Healthcare for UK nationals living in Slovenia
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Slovenia.
Stay up to date
This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Slovenia.
This information is about living in Slovenia. There are different rules if you바카라 사이트檙e visiting Slovenia - find out how to on the NHS website.
Healthcare if you live and work in Slovenia
You must聽register as a resident聽if you바카라 사이트檙e living in Slovenia for more than 3 months.
If you have residency in Slovenia you must have health insurance. This applies to all residents, including dependants. You will be required to show proof of healthcare cover:
- before you can register as a resident
- when you apply for a visa
For details about the healthcare cover required for residency applications, contact local authorities in Slovenia or the appropriate Slovenian embassy or consulate in the UK.
State healthcare in Slovenia is not completely free. However, emergency medical treatment is provided regardless of your insurance cover. Accident and emergency care and treatment is free at the point of delivery.
UK nationals and their dependants usually access the Slovenian healthcare system in one of the following ways:
- by paying into the
- by registering a UK-issued S1 form with ZZZS
- by using a GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a 바카라 사이트榩osted바카라 사이트� (detached) worker
- by paying for private healthcare insurance
Accessing the Slovenian National Health Insurance System (ZZZS)
The has information about registering for health insurance.
If you are employed in Slovenia, your employer will register you with the ZZZS.
If you are self-employed, you should check that you are registered for healthcare at a local .
If you are unemployed in Slovenia and receiving benefits, you should check that you are registered at a local .
Once you and your dependants have registered, you will receive a Slovenian Health Insurance Card (a ZZZS card). This covers you for treatment by healthcare providers contracted by ZZZS, and you should show this whenever you access state healthcare. Services covered by the ZZZS card include:
- GP visits
- state hospital visits
- health centre visits
- state dental care
- private doctors who have a contract with ZZZS
- prescription costs
You바카라 사이트檒l need to register with a GP. They will usually be your first point of contact to access specialists and hospital treatment.
The ZZZS website has .
With a ZZZS card you will need to pay if you see a private GP or get dental treatment at a private clinic.
For prescriptions, ZZZS set a maximum amount it will cover for different types of medicine, which usually covers the majority of prescription costs, depending on the type and brand of medication. If a top-up payment is required, your doctor will be able to give you more information.
You will be required to pay in full for your healthcare when you visit:
- providers who do not have a contract with ZZZS
- specialists without a GP referral
- private dentists
From 1 January 2024, most people living in Slovenia will be required to make monthly healthcare payments to ZZZS. The amount you pay will depend on your income.
If you are employed, your employer will deduct all mandatory healthcare contributions directly from your salary, including for any dependants.
If you are self-employed, you will need to make payments as part of your monthly tax contributions, including for any dependants.
Some people and their dependents are not required to make these monthly healthcare payments. Examples of those for whom this payment is not required include:
- posted workers (those sent to work in Slovenia by a UK employer)
- those eligible for UK state-funded healthcare and who have registered their S1 바카라 사이트� (from 1 January 2024 a voluntary monthly top-up payment of 35 euros is no longer required)
- GHIC or EHIC student card holders (studying in Slovenia for under 3 months)
- those who choose not to register with ZZZS and have private health insurance for non-emergency healthcare
More information about the mandatory payment scheme can be found on the . This information is currently only available in Slovenian.
Once you have a ZZZS card you may be entitled to a Slovenian EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.
If your UK employer has sent you to Slovenia temporarily (바카라 사이트榩osted workers바카라 사이트�)
A posted worker, also known as a 바카라 사이트榙etached worker바카라 사이트�, is someone employed or self-employed in the UK, but temporarily sent to a European Economic Area (EEA) country.
UK posted workers can access state healthcare in Slovenia using a GHIC, EHIC or S1 form. From 1 January 2024, there is no longer a requirement for S1 form holders to make a monthly healthcare payment.
HMRC has a helpline for National Insurance enquiries from non-UK residents. They can answer questions about posted worker status and explain which documents you will need to get healthcare while posted.
UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Slovenia
There바카라 사이트檚 different guidance if you have an S1 as a 바카라 사이트榩osted worker바카라 사이트� (see the section of this guide 바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트業f your UK employer has sent you to Slovenia temporarily (바카라 사이트榩osted workers바카라 사이트�)바카라 사이트�.
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you바카라 사이트檙e a resident in Slovenia and receive a UK State Pension or an exportable benefit. See on the NHS website for more information about eligibility.
You may also be entitled to an S1 form if you바카라 사이트檙e a frontier worker (someone who works in one state and lives in another). You must contact HMRC National Insurance enquiries to find out if you바카라 사이트檙e eligible.
Not all UK benefits that can be claimed while abroad entitle you to UK-funded healthcare. Read more about claiming benefits if you move abroad or contact Jobcentre Plus to ask about a benefit.
Once you have an S1 form, you must register it with the ZZZS. From 1 January 2024, there is no longer a requirement to make a monthly healthcare top-up payment.
Registering your S1 form with ZZZS means you and your dependants will be entitled to state healthcare in Slovenia on the same basis as a Slovenian citizen.
You바카라 사이트檒l also get:
- a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for travel
- planned treatments in other EU countries
You can find out more about and the rules on on the NHS website.
Dependants and family members may be classified differently in Slovenia than the UK.
Check with the local authorities when you register your S1 form.
If you바카라 사이트檙e entitled to an S1 form as a dependant of a state pensioner, your health cover will be cancelled once you begin claiming your UK state pension.
You will be sent a new S1 form to your registered address from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You must register this form to ensure continuation of healthcare cover.
You are responsible for informing NHS Overseas Healthcare Services if you change your address or your circumstances change.
NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm
How to get an S1 form
If you have a UK State Pension or another qualifying exportable benefit, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services (see contact details above).
How to use an S1 form in Slovenia
You must register your S1 in person at a . You바카라 사이트檒l be able to get help filling in the forms if you do not speak Slovene.
You바카라 사이트檒l also need to show:
- proof that you get a UK State Pension
- proof of identity, such as your passport
Once registered, you will be issued with a Slovenian health insurance card. This will show you바카라 사이트檙e entitled to healthcare on the same basis as a Slovenian citizen.
If you are experiencing delays registering your S1 with local authorities and require emergency or urgent treatment, contact the Overseas Healthcare Services on 0044 191 218 1999.
Studying in Slovenia
You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in Slovenia, whether this is for part or all of your course. This means that you바카라 사이트檒l get necessary state healthcare services on the same basis as a Slovenian citizen either for free or at a reduced cost.
If you already hold a valid Student EHIC you can use this until the card expires.
on the NHS website.
If you바카라 사이트檙e studying in Slovenia for more than 3 months, you should register for a Slovenian health insurance card (see ZZZS registration).
You바카라 사이트檒l need to register in person at a . Take your passport and proof that you바카라 사이트檙e enrolled on a course in Slovenia.
Getting treatment in the UK
Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis may lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.
If you are a UK national and move to the EU, you should not expect to be able to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless you have an EHIC, PRC or S2 to show your healthcare costs are funded by the EU country in which you now live, or another exemption applies.
Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes:
- UK war pensioners
- UK government employees
- UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020, once they have a registered, UK-issued S1
Read more about using the NHS when you no longer live in the UK (see 바카라 사이트楿K nationals who no longer live in the UK바카라 사이트� in Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU).
If you return to live in the UK you바카라 사이트檒l be able to use the NHS like any other UK resident.
Read more about using the NHS when you return to live in the UK.
Updates to this page
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The chapter "Healthcare if you live and work in Slovenia" was shortened, since some of the information that was in this chapter is now part of a newly added chapter "Accessing the Slovenian National Health Insurance System (ZZZS)". This chapter additionally describes the changes to the mandatory health insurance that came into effect on 1 January 2024 - from this date, there is no longer a requirement to make a monthly healthcare top-up payment.
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Updated 'UK-funded healthcare' to include information for S1 dependants who begin claiming a UK State Pension, and guidance for S1 holders who are experiencing delays in registering their S1. Updated 'Studying in Slovenia' to include more information on Student GHIC and Student EHIC cards. Updated 'Getting treatment in the UK' to provide additional detail about NHS access when visiting the UK.
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Updated 'posted worker' section to reflect that posted workers can continue working and accessing state healthcare in Slovenia, and added detail to 바카라 사이트榞etting treatment in the UK바카라 사이트� section about healthcare when you no longer live in the UK.
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Updated sections on living and working in Slovenia, using an S1 form in Slovenia, posted workers and studying in Slovenia. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to Slovenia under the new rules of the UK바카라 사이트檚 deal with the EU.
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Updated 2 sections: 바카라 사이트楬ealthcare if you바카라 사이트檙e using an S1 form in Slovenia' and 바카라 사이트楬ealthcare if you바카라 사이트檙e studying in Slovenia바카라 사이트�. Students and people with a registered S1 in Slovenia can now apply for a new UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that will remain valid from 1 January 2021.
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First published.