Foreigners who are legally employed in the Republic of Latvia based on a temporary residence permit or who are citizens of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland may request registration with the National Health Service, which ensures that a person can use state-funded health care and state-funded family doctor just like local citizens.
There are two types of family doctors:
State-funded doctors
- The visit is paid for by the state;
- The doctors are assigned to specific territories and are chosen based on your declared address;
- The doctor has the right to decline your application if they have already a maximum number of patients in their practice;
- Most of the state-funded doctors speak only Latvian and Russian - finding one that speaks English could be challenging.
Private doctors
- The visit is paid for by the patient;
- Most private doctors speak English;
- Most employers in Latvia provide private health insurance to the employees that can partially or fully cover the costs of a private doctor.
You can find contact details of clinics whose specialists speak English below:
In the event of an emergency in Latvia – please call 112 (general emergency) or 113 (medical emergency).
There are multiple other health institutions which specialise in providing assistance for different specific or acute health issues:
- Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital
- Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital (“Gaiļezers”)
- Riga 2nd Hospital (use the Translate to English option)
- Traumatology and Orthopaedics Hospital
- Rīgas Dzemdību nams (Maternity Hospital)
- Riga Psychiatry and Narcology Centre (use the Translate to English option)
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
Foreigners employed in Latvia are eligible to apply for an EHIC card free of charge. Alternatively, if you are an EU resident, you apply for EHIC in your home country before moving to Latvia – contact details of national health insurance providers are available here.
The European Health Insurance Card gives you access to medically necessary, state-funded healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. Information about where and in what circumstances an EHIC card can be used in Latvia is available on the NHS website.
Please note that EHIC:
- Is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property;
- Does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the specific purpose of obtaining medical treatment;
- Does not guarantee free services. Each country’s healthcare system is different - services that cost nothing in your home country might not be free here in Latvia.
When coming to Riga, you may also require a number of medical records (e.g. a vaccination passport, medical certificates, and medical history). These are very helpful if you need to continue receiving treatment and to give your Latvian doctor with a better understanding of your medical background, so be sure to take them with you. More detailed information is available here!