Work & daily life

Health insurance

Healthcare system in Slovakia

Health insurance and coverage

Public Health Insurance for Scholarship Holders

Obtaining health care

Healthcare system in Slovakia

The healthcare system in Slovakia falls under the competence of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. In Slovakia, there are state and private health care providers. An initial medical examination is provided by state or private general practitioners. Everybody can choose a general practitioner who usually provides basic health care and can refer a patient to an appropriate specialist for further medical examination.

If a foreign national has health insurance, the health care provided is paid for by the insurance company. Depending on the type of service provided, the health insurance company will pay for this service either in full or partially. If the health insurance company pays for the service only partially, the rest is paid by the foreigner directly to the health care provider. If a foreign national does not have health insurance, he/she must pay the full amount for health care provided.

In practice, it is important to verify whether the doctor or facility has a contract with your insurance provider, otherwise you may have to cover the full cost of care.

Health Insurance and Coverage

Health care in Slovakia is financed by health insurance. Having health insurance in Slovakia is obligatory and a proof of health insurance is required also as a part of a temporary residence granting procedure.

It is not possible to choose a country of your health coverage. Which country is responsible for your healthcare depends on the employment situation or the place of residence, not the nationality. 

There are 2 types of health insurance in Slovakia:

  • mandatory public health insurance
  • individual (commercial) health insurance

Holders of temporary residence permits must arrange for appropriate health insurance from the date of their legal stay in Slovakia.

European Health Insurance Card

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals are entitled to health care under the same conditions as the nationals of the Slovak Republic. For entitlement to medical treatment on the basis of health insurance in another Member State (EU, EEA, Switzerland), an EU/EEA/Swiss national must present a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to the healthcare provider (EHIC will be issued at your request by a health insurance company to which you pay health insurance premiums). In such case, the treatment of an EU/EEA/Swiss national will be covered by a Slovak health insurance company to the same amount as for a Slovak national, provided the relevant physician has concluded a contract with at least one health insurance company.

Note: The EHIC covers only necessary healthcare during a temporary stay and does not replace full travel or residence insurance.

International Students (Including PhD Students)

International students who come to Slovakia to study within a scholarship programme arising from an international bilateral agreement (and that agreement is binding for the Slovak Republic) is subject to statutory health insurance, the Slovak Republic being the payer of such insurance. The student shall submit the necessary documents certifying his/her study at a higher education institution in the Slovak Republic and its international status – proved by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic. Other international students must be insured privately (commercial health insurance).

Some universities and research institutes assist students with registration at health insurance companies. Ask your host institution if they offer such support.

Additional Individual Health Insurance

Foreigners who are not duly insured can conclude commercial health insurance in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

There are 3 health insurance companies in the Slovak Republic. Health insurance companies are free to contract with providers and negotiate quality, prices and volumes individually. All of them are joint stock companies governing public resources and function in the whole territory of Slovakia. Everyone has the right to choose his/her health insurance company:

Make sure to renew your insurance and keep your insurance card with you at all times when visiting a doctor or pharmacy.

Public Health Insurance for Scholarship Holders

As of January 1, 2023, the Slovak parliament has approved an amendment to the Act on Health Insurance No.580/2004 Coll., regulating the public healthcare insurance for general healthcare provision in Slovakia.  

Scholarship holders of several scholarship programmes (incl. the National Scholarship Programme, CEEPUS, Erasmus+ several other eligible programmes), residing on the territory of Slovakia are entitled to full coverage within the public health insurance if they are awarded the scholarship for a period of more than one month.

Pursuant to Section 3, paragraph. 3, (l).:

“the insured person of the state is a foreigner (if not otherwise insured) who resides on the territory of the Slovak Republic, is a scholarship holder within a scholarship programme aproved by the Government of the Slovak Republic or a programme arising from the international agreement, or within the framework of a program of the European Union if such natural person is awarded the scholarship for a period of more than one month”.

The information and a list of eligible scholarship programmes are available on the website of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of SR.

Public health insurance is provided free of charge to eligible scholarship holders (paid by goverment).

Important: You must register with a health insurance company upon your arrival in Slovakia to activate the insurance. Registration is not automatic.

Although the registration process is now well established, the required documents and registration procedures may differ slightly between health insurance companies. Therefore it is better to directly contact chosen health insurance company and inform yourself how to proceed and what documents you need to bring with you as it may differ to each company. Here is a list of the insurance companies offering this free insurance:

  • Dôvera – application in Slovak language only or available at the insurance office
  • VšZP  (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) - application form in Slovak language only (see below), online application in Slovak language (see below) or at the insurance office
  • Union – online registration in English is available, or registration can also be completed at a branch office - https://www.union.sk/online-registration-uzp/#/selection-of-insured-person, or at the insurance office

If you would like to try the application form in Slovak language with VsZP - here are options:

Union is currently the only health insurance company offering online registration in English.

Obtaining Health Care
Under the Slovak Constitution, every individual – a citizen of Slovakia or a foreigner – staying in Slovakia has the right to be provided with the necessary health care. Everyone has the right to choose his/her own health care provider.

You should register with a general practitioner (“všeobecný lekár”) as soon as possible. Some GPs may refuse new patients, so it's best to contact more than one or ask your employer/university for recommendations.

Doctors
General practitioners and specialists have their consulting rooms in hospitals or in medical centres. Upon your arrival, your host institution, employer or colleagues can usually recommend a local general practitioner.

It is necessary to make an appointment in advance. Waiting times for specialists may range from a few days to several weeks, depending on the region and specialty.

Dentists
In every town, there is either a private or state dental practice (in Slovak: “zubár”, “stomatológ”). Upon arrival, you should ask for details of the chosen dentist. Note that it is usually essential to book an appointment with a dentist in advance. However, for emergency cases, there is usually an emergency stomatology practice in hospitals.

Hospitals
Every university town has a hospital (in Slovak: “nemocnica” or "poliklinika”) with an emergency department (in Slovak: “pohotovosť” or “urgentný príjem”) and many specialised clinics.

More information is available at:

Emergency
If you need emergency services (in Slovak: “záchranná služba”), dial telephone number “112”. Ambulances are well staffed and equipped with life‑sustaining apparatus needed to safely transport patients to hospitals.

Hospitals provide 24-hour emergency services. List of emergency medical care providers in Slovakia is available here (in Slovak only). You may be asked to present your health insurance card upon arrival. If you are uninsured, you will be billed directly.

Pharmacies
You can buy medicines in pharmacies (“lekáreň”) only; they are located in every town and in some villages (they are marked with a green cross). Every town has to have at least one emergency pharmacy (in Slovak: “pohotovostná lekáreň“) open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – for further details consult the information posted on the door of every pharmacy. If you require treatment at night, look for the sign “nočná služba”. Pharmacies sell domestic and foreign medical products.
Certain medicines can be obtained only with a prescription from a physician. List of pharmacies in Slovakia is available here (in Slovak only).

Tip: For basic medication like painkillers, cold medicine or allergy treatment, over-the-counter products are available without a prescription.