Dla Pacjenta

Planned treatment requiring prior authorisation of the National Health Fund

If you want to be treated outside Poland and have this treatment funded by the National Health Fund, you must be authorised by the President of the National Health Fund. Authorisation for such treatment is granted in the form of an administrative decision – before treatment begins.

How to obtain authorisation for treatment

Make an application for planned out-of-country treatment together with attachments. There are two model applications – the difference is in the reason why you are going abroad for treatment:

you are registered on a waiting list for a specific healthcare benefit in Poland, but the treatment cannot be provided within the necessary time (the waiting time is too long in relation to your current state of health),

Too long waiting times for treatment in Poland

the treatment you need cannot be carried out in facilities in Poland.

No treatment options in Poland

The National Health Fund will conduct an investigation and the outcome should be positive for you. This means that the conditions set out in the legislation which allow us to fund your treatment abroad will be met.

Please note! The National Health Fund is not in a position to fund treatment outside Poland as part of clinical research, experimental treatment or treatment that is not among the guaranteed benefits in Poland.

Legal bases

Act of 27 August 2004 on publicly funded healthcare benefits (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1285, as amended), referred to as the ‘Act on healthcare benefits’
Regulation of the Minister of Health of 27 May 2022 on granting authorisation to obtain healthcare benefits outside the country and to cover the costs of transport (Journal of Laws of 2022, item 1209), referred to as the ‘Regulation on granting authorisation’
Regulation of the Minister of Health of 3 September 2020 on the list of healthcare benefits requiring prior authorisation by the President of the National Health Fund (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 1556), referred to as the ‘Regulation on the list of benefits’
Regulation of the Minister of Health on medical criteria to be followed by providers when placing patients on waiting lists for healthcare benefits of 26 September 2005 (Journal of Laws No. 200, item 1661), referred to as the ‘Regulation on medical criteria’.
Regulation of the Minister of Health on the manner and criteria for determining acceptable waiting times for selected healthcare benefits of 9 November 2015 (Journal of Laws 2015, item 1948), referred to as the ‘Regulation on acceptable waiting times’
Regulations of the Minister of Health issued pursuant to Article 31d of the Act on healthcare benefits, defining the lists of guaranteed benefits in particular scopes of benefits, hereinafter referred to as ‘Regulations on guaranteed benefits’
Regulation (EC) No 987/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems (OJ L 284, 30.10.2009, p. 1, as amended), Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the coordination of social security systems (OJ L 166, 30.04.2004, p. 1, as amended) and Regulation (EU) No 1231/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 extending Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 and Regulation (EC) No 987/2009 to nationals of third countries who are not already covered by these Regulations solely on the ground of their nationality (OJ L 344, 29.12.2010, p. 1), hereinafter referred to as ‘the provisions on coordination’
Directive 2011/24 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare (OJ L 88, 4.4.2011, p. 45 as amended), hereinafter referred to as ‘the Cross-Border Directive’