A referral is an official document exchanged between two doctors. It is issued only based on medical indications and contains essential information about the patient’s health problem for the specialist. The referral must be obtained before booking an appointment with a specialist.

• If a patient visits a specialist without a required referral, the consultation and all related services will be charged as private services.
• If a specialist determines that the patient needs to see another specialist, the new referral is issued by the current specialist. The patient does not need to return to their family doctor for a new referral.
• If the specialist decides to keep the patient under observation, but the appointment schedule for the next visit is not yet open, they will issue a so-called “return referral.” In this case, the patient does not need to request another referral from their family doctor and can book the next appointment using the specialist’s issued referral.
• No referral from a family doctor is needed for consultations with the following specialists: ophthalmologist (eye doctor), gynecologist, dermatologist-venereologist, psychiatrist, dentist, and a traumatologist in case of injury.
• In many cases, health issues can be resolved without visiting a specialist. A family doctor can consult with a specialist remotely through an e-consultation system. In this case, the family doctor sends a direct query to the specialist via the health information system. The specialist then reviews the query and either advises the family doctor on further treatment or invites the patient for an in-person consultation, taking over their care.