European Health Insurance Card

What it means

The European Health Insurance Card guarantees the insured person necessary healthcare during a temporary stay in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland on the same terms as local insured people. In Slovakia it is printed on the back of the health insurance card.

Necessary care is care that is medically required and cannot wait until the person returns home, for example after an accident, a sudden illness or for a chronic condition. The card works on the principle of social security coordination in the EU.

The card does not replace travel insurance. It does not cover repatriation, mountain rescue, treatment by private doctors outside the public system or co-payments that local patients also pay in that country.

How it works in practice

For treatment, the card must be shown to a doctor contracted to the country's public health insurance system. If the patient pays on the spot, they can ask their health insurer for reimbursement after returning, but only up to what the insurer in that country would have paid.

On business trips, employees should carry a valid card, and employers often add travel insurance, whose cost is a deductible expense as part of travel allowances. For long-term postings, coverage is handled with the A1 form.

Someone who lives long-term in another country but is insured in Slovakia, such as a pensioner or cross-border worker, uses the S1 form instead of the card, which allows registration in the country of residence with full healthcare coverage.

What to watch out for

The card is valid only while the person is insured in Slovakia. If insurance ends, for example after moving abroad or failing to pay contributions, the entitlement ends too and treatment may be billed in full. It is worth checking validity before travelling.

The card is not meant for planned treatment abroad. A patient who wants to travel to another country specifically for an operation must obtain the insurer's prior authorisation or follow the cross-border healthcare rules with reimbursement at Slovak prices.