When settling in Estonia

Pensioners moving in Estonia from another EU Member State have the right to receive medical care in Estonia on equal terms with Estonian old age pensioners. In order to prove this right, certificates S1 or E121 issued by the social or health insurance institution of the country from which the person receives retirement payment must be submitted to the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. If you need help finding the authority issuing an S1 certificate, you can contact the national contact point of your country. Their contacts are available on our website.
For an old age pensioner from a EU Member State, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or United Kingdom to receive treatment in Estonia on equal terms with Estonian old age pensioners, the following steps are necessary.

  1. You must submit an S1 or E121 certificate in two copies to the customer service office of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund together with the application "Application for registration of an insured person and/or his/her family members in another EU Member State" on our website. You can fill in and submit the application also at the customer service office.
  2. Upon receipt of the application, EHIF verifies that the person's place of residence is in Estonia according to the Estonian Population Register and that he or she does not already have insurance here on any other basis (e.g. as an employee or a person receiving a state pension in Estonia). If a person’s place of residence is in Estonia and he/she is not entitled to insurance on any other basis, the person is added to the Estonian health insurance system.
  3. After that, a person has the right to receive health care services in Estonia on equal terms with local old age pensioners.
  4. A person will be notified in writing on the granting of health insurance.
  5. The costs of provided health care services will be compensated to Estonia by the state that issued the S1 or E121 certificate.

Please note! When visiting a doctor in Estonia, you must show your ID with Estonian personal identification code (ID card, passport).

Travel and medical care in Europe

When old age pensioners living in Estonia travel to a European Union member state, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or United Kingdom, they should take a European health insurance card with them; it can be very useful in case of a health problem abroad. When presenting the European Health Insurance Card, pensioners will be provided with necessary medical care in the above-mentioned countries on equal terms with the insured persons living in those countries. For example, if a person lives in Estonia and is insured in Estonia on the basis of an S1 certificate issued to him or her by KELA in Finland, then KELA will also issue him or her a European health insurance card.

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If you have any questions, please write to our client service info@haigekassa.ee. Thank you!