Are you a visitor to Stockholm from another county or country? Here’s some useful information in case you need health care within Stockholm County Council.
Citizen living in Sweden
If you are a Swedish citizen living in Sweden, you are entitled to health care on the same terms as the population of Stockholm County Council in case of:
- Childbirth
- Abortion
- Emergency illness/injury
- Primary health care
You only have to pay the ordinary fee; your home county council will cover the rest of the cost.
The rules are different, however, if you need planned specialist care. Then you must get a referral or a payment undertaking form from your home county council. That means that they agree to pay Stockholm County Council for the health care you receive here.
EU/EES citizen temporarily visiting Sweden
EU/EES citizens are citizens of Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary or Austria.
Tourists from Finland, Denmark, Norway or Iceland do not need to show a European Health Insurance card to get emergency or necessary care. An ID document will suffice.
If you have a European Health Insurance
If you have a European sickness insurance card, you pay the same fee for emergency and necessary care as a citizen in Stockholm County.
If you do not have a European Health Insurance
If you lack a European sickness insurance card, you must pay the whole health care cost yourself. A doctor’s visit at an emergency care unit at a hospital costs between 2 000 and 2 200 SEK. If you visit a family doctor it costs 1 600 SEK.
What is a European Health Insurance?
In Sweden, we used to have a form called the E111 form. In June of 2004, it was replaced by the European Health Insurance Card. That card entitles you to the privileges enjoyed by the local citizens, so that you can go straight to a health care unit if you fall ill. Some countries still use the E111 form. The goal is for all EU countries to have introduced the European Health Insurance Card by January 2006. The card face is identical in all the countries. The card is personal even for children.
Sweden also has an agreement, a convention, with the following countries:
Algeria
Algerian citizens and Swedish nationals with a valid passport living abroad pay the same fee for emergency care as someone living in Stockholm county.
Australia
Australian citizens and Swedish nationals with a valid passport pay the same fee for emergency care as someone living in Stockholm county.
Quebec
Individuals living in Quebec who work or study in Sweden for less than a year, and who have a valid passport, pay the same fee for emergency care as someone living in Stockholm county.
Israel
Israeli citizens and Swedish nationals with a valid passport pay the same fee for delivery care as someone living in Stockholm county.
Switzerland
Swiss citizens are covered by the same privileges as EU citizens if they show an health insurance card.
What is necessary care for people who are insured against sickness in a country inside EU?
Necessary care implies:
- That you should not need to interrupt your stay and return to your domestic country for medical reasons.
- Health care which cannot wait.
- Health care due to chronic disease. This includes testing and medical check-ups.
- Preventive maternal and child care and childbirth.
- The doctor who treats you decides what is necessary care.
Other countries (non EU)
In case of emergency care and/or planned care, tourists from countries outside the EU or countries which Sweden has an convention with, pay the whole cost of health care themselves. To have an convention with, means that Sweden has an agreement of cooperation with that country.
