail signed with a qualified electronic signature, or by e-address.
- If you do not yet have a code, the NVD gives you the questionnaire for each family member concerned, with an identity document: passport, ID card or, for children, a birth certificate.
The NVD's helpline is free on 80001234, or +371 67045005 from abroad, on working days from 08:30 to 17:00.
Not sure whether your situation gives you a right to care, or which form your insurer should issue? Moovy can sort your case, prepare the list of papers and draft the request to your insurer and to the NVD. Entitlement itself is decided by the NVD.
How does the family doctor system work in Latvia?
Register with a family doctor (ģimenes ārsts) whose practice area covers your actual place of residence. Registration is free. The family doctor treats most problems and refers you to specialists and many state-funded services.
For a specialist you generally need a referral from your family doctor or another specialist, except for those with direct access, such as the gynaecologist, ophthalmologist or paediatrician. Without a referral, most specialist consultations are not reimbursed.
Check that the doctor or hospital actually provides state-funded services. Otherwise you pay a private rate. Outside family-doctor hours, a medical advice line operates on +371 66016001, in Latvian, Russian or English.
What do patient payments cost in Latvia?
The state pays most of the bill, and you pay a patient payment (pacienta iemaksa). In the Cabinet regulation No. 555, version in force from 5 September 2026:
| Service | Patient payment |
|---|---|
| Family doctor visit | 2.00 euros (1.00 euro from age 65) |
| Family doctor home visit | 2.85 euros |
| Outpatient specialist | 4.00 euros |
| Day hospital | 7.00 euros a day |
| Hospital stay | 10.00 euros a day from the second day |
| X-ray / ultrasound | 3.00 / 4.00 euros |
| CT / MRI without contrast | 14.00 / 28.00 euros |
Some people are exempt. For major operations a surcharge of up to 31 euros applies. Without entitlement you pay the facility's rates.
What changes depending on your nationality?
EU and EEA citizens follow the rules above; Swiss citizens too, and the Swiss card is accepted for necessary care. For British readers, the position depends on how you arrive. A British resident who is insured in the UK, for instance through a UK state pension, registers an S1 like a European pensioner. Others first need a residence permit, and state-funded care for foreigners is foreseen for those with permanent residence, outside the European coordination rules, so confirm with the NVD. Moving to Latvia from the UK explains the permit side.
What traps catch newcomers in the health system?
- Arriving without a work link or an S1. You pay for care.
- Being insured in two countries. It is not allowed.
- Skipping the referral. The specialist is then not funded.
- Choosing a practice that is not contracted. You will be asked to pay a private fee.
- Forgetting the pension link. If you receive a pension in Latvia that opens health rights, Latvia covers you, even if you have other pensions.
How do you choose a family doctor for healthcare in Latvia?
Your practice area depends on your actual place of residence, so declare your address first. You can then look for a doctor whose zone covers it, and ask the practice whether it is taking new patients and whether the doctor or staff speak English. Registration is free. Some practices are crowded in cities, and in small towns there may be only one option. Ask the NVD's helpline if you struggle to find a practice.
Ask also how appointments work: many doctors take appointments by phone or an online platform, and some hold open hours. For anything that needs a specialist, the family doctor's referral is the key that opens the state-funded door. Healthcare in Latvia is easier when you treat the family doctor as your project manager.
What does private healthcare in Latvia look like?
If you have no right to state-funded care, or you want faster access, you pay the facility's rates or take private insurance. A person who qualifies for a registration certificate on the basis of sufficient resources must hold health cover in any case. Some private clinics in Riga advertise English-speaking staff, and prices vary from clinic to clinic, so ask for a written price before an appointment. Make sure the insurer covers pre-existing conditions if you have them.
Which health services require a referral and which do not?
Direct access, without a referral, applies to specialists such as the gynaecologist, ophthalmologist and paediatrician. For other specialists, you need a referral from your family doctor or another specialist. In an emergency, call 113 or go to a hospital admission department. Your EHIC works there during the transition, while the NVD handles the rest.
What about children, pregnancy and long-term care?
Children under 18 of beneficiaries are covered. The patient payment is lower or waived for certain groups, and long-term care, cancer treatment and rehabilitation have their own lower per-day fees: 7.00 euros a day for long-term care or cancer, and 5.00 euros for rehabilitation, against 10.00 euros a day in a standard hospital stay from the second day. For the maternity side, see the leave described in working in Latvia.
If you plan to live in Latvia, healthcare in Latvia will be part of your first-month list: the family doctor, the S1 or the work link, and a note of the emergency numbers on your phone.