Frequently Asked Questions

The EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive is a scheme that allows Irish residents to travel to any EU country for medical treatment, and the HSE reimburse the cost of the medical treatment. Click here to learn more.

• We locate the best hospitals, surgeons that are the right fit for your requirements.
• We assist you with gathering pre-travel requirements, like blood tests, scans, GP referral letter, etc.
• We liaise with your GP and diagnostic centre to gather your pre travel medical documents.
• We organise your hotel and travel booking.
• We meet you in all Irish airports before departure and EU Airports on arrival.
• We provide free transfers from the airport to your hotel and hospital.
• We look after all your paperwork.
• We liaise with the HSE on your behalf and ensure your refund application form is submitted.

Every Irish resident is entitled to access medical treatment under the EU Cross Border Healthcare Directive.

• You do NOT need a medical card,
• You do NOT need private health insurance
• You do NOT need to be on a medical waiting list.

The EU Cross Border Healthcare Directive is available to any person that would be entitled to treatment in an Irish hospital. You simply need a referral letter from your GP. Learn more about the Patient Pathway of accessing healthcare abroad.

Any procedure that is available in the Irish Public Healthcare SYtem can be accessed with Helathcare Abroad. Click here for a full list of our treatments. Our most common treatments include:

• Hip Replacement
• Knee Replacement
• Weight Loss Surgeries
• Cataracts
• Shoulder Surgery
• Much more

The HSE reimbursement of your medical treatment costs may take up to 16 weeks on receipt of the completed application and all supporting documentation. To ensure you receive your reimbursement, we handle all the HSE paperwork for you, so you can focus on your recovery.

The diagnostics depends on the type of treatment you need. We will organise X Rays, MRI scans, ECGs and blood tests, where necessary.

Yes. At all times you are under the umbrella of care of the HSE. While you are abroad, you will visit the hospital for dressing changes and follow up consultationS before you travel home. After you return to Ireland, your care resumes as normal. Healthcare Abroad are also free to answer any questions you have after you retrun home so don't hesitate to contact us if needed. Click here to see a short HSE video that explains the process.

We do not charge patients anything for our services. Healthcare Abroad support along their healthcare journey in a number of ways:

• We connect you with most suitable surgeon and hospital from our network of 86 private, internationally accredited hospitals.
• We meet you before you fly from selected Irish airports and we collect you from the airport to ensure the process is as smooth as possible.
• We process your paperwork to ensure you get a timely HSE reimbursement, and allowing you to focus on your recovery.
• We provide you with free transfers between the hotel and hospital for duration of your stay.

However, we do not charge patients anything for our services. We are a sales and marketing team representing hospitals abroad. We are paid by the hospitals for connecting them with patients.

Patients receive an email with all details of their surgery, the name of the Hospital & Surgeon, this is also itemised with a full breakdown of costs. The patient also receives an email with all their accommodation details, where they are staying and also the costs involved.

With over 2,000 Irish patients treated, we are Ireland’s largest and most trusted Cross Border Treatment facilitators.

We partner with 86 private, internationally accredited hospitals, each equipped with full ICU and emergency departments.

From the moment you call, we guide you every step of the way—handling all the details so you can focus on your recovery.

Our services are completely free, and include:

• Free airport collection and hospital shuttle service provided by our care and transport team.
• Our expert team is always just a phone call away to answer any questions.
• We process your HSE paperwork for you, allowing you to focus on your recovery.

You don’t have to go anywhere, but currently in Ireland there are long . This process of sending a patient abroad is the exact same as referring a patient for example to Beaumont, or any other private clinic. Even though the patient is in Spain you are always under the care of the HSE. Ireland has a great Healthcare System with fantastic doctors but the waiting lists are just too long especially for public patients. By choosing Healthcare Abroad you can bypass the waiting lists and receive top quality care reimbursed by the HSE.

Yes, our Care and Trasnport Team will collect you from the airport when you arrive and drop you back to the airport before you leave – you will also get free trasnfers between the hospital and hotel for the duration of your stay.

Healthcare Abroad will engage directly with your GP to gather the required information as part of your pre travel assessment.

Healthcare Abroad will schedule all your appointments and share this with you.

Healthcare Abroad will complete your HSE refund application form and ensure all the required documentation (boarding passes, hotel receipts, hospital invoices, etc.) are included.

Travel insurance is recommended when you have surgery abroad under the EU Cross-Border Directive, as it covers non-treatment-related issues like travel delays or unexpected medical complications. Additionally, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will cover you for other medical emergencies during your stay. Click here to apply for an EHIC.

About 50% of patients travel with companions. Some patients travel with partners, spouses, children, or friends. We meet you at the airport and provide all your transport needs, so you don’t need to travel with a companion. We will take good care of you.

You can travel with a British passport, but you should bring along proof of Irish residency, like your Irish drivers license, utility bill, or bank statements.

One of our Healthcare Abroad team will meet you in the Airport at the disability area (OCS) on the departures level. Please arrive 2.5 hours before departure. Please call us if you cannot find this area.

Yes, our Care and Trasnport Team will collect you from the airport when you arrive and drop you back to the airport before you leave – you will also get free trasnfers between the hospital and hotel for the duration of your stay.

Your accommodation will be booked by Healthcare Abroad depending on your needs such as which hospital you will be staying and depending on your surgery.

We securely speak with doctors, consultants, surgeons or other medical professionals through HSE's own Health mail which is highly secure and only accessible to healthcare professionals. To upload images eg Xray's or MRI's we use another very secure encrypted system call ZED technology this is a similar system used by Affidea around Ireland.

You remain under the care of the HSE at all times. Once you return home, you can follow up with your GP or, if necessary, visit your local A&E for further care. Should you require advice from your surgeon or have a new X-ray or scan that needs review, we can easily forward it to your consultant for assessment. Your continuity of care is our priority, ensuring you receive the support you need every step of the way.    

We can confidently say our infection rate post-surgery is below 2% but if at any time day or night our drivers/carers/patient liaison officers are on hand to bring the patient back to hospital if needed, and our accommodation for patients has been carefully chosen to be very close if not next door to the hospital where they have had their procedure. With our 5 star private hospitals we can also insure the patient will have little or no waiting time to be seen ASAP. You are always under the care of the HSE when you travel with Healthcare Abroad. If there is an emergency during your stay you will also be covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). 👉 Apply for an EHIC - HSE Ireland