Changed rules for subsidies for health services bought in other EU/EEA countries
Official title (in Danish): Bekendtgørelse om tilskud til sundhedsydelser uden for sygehusvæsenet købt i eller leveret fra andre EU/EØS-lande
In short
Reading time: 1 min- What changes:
- The municipality or region that handles a case is now determined by where the person lived at the time the service was received.
- The Danish Medicines Agency decides medicine cases instead of the Danish Health Authority.
- Complaints now go to the Danish Patient Complaints Authority instead of the Patient Ombudsman.
- Who: The rules apply, among others, to persons entitled to services under the Health Act in Denmark at the expense of a public health insurance in the United Kingdom.
- When: The executive order entered into force on 15 February 2026.
Written by AI from verbatim quotes from the source and checked by code and AI. Dates, tables and the fact box are calculated by fixed rules. Unofficial translation. Always read the original.
The municipality or region that decides on subsidies is now the one where the insured person lived at the time the service was received. Previously it was the insured person's municipality or region of residence, without being linked to residence at the time the service was received.
A special rule has been added on who decides on subsidies if a pensioner has not had residence in Denmark: Then it is the municipality/region where the pensioner's last employer had its registered office, or from where the pensioner carried out self-employed work while working, that decides. If the pensioner has had residence in Denmark, it is instead the pensioner's last municipality/region of residence. The Danish Medicines Agency now decides whether the regional council must give subsidies for medicines. Previously it was the Danish Health Authority that decided this for persons without residence in Denmark.
For pensioners covered by section 4, no. 2, and their family members, the application must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant's EU health insurance card or a temporary replacement certificate for the card. Previously it was only a copy of the card.
A complaint about a decision can be lodged with the Danish Patient Complaints Authority within 4 weeks. Previously complaints went to the Patient Ombudsman.
Sources and original
Read the official text (in Danish) →
Source: Retsinformation.dk
Translated from Danish · The Danish version and the original source apply.
Timeline
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- Issued · 6 February 2026
- Published in the Danish Law Gazette (Lovtidende) · 14 February 2026
- In force · 15 February 2026