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Tonsil surgery abroad for public patients in the EU
Covered by your country's public health service under the Cross Border Directive.
Tonsillitis that keeps coming back can cost you days of work and sleep each time, and adults often wait a long time for the operation.
Your tonsil operation without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in another EU country, paid back by your public health service. 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 tonsil operation 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 tonsil operation 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 tonsil operation.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You usually need a referral for a tonsil operation 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 tonsil operation 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 tonsil operation, 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. Show your own doctor the discharge report, and ask the surgeon before you leave what to watch for while you heal.
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 tonsil operation costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your tonsil operation, 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 tonsil operation costs in the public system at home, under your country's own rules.
The detail for a tonsil operation
Your country's public health service pays back the cost up to what a tonsillectomy costs in a public hospital at home, under your country's own rules; your proposal shows the expected refund. The money comes to you, into your own account, once the treatment is over, and it never covers travel, a hotel or a companion's costs. Whether your country asks for permission in advance, called prior authorisation, we check with you on the call. The hospital commits to its price in writing before you accept, and if none of the hospitals we ask can stay within the refund, we show you the difference in writing so that you can decide.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a tonsil operation in another EU country can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
No commitment and no documents needed.
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What a tonsil operation involves
A tonsillectomy removes both tonsils, the two pads of tissue at the back of the throat, when tonsillitis keeps coming back or the tonsils cause other problems. It is done under a general anaesthetic, through the mouth, so there is no cut on the outside; the operation takes about half an hour.
The throat is sore for about two weeks afterwards, often worse in the first week than on the day itself, and adults find the recovery harder than children do. Eating and drinking normally, with painkillers, helps the throat heal. There is a small risk of bleeding from the wound in the first two weeks, which is why surgeons ask you to stay near the hospital after the operation. The aim is an end to the repeated infections and the days lost to them.
Questions about a tonsil operation
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 tonsil surgery for adults paid back?
Yes, when your public system would provide it for you and the rules are met. That means a referral letter, a consultation with the surgeon before the operation, and proof that you paid the hospital from your own account; some countries also ask for permission in advance. We look at your own case and your letter before we propose a hospital.
How long will I be away?
It can be a day case or a night in hospital. After a tonsil operation, surgeons usually ask you to stay close to the hospital for longer than after most day operations before you fly, so that they can check on your recovery. The surgeon decides when you are ready, and the proposal tells you in advance how long the hospital usually expects you to stay.
Does this page cover children?
Our pages are written for adults, and the figures above are for adults. If you are looking into this for a child, schedule a free call: we look at each child's case on the call and tell the family honestly what we can do.
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
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