Slovakia has a statutory health insurance system built on competition between three funds. For a newcomer it looks simpler than it is, because one question comes before all others: who is paying for your care, Slovakia or the country you left? The answer depends on your job, your pension and your residence.
This guide walks through healthcare in Slovakia for expats, step by step.
Who is covered by healthcare in Slovakia, the public health insurance?
The law links insurance to residence and activity. You are covered if you have trvalý pobyt (permanent residence) in Slovakia. Without permanent residence, you are covered if, for example, you work for an employer established in Slovakia (above a monthly earnings threshold set by law), if you are self-employed with a residence permit, or in some cases as a student or child. You are not insured in Slovakia if you are already insured in another EU member state: you cannot be insured in two countries.
How do you register with a health fund?
- Choose your fund among VšZP, Dôvera and Union. The choice is free.
- File your application (prihláška na verejné zdravotné poistenie) within 8 days of the triggering event, for example starting work. At a counter, show your ID. By post or online, attach a copy of your ID or sign with a qualified electronic signature. If you are an employee, your employer also declares you and deducts contributions.
- Receive your insured person's card (preukaz poistenca) and number. Report any loss to your fund.
- Sign with a general practitioner (všeobecný lekár). The agreement (dohoda o poskytovaní zdravotnej starostlivosti) lasts at least six months. A doctor can refuse a new patient when overloaded, except if you live in the doctor's area; if the refusal is unjustified, the self-governing region can assign you one.
- Changing fund: apply before 30 September, effective 1 January. You can withdraw within 30 days.
If you do not file within 8 days, the law decides which fund becomes yours, and it may not be the one you would have chosen.
Your situation decides which of the routes applies: employee, self-employed, retiree with an S1, partner without work. Moovy can ask a few questions, tell you which one is yours and draft the letter or email to your fund in Slovak with an English translation. You send it yourself.
What does public health insurance cost?
Rates in force from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027:
- Employee: 5% of gross pay (2.5% for a disability), plus 11% paid by the employer.
- Self-employed and people insured on their own account: 16% of their base (8% for a disability), with a minimum monthly advance of 121.92 euros (60.96 euros for a disability), payable before the 8th of the following month, according to VšZP.
- State: pays for retirees, children and other categories.
Registration is free. Out-of-hours care costs little: the on-call service is 2 euros outside surgery hours and at weekends, and a non-acute emergency room visit is 10 euros (EURES).
What if you keep insurance in your home country?
The European coordination rules apply to EU and EEA citizens. The Úrad pre dohľad nad zdravotnou starostlivosťou (ÚDZS), the health care surveillance authority, is the liaison body. Your Slovak fund issues your EHIC and registers your S1.
- Retiree with a pension from your home country and none from Slovakia: ask the fund paying your pension for an S1, then register it with the Slovak fund you choose. A retiree registers the stay on the sufficient-resources ground; see residence in Slovakia for EU citizens.
- Living in Slovakia but working in another country: request an S1 from your foreign fund and register it. You then have full care in Slovakia.
- EHIC: free, but for temporary stays only.
Swiss insurance is treated like that of a member state, and EU coordination rules apply to Switzerland too.
What about British residents?
UK citizens are third-country nationals. If you are employed by a Slovak employer you are under Slovak public insurance. If you receive a UK state pension, GOV.UK says to ask NHS Overseas Healthcare Services for an S1 and register it with one of the three funds. The GHIC and EHIC are only for temporary stays. See moving to Slovakia from the UK.
What are the traps?
- Living on an EHIC alone. It only covers care that cannot wait for your return.
- Staying without a GP. Without a signed agreement, the doctor cannot follow you normally.
- Being insured in two countries. Clarify before registering.
- Having neither permanent residence nor activity. A person without work (such as an inactive spouse) should check with the fund whether affiliation is possible. At the registration of your stay, the police will ask for proof of health insurance.
- Forgetting the 8 days.
How does this fit with the rest of your arrival?
Register your stay first (residence in Slovakia for EU citizens), then your fund. If you start a business, insurance is due from the first day of activity. For budget purposes, see cost of living in Slovakia.
How does healthcare in Slovakia work once you are registered?
You see your general practitioner first. He or she makes the first examinations and refers you to specialists when needed. Take your insured person's card to every visit. If you need care outside surgery hours, the on-call service (APS) costs 2 euros, and a non-acute visit to a hospital emergency room costs 10 euros (EURES). In a real emergency call 112, or 155 for a medical emergency.
How does the S1 form in Slovakia work in practice?
The S1 form Slovakia accepts is issued by the institution of your home country that pays your pension or your benefits, or covers you as a cross-border worker. You then register it with one of the three Slovak funds, which becomes your fund for practical purposes: you get a card, you choose a GP and you use the system like a Slovak insured person, while your home country reimburses the cost. Ask for your S1 before you leave.
What if you are a student or a job seeker?
Students and job seekers are in different situations: some categories are insured by the state or through the institution, others by a home-country card. The foreigners' police asks for proof of health insurance at registration, so clarify it first with your Slovak fund or the ÚDZS, the liaison body, which publishes procedures by category of person.
Can you switch funds or doctors?
You can change fund once a year: apply before 30 September, for effect from 1 January, and tell your employer within 8 days. You can change GP too: a new agreement ends the previous one, but each agreement lasts at least six months, except in cases such as moving house or a change of workplace in another municipality.
What should you keep in your folder?
Your card, your fund's contact details, the name and hours of your GP, a copy of your S1 or EHIC, and a note of the number 155. If you take regular medication, bring a prescription and check whether your treatment is available in Slovakia before you move.