Before you start

Personal code (personas kods)
A qualifying basis — legal employment on a temporary residence permit, or EU/EEA/Swiss citizenship
Registration with the NVD's beneficiary register
A declared address, which shapes which practices are convenient

Step-by-step

1
Register with the National Health Service
Registration puts you in the NVD's register of beneficiaries, which is the condition for receiving state-funded services. It does not happen automatically when your permit is issued.
In personWho: You
2
Choose a family doctor and sign onto their list
You have the right to choose your GP. Registration is by agreement with the practice and confirmation in the NVD database — ask the clinic to confirm it has gone through rather than assuming.
In personWho: You
3
Understand the co-payment model
State-funded services are not free at the point of use: patients pay a co-payment per visit and per procedure, with exemptions for certain groups. Budget for it rather than being surprised at the desk.
In personWho: You
4
Set up e-veselība access
The national e-health portal holds prescriptions, referrals and records, and is accessed with Smart-ID or a bank login. Prescriptions are dispensed against your personal code.
OnlineWho: You
5
Carry private cover for the gap and for speed
Between arrival and NVD registration you are outside the system. Many residents also hold employer-provided private insurance because waiting times for specialists in the state system can be long.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Personal code
Residence permit card or identity document
Employment documentation showing the qualifying basis
Proof of declared address

Things most newcomers don’t know

Latvia's health system is tax-funded, not insurance-funded — and that changes what you look for.

There is no premium to pay and no insurance number to obtain. Access is determined by whether you are in the NVD's register of beneficiaries, which turns on your legal status and employment. Newcomers from insurance-based systems spend weeks looking for a policy that does not exist, and skip the registration that actually matters.

Source: National Health Service (NVD) — where to obtain medical assistance

State-funded does not mean free — co-payments are real.

Patients pay a contribution per GP visit, per specialist visit and per procedure, with caps and exemptions. The amounts are modest individually and add up over a course of treatment. It is the standard reason a newcomer's first experience of 'free' Latvian health care produces an invoice.

Source: NVD — patient contributions

You choose your family doctor, and the choice sticks.

Latvian primary care runs on GP lists you join by agreement, and the doctor coordinates all onward referrals. Choosing one near your declared address, with a practice that answers the phone and speaks a language you share, matters more than any other health decision you will make here.

Source: Integration and Inclusion Agency of Latvia — primary healthcare and registering with a GP

Private insurance in Riga buys speed, not access.

Most large employers include private health cover, and most residents who buy it do so for specialist waiting times rather than because they are excluded from the state system. Understanding that distinction stops you paying twice for the same coverage — and stops you skipping the NVD registration because you have a private policy.

Source: Latvian health care practice, verified August 2026