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Regulations on Health Insurance of Foreign Nationals
Regulations No. 691
09.12.2003
(Minutes No. 63, Para.28)
Issued pursuant to
Paragraph 6 and Clause 3 of Paragraph 1
of Section 4 of the Immigration Law
1. These Regulations determine cases when a foreign national may enter the Republic of Latvia and sojourn without holding a health insurance policy (hereafter – policy), as well as the procedure for foreign nationals to receive health insurance and health care services in the Republic of Latvia.
2. A foreign national may enter the Republic of Latvia and sojourn without holding an insurance policy if:
2.1 he/she is travelling on a diplomatic or service (official) passport;
2.2 he/she has received a visa marked "diplomatic visa" or "service visa",
2.3 he/she is a member of a foreign delegation arriving in the Republic of Latvia on an official visit or is crossing the territory of the Republic of Latvia in transit;
2.4 international agreements binding to the Republic of Latvia provide for a different mutual provision of health care services;
2.5 he/she has received a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Latvia;
2.6 he/she is a member of foreign military personnel entering the Republic of Latvia or sojourning pursuant to international agreements binding to the Republic of Latvia; 2.7 he/she is a foreign sailor released from his/her ship and is proceeding to his/her place of residence.
2.8 he/she is the subject of an international agreement binding to the Republic of Latvia which provides for a simplified procedure for issuing visas to residents of a border zone, and the parity principle is observed.
(as amended by CM Regulations No. 504 of 25.05.2004)
3. The health of a foreign national shall be insured by an insurance company licensed or recognized in the country where the policy is issued, and whose policy provisions correspond to the provisions mentioned in Clauses 4 and 5 of these Regulations.
4. The policy shall guarantee payment of at least the following costs related to health care services:
4.1 emergency medical assistance,
4.2 treatment of aggravated chronic illness,
4.3 transport to the closest medical facility providing the services mentioned in Sub-clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of these Regulations;
4.4 transportation costs to return the patient to his/her country of residence in the event of a serious illness or death.
5. The minimum limit of the insurer's responsibility indicated in the policy may not be less than:
5.1 LVL 15,000.00 for treatment costs;
5.2 LVL 15,000.00 transport costs to return the patient to his/her country of residence in case of a serious illness;
5.3 LVL 5,000.00 transport costs to return the body of the foreign national to his/her country of residence in the event of death.
6. The policy shall be valid for a period no less than the anticipated period of stay of the foreign national in the Republic of Latvia.
7. In the event the validity date of the policy expires during the time when the foreign national is still entitled to stay in the Republic of Latvia, the existing policy shall be extended or a new policy purchased.
8. A foreign national in the Republic of Latvia shall receive health care services in the Republic of Latvia as provided in normative acts regulating the area of medical treatment, upon producing his/her insurance policy.
9. Whether a foreign national holds an insurance policy shall be checked, according to their authority, by the diplomatic or consular representations of the Republic of Latvia, the National Border Guard or the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
10. The National Border Guard shall not check whether or not a foreign national entering the Republic of Latvia holds a policy if he/she has received a visa after 1 May 2003.
11. Foreign nationals crossing the border of the Republic of Latvia shall be checked whether or not they hold an insurance policy in exceptional cases only (when there is sufficient grounds to doubt the existence of a policy).
Prime Minister E. Repše
On behalf of the Minister of Health
Minister of Welfare D. Staķe
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