Pregnancy and Giving Birth

If you are covered by the social security system of some EU/EEA country and require unplanned treatment related to pregnancy and childbirth while on a temporary stay in another EU/EEA country, you can obtain such treatment by presenting your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

However, the situation is different when you travel to another EU/EEA country with the express purpose of obtaining pregnancy-related treatment or giving birth.

Since you will travel to the relevant country with the express purpose of getting pregnancy- or childbirth-related treatment, you will not be able to use your EHIC.

You can seek pregnancy- and childbirth-related treatment in another EU/EEA country with or without prior authorization. In both cases, you will have to find a suitable place for treatment and agree on the treatment arrangements with the selected provider.

In case you obtain treatment without prior authorization, you will pay the cost of the treatment yourself and will later be able to claim reimbursement from the competent social security institution of the country where you are covered.

Note that there is also an option to apply for prior authorization retrospectively already after you get the treatment.  

You can also obtain prior authorization for the treatment from the social security institution of the country where you are covered (also known as “S2 form”), but you have to fulfil certain conditions in order to get such authorization.

If you get prior authorization, you will pay only the local applicable non-reimbursable client fees, and the rest will be covered by the social security institution that issued the prior authorization.

You may also be able to claim reimbursement for travel, medication and residence costs.

Last updated on 31 January 2025