Published: 11.04.2024.

If you are a recipient of a Latvian pension and move your residence to another Member State, you have the right to request Form S1 from the National Health Service of the Republic of Latvia (NHS) in order to obtain healthcare services in your country of residence, for which the costs will be covered from the Latvian State budget.

Main criteria to issue Form S1:

  • a person receives a Latvian pension, but his or her permanent place of residence is in a Member State other than Latvia (the person has notified the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (hereinafter - the OCMA) about his or her permanent place of residence in another Member State);
  • a person receives a pension both from Latvia and from another Member State, but the person’s insurance period, according to which the pension is calculated, is longer in Latvia than in another Member State, and the person’s permanent place of residence is in a Member State other than Latvia (the person has notified the OCMA about his or her permanent place of residence in another Member State);
  • if a person is granted a pension for a certain period, then Form S1 is issued for the period up to the date of expiry of the granted pension, and the person’s permanent place of residence is in another Member State (the person has notified the OCMA about his or her permanent place of residence in another Member State).

Example. A person receives a Latvian pension but decides to spend old age in Germany, so he or she decides to move to Germany to live with relatives. The pensioner notifies the OCMA of the change of his or her place of residence (indicates the address in Germany), after making the changes, the pensioner has the right to request Form S1 from Latvia.

Dependent existing family members of a pensioner who do not work and who do not receive a pension in any of the Member States have the right to receive Form S1 when notifying the OCMA of their place of residence abroad.

 

How to obtain Form S1:

In order to receive Form S1, the following documents must be submitted to the NHS:

If the person is a minor, it is necessary to fill in:

 

Submitting the application to receive Form S1:

  • in person, by filling out an application at the NHS Client Service Centre;
  • by post;
  • by email, signing the application with a secure e-signature;
  • using e-address.

 

Important information:

  • The issued Forms S1 are in Latvian and they do not need to be translated as they are a single document in all Member States;
  • In order for Form S1 to be valid, it must be registered with the competent national health insurance institution in the country of residence;
  • Form S1 confirms a person’s right to receive state-guaranteed healthcare services to the extent determined by the country of residence.
  • The person is obliged to inform the Service immediately in writing if there are any changes in the information provided in the submission requesting Form S1.

 

Legal basis for issuing Form S1:

  • Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the coordination of social security systems;