Health care

The right to health care from compulsory health insurance in the Republic of Croatia is ensured under the same conditions for all insured persons of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO).

If you have compulsory health insurance in another EU/EEA Member State/Switzerland/UK during your stay in Croatia, you can use your health care in the same way as persons insured in the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, but at the expense of your health insurance holder.

Health care during a temporary stay in another EU/EEA Member State/Switzerland/UK and in Croatia (in case of stay of the insured of another Member State in Croatia) is used on the basis of the European Health Insurance Card (EKZO) or the replacement Certificate.

Health care during the stay in another Member State is used on the basis of a particular document or a form issued by the competent healthcare holder.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Is the European Health Insurance Card used in the same way in case of a private stay and, for example, in case of temporary work in another Member State?

Yes. The European Health Insurance Card is used in the same way regardless of whether you are staying in another EU/EEA Member State/Switzerland/UK due to a private reason, during study, official journey, temporary work on which you are sent by an employer or for some other reason.

2. Who issues European Health Insurance Cards?

The health insurance holder which provides your compulsory health insurance issues your European Health Insurance Card.

3. To whom is the replacement Certificate issued?

The Certificate is issued in case of theft or loss of the European Health Insurance Card, or in cases when insured persons lose the Card for some other reasons.

4. What is covered by the European Health Insurance Card/Certificate?

The European Health Insurance Card covers the costs of immediate health care, for which the doctor you are referring to for treatment assesses that it can not be delayed until your scheduled return to the home country. The immediate health care also includes health care related to chronic or existing illness if the purpose of the travel is not medical treatment (for example, high pressure control), and health care related to pregnancy and childbirth if the purpose of temporary stay abroad is not childbirth. Also, immediate health services are, for example, dialysis, oxygen therapy, asthma treatments, but for the purpose of these services, you must first agree with the health institution of the country you are planning to visit.

5. In which health care institutions can I use the European Health Insurance Card/Certificate?

The European Health Insurance Card/Certificate can be used in contractual health care institutions and at health care practitioners in the country of temporary stay, who are part of the compulsory health insurance system. List of all contacting entities of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund

6. What should I do if my health care provided in Croatia was charged to me?

In this case, you should ask your competent health insurance holder for compensation of paid costs.

7. How is health care used by pensioners in case of their resettlement in another Member State, including Croatia?

A pensioner receiving a pension from one Member State and residing in the territory of another State shall be entitled to full medical care in the Member State in which he or she is resident, at the expense of the competent health insurance holder of the State from which he or she receives the pension. For this purpose, the aforementioned holder issues an S1 certificate and the European Health Insurance Card. Pensioners who have acquired residence in Croatia must submit the S1 certificate to the relevant regional office or branch office of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund at their place of residence.

8. How is health care provided to persons who are employed or self-employed in one Member State and reside in another Member State, as well as to frontier workers?

Those persons are entitled to health care in the Member State of employment and in the Member State in which they reside. For this reason, the competent health insurance holder issues an S1 certificate that needs to be delivered to the health insurance holder in the place of permanent residence (to the Croatian Health Insurance Fund in case of residence in Croatia). The competent health insurance holder also issues the European Health Insurance Cards.

9. How is health care provided to workers temporarily posted to carry out work in another Member State, who acquired residence in that state?

The aforementioned workers are entitled to health care in the Member State of temporary work on the basis of S1 certificate issued by their health insurance holder, which needs to be submitted to the health care holder in their place of residence (to the Croatian Health Insurance Fund in case of residence in Croatia). The Croatian Health Insurance Fund issues the S1 certificate to insured persons who are temporarily posted by their employers to carry out work in other EU/EEA Member States/Switzerland/UK for a period longer than one year (365 days plus a minimum of one day) and who, for the said time period, register their temporary absence from Croatia at the competent police station.

HEALTH CARE