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25-07-2023

Advice from the health insurance funds: important information for those returning to Lithuania

Iliustracija

Last year, 13% more people returned to Lithuania than departed. For the third year in a row, more Lithuanians are returning than leaving. One of the reasons mentioned for the return is that health care services are more accessible than in other countries. However, when considering returning to Lithuania, there is concern that there will be a long road ahead, with visits to various state institutions and a lot of paperwork. The health insurance funds remind returnees of the most important steps they need to take in order to be able to receive treatment in Lithuania at the expense of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund.

  • If you decide to return, you should first consult the Compulsory Health Insurance (CHI) guarantees in your country by calling +370 5 232 2222 or emailing [email protected]. Advice is available in Lithuanian, English and Russian. A lot of relevant information can be found on the website of the health insurance funds ligoniukasa.lrv.lt. 
  • The first step is to declare your place of residence when you return to Lithuania, because every citizen who returns to Lithuania becomes insured, meaning they are entitled to CHI from the date they declare their place of residence. If you did not declare your departure from Lithuania while living abroad, the first thing you should do on your return is to contact Sodra to find out if you owe any CHI contributions.
  • For compulsory health insurance, you should consult the Territorial Health Insurance Fund a few days after declaring your place of residence with the municipality or district or via the e-Government Gateway. The information on your place of residence will then already be visible in the information system of the health insurance funds.  
  • The CHI contribution to Sodra is payable from the date of declaration of residence. If you are employed, all mandatory contributions are paid with your salary. If a person returns from abroad and is not working for some time, he/she must pay these contributions himself/herself or may be insured at state expense. If you are uninsured but have declared your residence in Lithuania, only emergency medical care is free. 
  • If you are going to pay CHI contributions on your own, you will first need to apply to Sodra. Without this application, the contributions paid will not confer coverage.
  • The most socially vulnerable groups may be covered by state funding. For example, children, students, unemployed people registered with the Employment Service, pregnant women who are not working, people with disabilities, parents (adoptive, foster, guardians, carers) raising minor children, people receiving social benefits, people caring for disabled people, etc.  
  • If you are a mum or dad with minor children and want to take out state insurance on this basis, you need to submit an application to the Health Insurance Fund.  
  • Applications are also required from people caring for people with disabilities, full-time students at higher education institutions in EU countries, pregnant women who are not in employment (from 28 weeks of pregnancy), and people suffering from contagious diseases that are dangerous to society. Most of the population groups eligible for public health insurance are covered automatically.  
  • If you have compulsory health insurance, you need to subscribe to a primary care institution and a mental health centre that have a contract with a territorial health insurance fund. It is advisable to choose a family clinic, outpatient clinic or primary health care centre closer to your place of residence. The choice of a mental health centre is limited to the municipality of residence.  
  • You can choose your own family doctor when you sign up to a healthcare facility. If a doctor is chosen who, because of his/her workload, cannot attend to a larger number of patients within the maximum working time requirements, the administration of the establishment must suggest another family doctor working at the same establishment. 
  • Primary outpatient dental care services are provided either in the same health care facility to which the patient subscribes or in another facility with which the patient has a contract. The patient's family clinic, outpatient clinic or primary health care centre must inform the patient of the facility where he or she can receive primary dental care.

Information from Panevėžys Territorial Health Insurance Fund 

(BNS photo)

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 09-08-2023

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