Schedule a free call
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Breast reduction abroad for public patients in the EU
Covered by your country's public health service under the Cross Border Directive.
Large, heavy breasts can cause back, neck and shoulder pain and sore skin underneath, and these do not ease while you wait.
Your breast reduction without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in another EU country, paid back by your public health service where there is a medical need. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Your right under EU law since 2011
290,000claims paid back to patients across Europe in 2024
Your rights under the schemeHow long you wait for a breast reduction depends on where you live: waiting times differ widely between EU countries, and between regions within a country. We look at your own wait with you.
Your own public health service's published waiting times; no single European figure is quoted here
Your breast reduction in another EU country, step by step.
Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.
Before you commit
Stop at any time, at no cost
Talk to us
You
Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We check your country's rules with you and tell you how the route works for a breast reduction.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You usually need a referral for a breast reduction from your own doctor, or a letter showing you are on a public waiting list for it; we tell you what your country asks for.
We determine your eligibility
Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days
You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for a breast reduction in another EU country, checked against your country's rules.
We find a private hospital
Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file
We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your breast reduction, the dates and your expected refund.
After you commit
We stay with you to the refund
Your date is confirmed
The hospital
The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
You meet your surgeon before the operation, by video before you travel or in person at the hospital, as your country's rules and the hospital allow. You have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.
We claim your refund
Ablement · within 5 working days of your return
We send your signed claim to your public health service and follow it until you are paid. How long the decision takes depends on your country; we tell you before you decide.
Your aftercare at home
Your own doctor
Your own doctor and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. Your own doctor looks after the wounds and any stitches still to come out.
One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.
Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.
What a breast reduction costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your breast reduction, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before your public health service pays you back.
Your public health service
Pays you back up to what a breast reduction costs in the public system at home, under your country's own rules.
The detail for a breast reduction
Your country's public health service pays back a breast reduction only where your public system would provide it for a medical reason, not for a change in appearance. When it does, it pays up to what a breast reduction costs in the public system at home, or the invoice if that is less, under your country's own rules; your proposal shows the expected refund. The refund is paid into your own account after the operation; travel, a hotel and a companion's costs are yours. Whether your country asks for permission in advance, called prior authorisation, we check with you on the call. Before you accept, the price is fixed in writing, and if no hospital's price fits within the refund, we show you the gap in writing so you can choose.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a breast reduction in another EU country can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
No commitment and no documents needed.
- Write to us: Send us a message →
- Want an answer now? Use the chat.
What a breast reduction involves
A breast reduction is for large, heavy breasts that cause back, neck and shoulder pain, sore skin in the folds, or grooves from bra straps. Under a general anaesthetic, the surgeon removes breast tissue, fat and skin, moves the nipple up to a new position and reshapes the breast so that it is smaller, lighter and higher. The operation takes a few hours and leaves scars around the nipple and below it, which fade over time but do not disappear.
You wear a supportive bra for some weeks while the breasts heal, and avoid lifting. Relief from the back and shoulder pain is usually felt as soon as the weight is gone. The surgeon discusses with you beforehand that sensation in the nipple can change and that breastfeeding may not be possible afterwards.
Questions about a breast reduction
Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.
All frequently asked questionsYour question isn't here?
Ask us in the chat Or send us a message from the Contact pageIs a breast reduction paid back if it is not cosmetic?
It can be, when the public system would offer it to you for a medical reason such as pain or skin problems. A reduction wanted only for how you look is not refunded. Your own doctor's letter matters here, so ask your own doctor to describe your symptoms and how long you have had them.
How long will I stay abroad after a breast reduction?
Your time in hospital, and then a few days near the hospital so the surgeon can see how the wounds are healing. The surgeon decides when you can fly, and your written proposal sets out the hospital's usual plan.
When can I lift, drive or go back to work?
That depends on your work and on how you heal, so ask the surgeon before you leave the hospital. Back home your own doctor looks after you, including the wounds and any stitches still to come out, in the usual way.
Will I lose my place on the waiting list at home?
No. The Cross Border Directive does not ask you to leave a waiting list to use it, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let your hospital at home know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and your public health service pays you back afterwards; how long that takes depends on your country, and we tell you before you decide. Some people use savings or help from their family. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.
Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?
You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your own doctor takes over as after any operation.
Why is your help free? What's the catch?
There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.
Will my health service really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and 290,000 claims were paid back across Europe in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when your country's rules are met: usually a referral, any permission your country asks for in advance, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We check your country's rules with you before you pay anything, and we prepare the claim with you.
Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?
Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.
Find out if this route can work for you
One free call, by video or phone. No commitment and no documents.
by video or phone, at a time you pick
Already spoken with us? Start your case →