NFZ physiotherapy in Poland: referral, 30-day rule, 10-day cycle
Short answer: A health insurance doctor issues the referral; register it within 30 days. NFZ covers up to 5 treatments a day in a 10-day cycle, plus physiotherapy visits at the start and end.
Physiotherapy paid by the National Health Fund (NFZ) is available in Poland on a doctor's referral, and you do not have to be in a particular catchment area. This guide follows three official sources: the Ministry of Health page on outpatient rehabilitation (last edited 22 November 2017), the patient portal pacjent.gov.pl (updated 29 October 2024) and the Pomeranian branch of the NFZ (undated). Details are as of 17 October 2026. Waiting times and the list of providers change, so check them on the NFZ site before you plan treatment.
Who writes the referral
According to the patient portal, whether you need rehabilitation is decided by a health insurance doctor, meaning one who works under a contract with the NFZ. This can be a primary care doctor or, in certain cases, a specialist. The Ministry of Health page says a referral for physiotherapy can be issued by any health insurance doctor.
The exception is rehabilitation connected with correcting postural defects. Then the referral is issued by a specialist in rehabilitation (general, medical, or diseases of the locomotor system), surgery (orthopaedic, general, trauma and orthopaedic), or orthopaedics and traumatology of the locomotor system. The NFZ Pomeranian branch lists a few more qualifying specialisations and doctors training in rehabilitation or orthopaedics.
Two kinds of referral
The patient portal describes two types of referral for outpatient physiotherapy:
* a referral to a clinic: rehabilitation, locomotor system rehabilitation, neurological, cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation. At the clinic, the doctor decides whether to issue a referral for outpatient physiotherapy, or for rehabilitation in other conditions, such as at home * a referral directly for outpatient physiotherapy. The doctor can either mark specific treatments and the number in the cycle, or not name any. In that case the physiotherapist sets the plan at the first visit, after assessing your functional condition
The NFZ Pomeranian branch adds that a referral to a rehabilitation doctor is not the same as an order for a therapy cycle.
The 30-day rule
This is the point most likely to cost you your referral. You must register the referral at the chosen clinic or physiotherapy practice no later than 30 days from the date it was issued. The patient portal says this applies regardless of when the rehabilitation will start, and that after this period the referral can no longer be used.
You are not obliged to follow your area of residence when you choose a provider. The list of providers and waiting times are on the NFZ website.
The Pomeranian NFZ branch says the referral must contain the doctor's header stamp with the NFZ contract number, your data, the diagnosis in Polish, the disease code, a description of the dysfunction, the reason for the referral, past and concurrent illnesses, the doctor's stamp and signature, and the date. It says a set of tests that justify the therapy should be attached. This page is undated and its wording may be older than newer electronic referral practice, so ask the clinic what it needs.
What you get
The Ministry of Health says the guaranteed outpatient services are rehabilitation doctor visits and physiotherapy, which consists of a physiotherapy visit and physiotherapy treatments. Within the guaranteed services, one patient gets no more than 5 treatments a day in a 10-day therapeutic cycle.
The patient portal adds that you also get a physiotherapy visit at the beginning and at the end of the cycle. The treatments the doctor can order are:
* kinesitherapy, which is exercise * massage * electrotherapy * treatment with an electromagnetic field * phototherapy and thermotherapy * hydrotherapy * cryotherapy * balneotherapy
For the cryochamber, the doctor can prescribe at most 20 treatments a year, according to the patient portal.
After the cycle
If the physiotherapist decides you should continue, they describe it in a note to the referring doctor. On the basis of that document the doctor can issue another referral, which you can submit at the clinic's registration. You can sign up for the next rehabilitation only after finishing the current treatments.
If you get another injury while waiting and receive a second referral, you should show it to the physiotherapist at the initial visit, who will take it into account in your plan.
Rehabilitation at home
The NFZ Pomeranian branch says home rehabilitation is for patients who cannot move around independently and cannot reach a facility that gives outpatient care. It lists the conditions, for example the period of up to 12 months after a focal brain injury or spinal cord injury, or 6 months after hip or knee replacement surgery or a lower limb injury. It says the NFZ funds up to 80 treatment days a calendar year, with up to 5 treatments a day. The home referral is also valid for 30 days from issue. Read the branch's page for the full list, because the rules may differ by condition.
What the sources do not say
The pages do not mention foreigners. They speak of insured patients, so the question is whether you are covered by NFZ insurance. They do not give waiting times, which differ by place, and they do not say what private physiotherapy costs.
* Photos: cover, massage accessories from Japan (CC0, Wikimedia Commons); body, skeleton (CC0, Wikimedia Commons). Illustrative.
Frequently asked questions
Who can refer me for NFZ physiotherapy?
Any health insurance doctor, except for postural defects, where a listed specialist must issue it.
How long is the referral valid?
You must register it at the provider within 30 days of the date it was issued, regardless of when treatment starts.
How many treatments are covered?
Up to 5 treatments a day in a 10-day cycle, plus a physiotherapy visit at the start and end of the cycle.
Must I use the clinic nearest to me?
No. The patient portal says you do not have to follow your area of residence.
