State-paid visit to a medical specialist
To get a state-paid specialist consultation or examination you need a referral from your GP or another NVD-contracted doctor — then you pay only the 4 EUR patient co-payment (a GP visit costs 2 EUR, or 1 EUR from age 65). With a referral you may use any medical institution in Latvia providing the service under state funding — waiting times differ a lot and can be compared at rindapiearsta.lv. Some specialists see patients without a referral (direct access).
Who this applies to
Step by step
Get a referral from your GP
A GP or a specialist contracted with the National Health Service (NVD) refers you to a state-paid consultation or examination. The referral is electronic. Make sure your GP works under the state scheme — with a private-only GP, all further examinations will be at full price.
Compare queues and pick an institution
With a referral you can book at any institution in Latvia providing the service under state funding — not only in your town. Compare waiting times at rindapiearsta.lv: the difference can be from a couple of weeks to several months.
Book and pay the co-payment
Book by phone or via the institution's online system, stating you are coming with a referral for a state-paid visit. At the visit pay the 4 EUR co-payment and always take the receipt — it proves the payment and is useful both for the annual cap and for declaring eligible expenses to the tax authority.
Track the co-payment cap
Total co-payments in a calendar year cannot exceed 570 EUR — once reached, you are exempt from further co-payments that year. You can review received state-paid services and payments in the e-service on Latvija.gov.lv.
Common mistakes
Frequently asked questions
Which specialists can I see without a referral?
Direct-access specialists see patients without a referral for the co-payment — including a gynaecologist, ophthalmologist, psychiatrist, narcologist, dermatovenerologist, paediatric doctors, and an infectologist for HIV. The full list is on the NVD website.
How much does a state-paid visit cost?
A specialist visit is 4 EUR, a GP visit 2 EUR (1 EUR from age 65). Co-payment amounts are set by Cabinet Regulation No. 555. State-paid laboratory tests carry no co-payment.
Who is exempt from co-payments?
Among others: children under 18, pregnant women and women up to 42 days after birth (for pregnancy-care services), low-income persons, group I disability and politically repressed persons. The full list is in Section 6 of the Healthcare Financing Law.
What if the queue is too long?
Compare waiting times at rindapiearsta.lv and book elsewhere — the referral is valid across Latvia. In urgent cases the doctor marks priority on the referral; for acute situations contact your GP again or call the advice line 66016001.
Official sources
- NVD — pacienta līdzmaksājumi
- Rindapiearsta.lv — gaidīšanas laiki uz valsts apmaksātiem pakalpojumiem
- MK noteikumi Nr. 555 «Veselības aprūpes pakalpojumu organizēšanas un samaksas kārtība»