General information on preventive healthcare.

Compulsory social and health insurance with the SVS begins on the day on which the trade authority grants you your trade licence and ends on the last day of the calendar month in which the licence expires.

As soon as you have been registered with the Social Insurance for the Self-Employed (SVS), you will receive a social insurance number (SVNR). This is used to identify you in the social insurance system in Austria. Write down the SVNR so that you always have it to hand when you contact an Austrian authority.

In addition, your own insurance card in Austria, the E-Card, will be sent to you automatically by post to the address you have provided to the SVS. The e-card is your personal key to the electronic healthcare system in Austria.

Since 1 January 2020, a new generation of e-cards has been issued, which also includes a photo of the insured person(s). You can find more information at www.chipkarte.at