Health Insurance for Students in Croatia

You must have valid health insurance whilst studying in Croatia. It is a prerequisite for being granted a temporary residence permit.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

As a British citizen, you are entitled to a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for the duration of your course in Croatia, as long as you intend to return to the UK at the end of the course and you are not undertaking work such as part-time jobs or paid internships simultaneously with your studies.

The EHIC is issued by the NHS free of charge. In your EHIC application, it’s vital that you provide official university letters which show the name and address of where you will be studying in Croatia, the start and end dates of your course and details of the qualification you are studying for. The application form and details of the application process can be found on the NHS’s website.

Your EHIC will allow you to access public healthcare provided in Croatia at a reduced cost, or sometimes for free. It covers the treatment of pre-existing medical conditions. In the event of an accident or unforeseen illness, your EHIC will cover your treatment until you return to the UK. The cover you receive will be based on the standard healthcare system of Croatia and will not be based on NHS terms and conditions. As a result, you might find yourself having to pay for treatments that would ordinarily be provided for free in the UK. For example, all Croatian citizens pay a mandatory healthcare contribution. Even with the EHIC, you will have to pay a mandatory co-payment of HRK 10 each time you visit a doctor, dentist or receiving a prescription.

The EHIC does not replace your travel insurance. It does not cover costs such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, return flights to the UK or stolen and lost property.

Make sure you always carry your EHIC card and passport because you will need to show them if you use any of the health services in Croatia.

Bearing in mind the limits of EHIC coverage, and the fact that its validity for British students is uncertain post-Brexit, we recommend that you take out additional long term travel insurance.

Croatian Health Insurance Fund

If you have a part-time job or paid internship with a Croatian employer, they will pay for your mandatory health insurance. In this case, your health insurance will be purchased from the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). The HZZO mandatory health insurance costs approximately €65 per month and is payable in local currency (HRK).

If for any reason your employer does not purchase the HZZO mandatory health insurance for you, you must register personally at the HZZO or buy an insurance policy from a private provider.

In addition to the HZZO mandatory health insurance, you may also consider buying the Croatia Supplemental Health Insurance (CO DZO), a voluntary form of health insurance which covers all the co-payments you have to make for using healthcare services. The CO DZO costs HRK 70 per month.