Right to healthcare services in Sweden

Municipalities and regional health authorities are responsible for healthcare in Sweden. Healthcare is the care you are entitled to and can make use of when you live in Sweden. You normally pay a patient fee for healthcare services when you visit a healthcare establishment.

For dental care, there is a state dental care subsidy administered by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). If you have special needs for dental care, you may also be entitled to the dental care subsidy from your regional health authority.

Healthcare insurance in Sweden

You are covered by healthcare insurance if you live in Sweden and, in many cases, also if you live in another Nordic country and work in Sweden. 

When you have reported your move and are living in Sweden, you are covered by social insurance in Sweden and are entitled to healthcare and dental care like everyone else living in the country. You can only be covered by social insurance in one country at a time. Social insurance gives financial protection for families and children, for people with disabilities, and for sickness, occupational injury, and old age.

If you are covered by social insurance in Sweden, you are entitled to the EU health insurance card from Sweden. The card entitles you to healthcare and dental care services whenever you are in another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the UK.

What do healthcare services cost, and can you receive financial support?

In Sweden, every healthcare region decides the fee you must pay for examinations by a doctor and other healthcare services. The size of the patient fee therefore depends on the region in which you live. There is a ceiling for how much you must pay in one year - this is called high-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd).

If you are covered by social insurance in Sweden, you are entitled to dental care without paying a patient fee until the year of your 20th birthday. From the year in which you become 20, you are entitled to state dental care subsidy (tandvårdsstöd). How much you receive in dental care subsidy depends on how old you are and how much your treatment costs. If you have certain illnesses or a disability, you can receive a larger subsidy.

Where are you covered by healthcare insurance if you live in Sweden but work in another country?

If you live in Sweden and commute to work in another Nordic country, you are generally covered by social insurance in the country in which you work.

If you become ill, you are entitled to healthcare and dental care in the country in which you work, but you may also have access to healthcare and dental care in Sweden.

Apply for the certificate on right to healthcare (Intyg om rätt till vård) from Försäkringskassan.

Where are you covered by healthcare insurance if you are staying temporarily in Sweden?

If you live in another Nordic country and travel to Sweden for a temporary stay, and are not registering in Sweden, you are entitled to essential health care and emergency dental care. Essential health care means treatment that cannot be put off until you return home. You are entitled to health care on the same terms as people who live in Sweden.

Take a valid proof of identity, such as a passport or driving licence. You must also give your address in your home country.

Can you receive planned treatment in another country?

You can receive planned treatment in another Nordic country. This can be, for example, an appointment with a specialist, an operation, or treatment for a certain illness.

If you live in Sweden and are planning treatment in another country, you can apply for advance authorisation (förhandstillstånd) or an advance decision (förhandsbesked) from Försäkringskassan in Sweden. You can also pay for the treatment in the other country during your stay and apply for reimbursement later.

Can you receive planned treatment in Sweden?

If you live in another Nordic country and want planned treatment in Sweden, you must either have an advance authorisation from the country in which you live or contact the authority in your country of residence to find out what regulations apply regarding reimbursement for expenses relating to treatment you plan to receive in Sweden.

Can you receive Swedish healthcare when you are living temporarily abroad?

If you are studying in another Nordic country for less than a year, you are entitled to healthcare and dental care in Sweden in the same way as when you lived in Sweden.

If you are studying in another Nordic country for longer than a year, you may be entitled to healthcare and dental care in Sweden in the same way as when you lived in Sweden, but you must first have applied for and received the certificate on the right to care in Sweden, ‘Intyg om rätt till vård i Sverige’, from Försäkringskassan.

You are also entitled to essential care in the country in which you are studying. If you studying in a Nordic country, it is sufficient for you to prove your identity and give your home address to receive the necessary care.

If you want treatment that could wait until you come home, you must pay for this yourself. However, you can apply for reimbursement from Försäkringskassan. In some cases, you can also apply for an advance authorisation (förhandstillstånd) or advance decision (förhandsbesked) for planned treatment abroad.

Are you entitled to Swedish healthcare services when you live in Sweden and work in several countries?

If you live in Sweden and work in at least two other Nordic countries, you must report this to Försäkringskassan. Försäkringskassan will then assess whether you satisfy the requirements for continued cover from social insurance in Sweden.

If you are a posted employee, have been granted exemption, or work in two or more countries simultaneously, you must have form A1 with you to Denmark and Finland or E101 with you to Iceland and Norway. You get the form from Försäkringskassan. The form shows the country in which you are covered by social insurance.

Can you be reimbursed for healthcare services you paid for abroad?

To receive reimbursement of costs for dental care carried out in another Nordic country, the following requirements apply:

• you are covered by social insurance for healthcare services in Sweden
• the dental treatment you are planning would have been paid by the state or you would have been entitled to state dental care subsidy had you been treated in Sweden
• the dental treatment is performed by professional healthcare personnel.

You can never receive more in compensation than what the dental treatment would have cost in Sweden, or what you paid. This means that, if the dental treatment is more expensive in the country in which it was carried out than in Sweden, you must pay the difference.

To qualify for reimbursement for costs of treatment carried out in another Nordic country, the following requirements apply:

• you are covered by social insurance for healthcare services in Sweden
• the treatment you are planning would have been paid by the state had you been treated in Sweden
• the treatment is performed by professional healthcare personnel
• you have paid more than the patient fee that applies in the country of treatment.

The reimbursement can never be more than what the treatment would have cost in Sweden, or what you paid. This means that if the treatment is more expensive in the country in which it took place than it would have cost in Sweden, you must pay the difference yourself.

More information is available on the Försäkringskassan website. You can also call the Försäkringskassan Customer Centre at 0771-524 524.