Healthcare services for persons living in Lithuania but insured in another European Union country

People living in Lithuania but working and paying social insurance contributions in other EU countries often ask the Health insurance funds how to receive state-provided medical services in Lithuania and whether they have to pay for them completely or partially.

Please, be informed that people legally working and paying social insurance contributions in any country of the European Union and in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or the United Kingdom - are insured with social insurance and entitled to free healthcare in that country.

Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council coordinating social security systems determine that insured person who has moved from one EU Member State to another one has a right to receive free healthcare in country of residence as well. Thus, if you live in Lithuania, but work in other EU Member State (or Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom) and pay social insurance contributions there, you can also exercise this right and receive medical services paid for from the budget of the Compulsory Health insurance Fund (CHIF) in Lithuania.

In order to exercise this right, please, register the portable document S1 issued by your competent institution of the country where you are insured with social insurance, in one of the territorial health insurance funds (THIF). The document S1 (replacing the previously issued forms E106, E109, E120, E121) confirms the right of the person insured in EU countries for free healthcare in the country of the residence. After registering the document S1 in the THIF, the person will be recorded in the Register of Persons Insured with the Compulsory Health Insurance and will be able to receive healthcare services in medical institutions under the same conditions as all insured people in Lithuania. Such a person will not have to pay the compulsory health insurance contributions in Lithuania. The costs of healthcare services provided to such a person as well as reimbursable medicines issued to him will be covered by the THIF from the CHIF budget. Later Lithuania will be reimbursed by the competent institution of the country where the person is insured.

In order to assure the smooth provision of state-provided medical services it is important to provide the document S1 to the THIF without delay, i. e. without waiting for medical services to be required.

It is also necessary to inform the THIF when the employment relationship in another European country expires, i. e. when a person loses the right to receive healthcare services in Lithuania at the expense of another country.