Healthcare in the EU under temporary protection: how coverage works in 2026

If you are a Ukrainian with temporary protection in the European Union, access to healthcare remains one of your basic rights. But in 2026 it is important to understand exactly how this coverage works, because the conditions differ from country to country, and some states are beginning to shift part of the costs onto patients.

The status has been extended until 4 March 2027

The EU Council has extended the temporary protection regime for displaced persons from Ukraine by another year. This is enshrined in Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1460, adopted on 15 July 2025. Article 1 of this decision expressly provides that protection is extended "for an additional period of one year, until 4 March 2027".

The extension applies automatically: no separate application to renew the status is required. Along with the status, all related rights are retained — residence, access to the labour market, housing, education and healthcare.

How access to healthcare works

According to the European Commission's official explanation, access to healthcare opens once you have registered and obtained a temporary protection permit in the country of residence. After that you use the public healthcare system of that state.

The Commission stresses that people who have arrived from Ukraine should receive "broad access to care in case of illness and be connected to the public healthcare system of the country of residence". In practice, basic care — emergency care, a family-doctor consultation, treatment of acute conditions — is usually provided on the same terms as for local insured persons.

Separately provided for are:

• mental health support and assistance with traumatic experience;
• a mechanism of solidarity-based medical transfers between EU countries for complex hospital cases;
• diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases through the network of European Reference Networks.

What EHIC is and what it does not cover

If the public system of the country of residence considers you fully insured, you are entitled to a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This is a free card issued by your national insurer in the country of residence.

EHIC entitles you to necessary state medical care during a temporary stay in another EU country, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Care is provided on the same terms and at the same cost as for local residents.

Important limitations that the Commission officially warns about:

• EHIC does not cover private treatment;
• the card does not guarantee that the service will be free — if a procedure is paid for locals, it will be paid for you too;
• EHIC does not apply if you travel to another country specifically for treatment;
• for a permanent move to another country you need not an EHIC but an S1 form.

Why conditions differ from country to country

Temporary protection sets a common minimum, but the actual provision of healthcare is financed and organised by national systems. That is why the specific conditions — what is free and what you will have to pay extra for (private consultations, dentistry, part of the medicines) — differ from country to country and are changing in 2025-2026.

A telling example is Poland. The special law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens is being gradually phased out (a number of provisions apply with transition periods, in particular the status — until 4 March 2027). From 5 March 2026 non-working adults outside vulnerable groups lose automatic free coverage by the National Health Fund (NFZ). To continue receiving planned treatment, they need to have NFZ insurance — through official employment, as a family member of an insured person, or through a voluntary NFZ contribution (check the current amount directly with the NFZ). Emergency care remains free for everyone. Automatic free coverage is retained by vulnerable groups: minors (under 18); pregnant women and women in the post-partum period; victims of torture or violence; those wounded as a result of hostilities; people living in collective accommodation centres. The details are determined by national law, so the conditions should be checked directly in the country of residence.

What you should do

1. Make sure you are registered and hold a valid temporary protection permit in the country of residence — without it, access to public healthcare does not open.
2. Find out from your local insurer or health authority whether you are considered "fully insured", and obtain an EHIC if needed.
3. In Poland, if you are a non-working adult outside vulnerable groups, check your status with the NFZ and, if needed, arrange insurance (through work, a family member or a voluntary contribution) to keep planned treatment.
4. Before travelling to another EU country, carry your EHIC, but allow for possible surcharges — the card does not make all services free.
5. If you plan to move to another country permanently, clarify the procedure and the S1 form rather than relying on EHIC.
6. Keep track of national changes: the conditions in your country of residence may differ from the general EU framework.