For Patients

Cross-border Healthcare

Cross-border healthcare refers to healthcare received by an individual outside of their own country. EU citizens have the right to receive healthcare in any EU Member State, while maintaining their rights to reimbursement by their home country’s health system. To guarantee this fundamental right, EU facilitates cross-border healthcare through several key legislative instruments.

The information found in this page are disseminated for informative purposes. If you are considering traveling to another EU member state to obtain treatment, it is essential to contact your national contact point for support and guidance.

How to access Cross-border Healthcare?

Directive 2011/24 was adopted in March 2011 by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to regulate the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare. The Directive outlines the conditions under which a patient may seek safe and high-quality medical care in another EU member state and have the cost reimbursed by their home country. Additionally, this Directive also promotes cross-border cooperation, recognition of prescriptions and ensures the functioning of the European Reference Networks (ERNs). Patients are entitled to assumption of costs for treatment abroad as though the treatment was provided in their home country. Thus, according to Directive 2011/24
patients can only access medical care that would also be available in their home country.

Social Security Regulations (EC) 883/2204 and 987/2009 represent another route that patients can take to access medical care in a foreign EU country. These regulations state that patients are entitled to assumption of costs for their treatment abroad as if they were insured under the social security system of that country. This means that patients may be offered the possibility (through prior authorization) to seek treatment in another EU/EEA Member State or Switzerland even for diagnosis and treatments which are not available in the patient’s home country.

Visit European Commission website for more information

Visit Your Europe Healthcare website: planned and unplanned healthcare and prescription medicine for when you are travelling.

FAQ: for good patient information

Q&A: Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare

Manual for Patients

Patient’s right to access healthcare in any EU/EEA country

Patient’s Rights Leaflet

What you know before you go

Checklist for Patients

Seeking access to medical treatment abroad

Glossary

For good patient information provision in cross-border healthcare

National Contact Point

National Contact Points (NCPs) are support structures that work as facilitators for individuals seeking accurate information before accessing healthcare services abroad. NCPs can give personalised assistance in applicants’ own language.

Each EU country has at least one National Contact Point which can answer patients’ questions about how to seek medical treatment in another EU country.

What can National contact points do for you?

In your home country

Your National Contact Point can give you information about your right to receive healthcare in other EU countries, including:

your rights to receive necessary treatment with your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
your right to have some or all of your costs reimbursed
different options to cover the costs of your planned medical treatment in another EU country
what types of treatment are reimbursed and how much you can expect to be reimbursed
if you need prior authorization and how to apply for it
administrative procedures for reimbursement of costs
how to appeal if your rights have not been respected

In the country where you want to be treated

The foreign National Contact Point can give you information about:

the healthcare providers covered by the European Health Insurance scheme
the healthcare system of that country and how they ensure quality, safety, and compliance with national standards
whether a particular provider is registered and authorised to provide specific medical treatments, and which quality and safety system covers that provider
accessibility of hospitals for persons with disabilities
patients’ rights in that country, including information about your options if something goes wrong or you are not happy with the medical treatment you receive

More information here on National Contact Points

Choose Country

News on Cross-border Healthcare: National workshops

The European Commission, as part of the EU4Health programme, is also organizing 10 national workshops to raise awareness about patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare and the European Reference Networks (ERNs) for rare diseases, as outlined in Directive 2011/24/EU.

Brain Energy Metabolism Dialogue

One-Day International CTX Workshop Series

2nd SYMPOSIUM – CONNECTION BETWEEN PHYSICS AND METABOLISM IN BRAIN FUNCTIONS