You are waiting for a decision Health and medical care

Information about health and medical care for asylum seekers.

If you have applied for asylum in Sweden, you are entitled to emergency medical and dental care, care that cannot wait, and certain other forms of care.

Who to contact

If you get sick or injure yourself, you should usually go to a healthcare centre (vårdcentral) first. You will often need to make an appointment before visiting the healthcare centre. When you make an appointment, tell them whether you will need an interpreter. If you become acutely ill and need an ambulance, call the emergency telephone number 112.

At 1177.se, you can find out who to contact for health or medical care.

1177.se External link.

Bring your Asylum Seeker card (LMA card)

When you visit a care facility or collect medication at a pharmacy, you will need to present your Asylum Seeker card (LMA card). If you have not yet received your LMA card, please present your receipt showing that you have applied for asylum. In some cases, you will pay a lower patient fee if you present your LMA card to your health or medical care provider. You will also pay less for most medications prescribed by a physician if you present the card at the pharmacy.

The types of care to which asylum seekers are entitled

As an adult asylum seeker, you are entitled to emergency medical care and dental care that cannot wait. You also have the right to obstetric (childbirth) care, abortion care, advice about contraceptives, maternal health care, and care covered by the Infectious Disease Control Act (a law aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases).

Asylum-seeking children under the age of 18 are entitled to the same health and medical care and dental care as other children living in Sweden. Such care is largely free for children, but this can vary depending on where you live. Medication for children is free, as long as it was prescribed by a physician.

Medication

At the pharmacy, you can buy over-the-counter medication and other health products. This is also where you pick up medication prescribed to you by a physician. Remember to present your LMA card when you pick up prescription medication. Then you will pay less for most medications that a physician has said you need.

Here is an overview of the fees asylum seekers who can present their LMA card must pay.

Fees for visits to a healthcare centre or hospital

  • Visit to a physician at a healthcare centre: SEK 50
  • Visit to a physician to whom you were referred: SEK 50
  • Visit to another type of care provider to whom you were referred (for example, a nurse, physiotherapist, or counsellor): SEK 25
  • Preventive child and maternity care, pregnancy care, and childbirth: free
  • Protective care if you have an infectious disease: free

Emergency hospital care or emergency dental care

The fee for emergency visits to hospitals varies throughout the country. You can find current fees on the website for your region or via 1177.

1177.se External link.

  • Emergency visit to a Public Dental Service clinic or another dentist to which you are referred by the Public Dental Service: SEK 50.
  • Emergency visit to private dentist not approved by the Public Dental Service: fee determined by the private dentist.

Medication

You pay SEK 50 for most prescribed medications, but sometimes they are more expensive. Most medications that are prescribed to children under the age of 18 are free.

Healthcare journeys

You pay a maximum of SEK 40 for a so-called “healthcare journey”, i.e. travel to obtain health or medical care.

High cost protection if your expenses exceed SEK 400

If, over the course of six months, you have paid more than SEK 400 SEK for visits to a physician, healthcare journeys, prescription medication, and/or other treatment (such as physiotherapy), you can apply for a special grant. The Swedish Migration Agency can reimburse you for any costs that exceed SEK 400. This is known as “high cost protection”. To receive this compensation, you must provide receipts (not invoices) showing that you have paid each fee. In the case of receipts for medication, you will need to submit the prescription specification, the part of the receipt where your name appears.

Fees for visits to a specialist physician without a referral from a doctor at the healthcare centre do not count towards the SEK 400 limit.

Compensation for emergency medical care and medications

The cost of emergency medical care is not included in the high cost protection, but you can apply for a special grant if the cost is greater than SEK 50. This applies even if you needed emergency dental care, provided that your Public Dental Service clinic was not open or had no available appointments when you needed the care.

Bring the receipt to the Swedish Migration Agency and submit an application for a special grant as soon as you can after the emergency visit.

You can also apply to be reimbursed for the cost of prescription medications for which you paid more than SEK 50.

If your asylum application has been rejected

If your right to financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency has ended because you have received a refusal of entry or expulsion decision that can no longer be appealed, you must return your Asylum Seeker card (LMA card) and you cannot receive money for medication or visits to a physician.

How to pay for your care visit

When you seek care, always ask the care provider, i.e. the healthcare centre, hospital, or Public Dental Service clinic, about how you will need to pay for your visit. Some care providers accept cards or cash, while others send an invoice to your home. If the care provider only allows invoice payment, you can ask if you can come back and pay the invoice in person, as asylum seekers have limited options for paying invoices.

Care for different events and life situations

All asylum seekers are offered a health exam. You will receive an invitation to your free health exam as soon as possible after you applied for asylum.

During the health exam, you can get advice about health-related issues, will be offered medical tests (i.e. blood tests), and will receive information about health and medical care in Sweden. Healthcare professionals are sworn to secrecy.

Many asylum seekers have been subjected to violence or sexual abuse in their country of origin or during their flight to Sweden. Such experiences can make you feel bad both physically and mentally. During your health exam, tell the care professional(s) you meet about your problems and they can help you get the right care.

Help for those who are living with domestic violence

Female genital mutilation occurs in many parts of the world. In Sweden, it is prohibited to cut or otherwise harm any part of a girl’s or woman’s genital area. Many call this “female circumcision”. Under Swedish law, it is called female genital mutilation, and is a serious crime. A person who has been subjected to genital mutilation can have both physical and mental problems.

If someone has done this to you or your daughter and you have problems because of it, you can get help from the healthcare service. Talk to the staff who conduct your health exam, or to someone at your nearest healthcare centre.

If you are afraid that you or someone you know will be subjected to genital mutilation, contact the police at 114 14. If the situation is urgent, call 112. You can also call Kvinnofridslinjen (Sweden’s National Women’s Helpline) at 020‑50 50 50 to get advice and support. Kvinnofridslinjen is a national helpline for women who have been subjected to threats or violence.

The healthcare service can provide you with knowledge about how to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases and how to avoid infecting others. Examples of sexually transmitted diseases include chlamydia, hepatitis, gonorrhoea and HIV.

If you know that you have such a disease, you are required by Swedish law to inform the healthcare staff during your health exam, so that you can receive care and avoid infecting someone else. Talk to the staff when you undergo your health exam. If you are unsure whether you are infected, the healthcare staff can take samples and run tests.

In Sweden, maternity care and obstetric (childbirth) care is free for asylum seekers. If you are pregnant, you can talk to the healthcare staff when you undergo your health exam, or contact the maternal health service at your nearest hospital to talk about what care you need. Abortion-related care is also free.

You also have the right to free advice about contraception, so that you can choose whether you want to become a parent. Both women and men have the right to information on how to protect themselves and others from pregnancy.

There are many forms of contraception. You can buy condoms at the pharmacy or in the grocery store. If you want a different form of contraception, a doctor or midwife can write a prescription for the type of contraceptive medication or device that the two of you decide is best for you. Prescription contraception is free for anyone under 18 years of age.

When you are waiting for a decision about your asylum application, it is common to feel worried about what will happen in the future. Many asylum seekers also feel unwell because of their experiences or concerns about their families. Examples of symptoms of poor mental health include anxiety, difficulty sleeping or feeling sad and listless.

You can get help and support from your local healthcare service provider. During your health exam, talk to the healthcare staff about any such issues. If you are worried that your child is feeling unwell, you can talk to the staff at the child healthcare centre or at your child’s school.

If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to cope with everyday life on your own, it is important that you tell the Swedish Migration Agency. Also contact the healthcare centre so that you can get help. If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to communicate in contact with the Swedish Migration Agency or other authorities, you can get help and support for that. Talk to your Unit for Reception about what support you can get.

As an adult, you have the right to emergency dental care. It is the dentist who assesses whether your need for dental care is urgent and what type of treatment you should receive. Children are entitled to both emergency and preventive treatment by dentists. Dental care is free for all children in Sweden.

When you need dental care, contact the Public Dental Service clinic or any other dentist to which your region refers you.

If you think you need glasses, contact your Unit for Reception and apply for a special grant for an eye examination and glasses. It is the Swedish Migration Agency that decides whether you should receive an eye examination.

If you receive a decision granting you an eye examination, you can book an appointment with the optician. You must do this within three weeks. If the optician decides that you need glasses, they will order glasses paid for by the Swedish Migration Agency.

Healthcare journeys

If, due to your health, you are unable to travel to your care provider on your own, you can book a healthcare journey (travel to/from your care provider). You may also be reimbursed for the expenses you have incurred for travel to and from a healthcare centre or hospital, if there are medical reasons for the reimbursement. It is the care provider that assesses whether you are entitled to a healthcare journey. Call the 1177 Care Guide for more relevant information about the region in which you live.

Read more about healthcare journeys at www.1177.se External link.

  • On the website www.1177.se External link., there is information in several languages about diseases and how health and medical care in Sweden works. It also lists the phone numbers for the healthcare centres and dentists located in the place where you live.

    You can also call telephone number 1177. Then you will be able to talk to a nurse who can answer questions and give advice on health and medical care. The nurse can also assess your need for care and refer you to the right healthcare facility, if necessary.
  • The website www.mybody.rfsu.se External link. has short informational films for people who want to know more about their body, sexuality and health. The films are available in many different languages. Among other things, the website has film clips about contraception, childbirth and pregnancy.
  • The website www.youmo.se External link. provides information for young people about health, relationships, sex and much more, in several languages.
  • Kvinnofridslinjen (Sweden’s National Women’s Helpline) offers advice and support to women subjected to threats and/or physical, psychological and sexual violence. Call 020‑50 50 50. They can arrange for an interpreter in just a few minutes. You can also read more at kvinnofridslinjen.se External link..
  • The staff at your Unit for Reception or accommodation can help you with more information and find out where you should go to get the right healthcare in the place where you live.

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