The emergency number is 112. 

If a health problem occurs unexpectedly and is very serious - for example, serious illness, trauma or poisoning - the person must call the ambulance or go to the hospital emergency department.

Everyone in Estonia is entitled to free emergency health care, including ambulance services, including foreigners and people without health insurance. 

Ambulances help people who need assistance in case of injury or acute illness. The ambulance will diagnose, give first aid and instructions for treatment and, if necessary, take the person to hospital. The ambulance is available 24 hours a day and is intended to provide emergency medical care.

If you are in doubt about whether you need to call an ambulance, call the 24/7 General Practitioner’s (Family Doctor) helpline 1220 (standard rate for your phone operator) or their free phone number +372 634 6630 (also for calling from abroad).

In case of poisoning, you can get urgent help by calling the poison information number 16 662.

If someone's life is in danger, call an ambulance. 

Read more about the ambulance service on the Health Board website. 

Emergency department (EMO)

A person in urgent need can also go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital on their own. The list of hospitals providing emergency care in Tallinn can be found here.

Emergency medical care is intended for anyone whose health concern is serious and if you suspect that you or a loved one’s health condition could lead to permanent health damage without medical intervention. You can also go to the emergency department if your condition does not seem critical at first but you still feel unwell and your condition is worsening, especially if the waiting time for a specialist is too long. A common illness can develop into a chronic condition if not treated in time. Emergency medical assistance is free, but any further treatment will need to be paid for by the individual or covered by health insurance.

Read more about this on the Health Insurance Fund website. 

To address health concerns in Estonia, one must first consult a family doctor. The family doctor diagnoses and treats most illnesses and can refer patients for tests or to specialists as needed. They also perform vaccinations, wound care, and, upon agreement, home visits. 

Individuals with health insurance are entitled to family doctor and specialist services. Newly arrived refugees are advised to obtain health insurance and register with a family doctor, even without current health issues, to ensure the fastest and highest quality medical care. 

Family doctor services are free for insured individuals; those without insurance must pay for these services themselves.

To register with a family doctor or to change family doctors, one must submit a registration application to their preferred doctor either in person or via email. 

A list of family doctors in Estonia, including those with available slots, can be found on the Health Insurance Fund's website. 

New members can be accepted based on applications from the individual, their parent, or guardian. Notably, newborns are automatically registered with their mother's family doctor, and an application is only necessary if choosing a different doctor for the child.

The family doctor will inform you of your registration or refusal within seven working days from the submission of the application. If rejected, the doctor will also provide the reason. A family doctor may refuse if their list is full (up to 2,000 people, or 2,400 if assisted by another doctor) or if the patient's residence is outside their service area. 

Family doctors can offer care to Ukrainian war refugees without requiring registration. A list of clinics providing care to refugees can be found here.

If you cannot find a family doctor, you can contact the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) via email at info@tervisekassa.ee or call their helpline at +372 669 663. There is a dedicated person to assist with finding a doctor. 

You can also seek advice from the family doctor helpline at 1220 or their free line at +372 634 663.

Many family clinics are connected to the e-Health Centre’s online portal, where you can easily extend prescriptions, request sick leave, and contact your family doctor.

If you are not registered with a family doctor but are a Ukrainian refugee, you can receive free general medical care from these clinics:

• Confido Walk-in Clinic, Viru Centre, Tallinn
  Phone: 600 9090, email: ukraina@confido.ee 
• Meliva Clinics, Tallinn
  Phone: 605 1540, online registration
• Tallinna Eriarstikeskus, Lasnamäe, Tallinn
  Phone: 608 2218, email: info@eriarstikeskus.ee 

For more details, visit the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) website.

Family doctor's advice line 

You can call the family doctor's advice number 1220 (your standard operator rate) or their free number +372 634 6630 (call this number also from abroad). English advice is available daily from 15.00 to 17.00.

Call the advice line if: 

• you want to know whether you need to go to the emergency department, to your family doctor or if you can manage your health problems at home;
• if you have a health problem outside working hours, on public holidays or on public holidays;
• you are away from home or abroad and cannot see your family doctor;
• you would like information on the organisation of the Estonian health care system (how to change your family doctor, which specialist to see, etc.);
• you may require a personalised consultation. If you choose, the consultant will have access to your medical history, prescribed medications, and test results. The advising doctor will then forward this information to the health portal, ensuring that your family doctor is also informed about any health issues you have experienced.

In urgent situations, family doctors' advice line physicians can extend prescriptions on Friday evenings, weekends, and public holidays. However, they cannot issue new prescriptions for medications that have not been previously prescribed to you by a doctor.

For calling from abroad, please dial +372 634 6630

Read more about the advice line services here. 

A referral to a specialist is usually given by a family doctor, as most specialists require a referral. However, you can visit dentists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, venereologists, gynaecologists, and psychiatrists without one. You can also see specialists without a referral if you pay for the services yourself. It's recommended to book early, as waiting times can be long. Patients have the right to choose a specialist and appointment time at any medical institution, and paying privately may offer an earlier appointment.

The Health Insurance Fund will only pay for the health care services of an insured person if the institution has a contract with the Health Insurance Fund. Health Insurance Fund contracted partners serve all insured persons, regardless of where they live. Patients have the right to choose a specialist doctor and an appointment at any health institution they wish.

Read more about special medical care on the Health Insurance Fund website .

Dental Care

In Estonia, dental care for children under the age of 19 is covered by the Health Insurance Fund. For adults, dental care is a paid service. Annually, it is possible to receive a dental care benefit of either 60 euros or 105 euros. To receive free dental care or the benefit, your dentist must have a contract with the Health Insurance Fund – you can find information about contracted dental care providers here. More information about dental services funded by the Health Insurance Fund can be found on their website.

At the University of Tartu's dental student clinic, dental services are either free or heavily discounted for patients. The treatment provided by students is supervised by an instructing doctor-professor. You can read more about this on the University of Tartu Clinic's stomatology department website.

The prevention of oral and dental diseases is supported by the “Suukool” (Mouth School), whose goal is to ensure that children in Estonia grow up with healthy teeth. However, adults can also find useful information for maintaining oral health there.

Emergency Dental Care

Everyone living in Estonia is entitled to free emergency dental care, regardless of whether they have health insurance or not. Free emergency dental care is provided when delaying or not providing assistance could lead to permanent health damage or death for the individual in need. Emergency assistance is provided for conditions requiring tooth extraction or abscess drainage, as determined by the dentist.

Conditions necessitating urgent emergency care include:

• Dental trauma
• Extensive swelling in the facial and jaw area
• Difficulty opening the mouth
• Infection due to complicated wisdom tooth extraction
• Post-extraction wound infection
• Acute salivary gland diseases
• Acute temporomandibular joint disorders

Services provided in emergency dental care include:

• Patient examination and consultation
• Surface anaesthesia (mucosal anaesthesia)
• Injection anaesthesia (injection anaesthesia)
• Extraction of single-rooted teeth
• Extraction of multi-rooted teeth
• Removal of deeply fractured or broken teeth
• Abscess drainage and treatment
• Wound repair from trauma
• Repositioning of luxated teeth
• Bleeding control with suturing
• Follow-up after surgical intervention
• Removal of teeth or implants (with partial bone removal)
• Dental X-rays
• Full-mouth X-ray

To access emergency dental care, you must contact healthcare providers that have a contract with the Tervisekassa, as the Tervisekassa only pays for services provided to insured and uninsured adults by its contractual partners.

If you require urgent dental care, contact Denila Dental Clinic (24 hours) or the Tallinn Dental Polyclinic. Check their contact details here.

Dental Treatment Benefits

In Estonia, the Health Insurance Fund covers dental care for children under 19. Dental care for adults is a paid service. Adults can receive a dental benefit of either €60 or €105 per year. The dental benefit for insured adults is €60 (with a 50% co-payment).

Individuals with increased dental care needs, such as pregnant women, mothers of children under one year, pensioners with reduced working capacity, and elderly pensioners, can receive a benefit of €105 (with a 12.5% co-payment).

The Health Insurance Fund recommends that those needing dental care review the criteria for higher dental benefits and free dental care. There are often situations where individuals are eligible for a higher dental benefit, but they or their family doctor may not be aware of it.

The amount of the benefit and the remaining balance can be checked through the state portal Estonia.ee under the service "Information on Dental and Prosthetic Services."

The benefit is valid for essential dental services. For services not included in the reimbursable services list, patients must pay according to the healthcare provider's price list. Additionally, the service provider has the right to charge a visit fee of up to €5 (excluding pregnant women). The reimbursable amount is deducted from the treatment bill immediately, and patients do not need to submit any applications or documents to the Health Insurance Fund.

Note! To use the benefit, your chosen healthcare provider must be a contractual partner of the Health Insurance Fund.
For more information about the Health Insurance Fund’s dental services, you can visit their website.

Youth Counselling Centres

You can find a wide range of information on sexual health on the online portal Sseksuaaltervis.ee. It provides information on sexual development, contraception, STIs, consent to sex, etc. The portal also allows you to ask anonymous questions to counsellors.  

Visits to the counselling centres are free of charge for all young people up to the age of 26, regardless of whether they have health insurance. 

The counselling centres provide information on and renewal of prescriptions for contraceptives, diagnosis of pregnancy and STIs, counselling on all sexuality-related issues and psychological counselling. 

You can find the contact details of counselling centres all over Estonia here on Sseksuaaltervis webpage.

Midwife Advice Line

The midwife advice line 12252 offers 24/7 anonymous consultation in Estonian and Russian on all matters related to women's and children's health. 

The cost is €1.90 per minute. 

The advice line addresses questions from teenagers regarding bodily changes, starting sexual activity, menstruation, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, and more.

Questions regarding pregnancy planning, contraceptive methods, test results, and deficiencies will be addressed. Consultation is available on topics related to childbirth and the postpartum period, such as baby care, insomnia, breastfeeding, and gas pains.

Women with gynaecological issues and those experiencing menopause are encouraged to call for advice on test results, menopause, and hormonal changes, as well as issues like incontinence and other women's health problems.

Men can also inquire about women's health, including questions from boys about girls during puberty, men regarding their pregnant partners, mature men about their menopausal wives, and fathers concerning their daughters' health.

For more information about the midwife advice line, read here.

Gynaecologists

The contact details of gynaecologists working in Estonia are listed on the Tervisekassa website (select “Contracted Specialty” → “Gynaecology” and your location from the bottom right column). A referral from a family doctor is not required to see a gynaecologist, and the visit is free of charge.

Pregnancy

You can read more about pregnancy, pregnancy diagnosis, pregnancy registration, pregnancy monitoring and childbirth on sexuaaltervis.ee.

If you have a positive pregnancy test, you should see a gynaecologist or midwife. You can see a gynaecologist without a referral. You must also register as pregnant if you arrive in Estonia pregnant.

You can find hospitals in Estonia that provide antenatal care and maternity services here. 

Termination of pregnancy

Abortion is legal in Estonia. At the woman's own request and on the basis of a written statement, a pregnancy that has lasted less than 12 weeks is terminated. For medical reasons, a pregnancy of less than 22 weeks may be terminated. 

You can read more about termination of pregnancy on the Health Insurance Fund website.

Vaccination

Vaccination is voluntary in Estonia. The decision is made by the parent on behalf of their children.

Vaccinations under the national immunisation programme are free of charge for everyone. These include vaccines against tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B virus, rotavirus infection, human papillomavirus (HPV), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and haemophilus haemophilus type B infection.

In addition, it is possible to be vaccinated against a number of infectious diseases, which should be considered for people at risk of infection. For example, there are highly effective vaccines against influenza, tick-borne encephalitis, chickenpox, shingles, viral hepatitis A, pneumococcal infection, cholera, rabies and meningococcal infection.

Read more about vaccination at vaccinate.ee.

Screening

Screening is a health check-up designed to detect breast, cervical or colorectal cancer at an early stage, especially in healthy people of a certain age without symptoms or complaints.

Participation in screening is free of charge for all people screened, irrespective of whether they have health insurance. Any further tests and treatment needed if detected during screening are also free of charge.

Screening is open to people whose year of birth falls within the screening target group and whose place of residence is Estonia. If you are eligible for screening in a given year, you can contact the centre directly to book an appointment.

Read more about screening on the Health Insurance Fund website. 

All Ukrainian war refugees arriving in Estonia are entitled to a free general health check. This is available for those staying visa-free and those applying for a temporary residence permit. The free general health check is accessible throughout Estonia.

The general health check is the quickest way to enter the Estonian healthcare system. The goal of this check is to assess your health status and ensure you receive the same high-quality and equitable healthcare as other Estonian residents.

During the general health check, you can receive assistance with various health problems, such as chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and other minor or major health issues. If you are unable to get an appointment for a health check soon enough, call the family doctor advice line at their free number +372 634 6630 or the short number 1220 (standard call rate applies) to get health advice and recommendations on where to seek help.

The general health check is a one-time service. After completing it, you can visit a family doctor for any further health concerns.

The general health check includes a conversation, a medical examination, infectious disease screening, and tests. The results of the health check are documented in a secure health information system where medical data and test results are stored. This way, the information about your health is accessible to the doctors you may consult in the future. If you have an Estonian ID card, you can also view this information yourself through the Health Portal.

If necessary, the doctor will refer you to a specialist or make decisions about continuing treatment for ongoing or chronic illnesses.

Based on the general health check, you can also receive a health certificate if required, which is necessary for working in certain positions. Children need a health certificate to continue their education in the Estonian education system.

For more information, visit the Health Board website.

If you have the right of residence in Estonia, you are entitled to health insurance. Health insurance is crucial as it provides access to medical care, reimbursement of treatment costs, and sickness leave benefits. All insured individuals in Estonia, including refugees, are entitled to equal, high-quality healthcare.

National Health Insurance 

Estonia's national health insurance system is managed by the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), funded by a 13% contribution from employees’ salaries. Children, pensioners, students, pregnant women, unemployed people, and others are also covered.

The Estonian Health Insurance Fund provides coverage not only to working individuals but also to:

• children;
• students;
• pregnant women;
• individuals with partial or impaired working capacity;
• unemployed individuals registered with the unemployment insurance fund;
• pensioners receiving state pension in Estonia;
• the dependent spouse or registered partner of an insured person, who has up to five years remaining until retirement age;
• one parent raising a child under three years of age;
• a parent raising three or more children under 19 years of age, of whom at least one is under eight years old.

To obtain health insurance for a child, it is not necessary to submit an application to the Health Insurance Fund. If the child's residence is registered in Estonia in the population register, the insurance will automatically come into effect.

More details can be found on the Health Insurance Fund’s website.

If you don’t belong to any insured group, you can opt for voluntary insurance by signing an agreement with Tervisekassa and paying the premiums yourself.

Private Insurance 

Several private companies in Estonia offer voluntary health insurance. These contracts may cover paid medical consultations, allowing quicker access to appointments. Some insurers also provide coverage for dental care and mental health services.

Examples of companies offering health insurance in Estonia include ERGO, Salu, IIZI, Vagner, and Compensa Life. Additionally, brokers can help find the best private insurance options.

Health Portal

In Terviseportaal (Health Portal), you can access:

• the validity of your health insurance;
• invoices covered by the Health Insurance Fund;
• test results and medical documents;
• prescriptions;
• referrals and upcoming appointments;
• invitations for screenings;
• remaining national dental care subsidies;
• vaccination history;
• request health certificates;
• designate representatives for various tasks (e.g. purchasing prescriptions).

Access the Health Portal using your ID card, Mobile-ID, or Smart-ID.

State Portal Eesti.ee

In the state portal Eesti.ee, you can access the following Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) e-services:

• View your prescriptions;
• Check the validity of your health insurance;
• Access your family doctor’s information;
• Verify eligibility for dental and prosthesis benefits and track usage;
• Obtain information and extract your sick leave certificate;
• Review and update bank account details;
• Order a European Health Insurance Card and a replacement certificate.

Access the portal using your ID card, Mobile-ID, or Smart-ID.

Speech and Language Therapist 

The provision of speech and language therapists for children in Estonia is the responsibility of local authorities, and many children's speech and language therapists work in schools, kindergartens and educational support centres. 

In addition, there are speech therapists specialising in working with children in speech clinics and hospitals. However, waiting times for children to see a speech therapist can be long, so it is important that parents also have access to initial information to assess the age-appropriateness of their child's speech and to the necessary speech training resources. Read more about speech therapy here. 

The Health Insurance Fund reimburses children's visits to a speech therapist at the Health Insurance Fund's contractual partners.  

If your child's educational institution does not have a speech and language therapist, or if your child's concerns have already been addressed, but you need further advice, an impartial assessment or a decision on how to adapt your child's educational pathway, contact Rajaleidja.

Identification of disabilities 

The severity and type of disability is established to determine the level of need of people with special needs. To do this, an application must be submitted to the Social Insurance Board. You can read more about disability assessment and how to apply here. You can also submit your application via the Social Insurance Board's self-service.

Children with special needs

The City of Tallinn offers a wide range of services for children with special needs, such as assistance, respite for his or her carer and more. Find out more here. 

For information about services and support, contact the social welfare department of the place where you live.

Social rehabilitation

Social rehabilitation is for all people with disabilities and people with partial work capacity (who are not working, studying or registered as unemployed) or with a disability. Through this service, the person and his/her family learn how to cope with the special needs of their daily life.

Social rehabilitation is a complex service, i.e. a person has several problems that cannot be solved by single services (e.g. psychologist, support worker, rehabilitation) but require the intervention of several specialists (rehabilitation team). Read more here and here. 

You can find the services provided by the City of Tallinn for people with special needs here.

Work rehabilitation

Work-related rehabilitation is for people who have a number of barriers due to a disability or illness and who therefore need the help of a rehabilitation team of specialists to get or keep working. Read more here.