Health Insurance in Estonia (Ravikindlustus)

Estonia has one public health insurance, run by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa). It is financed by the 13% health part of the social tax that employers pay, so there is no separate premium for most people. The Fund pays for family doctors and hospital care, subsidises prescription medicines and pays sickness benefit.

Who is insured

• Workers: people living in Estonia on a residence permit or right of residence are insured when social tax is paid for them. With an employment contract longer than one month, cover starts after a 14-day waiting period from the start date in the employment register and ends two months after the job ends.
• Insured by the state: registered unemployed people, recipients of family benefits and some other groups.
• Equivalent to insured persons: children under 19, pupils and students, pregnant women, recipients of the national pension and people with partial or no work ability, among others.
• Voluntary insurance: if you live in Estonia and fit no group, you can sign a contract in the Health Portal. In 2026 it costs €272 a month (€3,264 a year) and starts one month after signing. It does not include sickness benefit.

You can check your insurance on eesti.ee or the Health Portal (terviseportaal.ee).

Family doctor and specialists

Everyone should register with a family doctor (perearst). Send a written application to the doctor of your choice; they answer within seven working days and may refuse if their list is full. Newborns are registered automatically with the mother's doctor. With an acute illness you should be seen the same day; other problems within five working days.

Costs for insured people (Health Insurance Act, 2026):

• Family doctor visit: free; home visit up to €5
• Specialist or emergency department visit: up to €20, or up to €5 for children under 19, pregnant women, pensioners, the unemployed and some other groups
• Hospital stay: up to €5 a day, for at most 10 days per case

You need a referral from your family doctor to see a specialist at the Fund's expense, except for trauma, tuberculosis, eye, skin and sexually transmitted diseases, gynaecology and psychiatry.

Sickness benefit (haigushüvitis)

The first three days of sick leave are unpaid. The employer pays days 4–8, and the Health Insurance Fund pays from day 9 at 70% of your previous year's income subject to social tax, for up to 182 days. In 2026 the daily benefit is capped at €126.87. Caring for a sick child under 12 is paid from the first day at 80%.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Starting a job does not insure you on day one: plan for the 14-day waiting period.
• Paying privately to skip the queue means the Fund pays nothing for that visit or treatment.
• The Fund can end your insurance if your registered address is no longer in Estonia.
• The European Health Insurance Card (free from the Health Portal) covers only necessary care in other EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Official guidance: Health Insurance Fund: health insurance, Fees and co-payments, Family doctor, Sickness benefit