EHIC and GHIC Card Guide: Free Healthcare Cover for European Travel
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is one of the most useful free documents a European resident can carry — and one of the most impersonated. The card itself is free, it is issued by your national health insurer, and it gives you access to necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay in another European country, on the same terms as the people insured there. UK residents now usually receive the GHIC, the UK's Global Health Insurance Card, which works the same way in the EU. This guide explains what the card covers, what it does not cover, how to apply, and how to spot the copycat sites that charge you for a free card.
The key facts
- Cost: free. The card costs nothing; never pay a third party for it.
- Where it works: the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
- What it covers: necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay, on local terms.
- What it does not cover: private care, planned treatment abroad, repatriation, rescue costs.
- Who issues it: your national health insurance institution — not a private company.
- One card per person: every family member, including each child, needs their own card.
What the EHIC actually gives you
The EHIC entitles the holder to necessary healthcare from the state system of the country they are visiting, during a temporary stay, on the same terms and at the same cost as people insured in that country. "Necessary" is the key word. It covers treatment that cannot wait until you return home: an emergency, an accident, a sudden illness, care for a chronic condition such as diabetes or kidney dialysis that needs attention during the trip, and maternity care that becomes necessary while you are away. It does not cover treatment you travel specifically to receive — that is planned treatment, and it follows a different authorisation route.
"On the same terms as locals" has a practical consequence travellers often miss: in some countries, state healthcare still involves a patient co-payment. The EHIC does not make treatment free everywhere; it makes it cost what a local insured person would pay. In France, for example, state care commonly leaves a share for the patient, which is why French residents carry top-up insurance. Keep your receipts: a co-payment may be reclaimable from your home insurer or from your travel insurance, depending on your policy.
| Covered by EHIC / GHIC | NOT covered |
|---|---|
| Emergency and urgent state treatment | Private clinics and private treatment |
| Chronic-condition care that cannot wait | Planned treatment abroad |
| Necessary maternity care during the stay | Repatriation to your home country |
| State care on local terms (including local co-payments) | Rescue and mountain-rescue costs |
| Dialysis, oxygen and similar routine care that cannot be postponed | Lost luggage, cancellation, trip disruption |
EHIC or GHIC — which one do you get?
If you are insured in an EU country, or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you apply for the EHIC from your own health insurer. If you live in the United Kingdom, you usually apply for the GHIC instead: after Brexit, the UK issues its own Global Health Insurance Card, which gives UK residents the same kind of state-healthcare access in the EU. The two cards are not interchangeable documents for the same person — you hold the one issued by the country where you are insured. If you move country and join a new health system, your new insurer issues your new card and the old one stops being valid for you.
For expats this creates one common trap: holding a card from a country where you are no longer insured. A German resident who keeps using a card issued by their previous home country, after joining a German Krankenkasse, is carrying a card that no longer reflects their insurance. When you move, re-apply through your new insurer and stop using the old card.
How to apply
- Find your insurer's route. In Germany, apply through your Krankenkasse; in Belgium, through your mutuality (mutuelle); in France, through your caisse d'assurance maladie; in the UK, through the NHS GHIC route. Every country has its own form, but the principle is identical: the insurer issues the card.
- Apply for every family member. The card is personal. Children need their own cards, and a parent's card does not cover a child.
- Allow delivery time. Cards are normally posted to you. Apply well before a trip — weeks, not days — and check the expiry date on arrival.
- Carry it with you. The card only helps if you can show it. Keep it with your passport or ID, and note your insurer's emergency number separately.
If you fall ill and do not have the card with you, contact your home insurer as soon as possible: in many systems a provisional replacement certificate can be issued to the treating provider. Do not simply pay a private clinic and assume reimbursement — the EHIC route runs through state providers, and private bills are generally not covered by it.
What to do when you need treatment
Go to a state healthcare provider, not a private clinic, and present your EHIC or GHIC before treatment where possible. Ask explicitly for treatment under the state scheme. In tourist areas, private clinics often advertise in English and may be closer — but treatment there falls outside the EHIC, and the bill is yours. If you are unsure whether a facility is state or private, ask, and if you are admitted in an emergency, show the card at the earliest opportunity and contact your insurer.
Keep every document: medical reports, prescriptions, itemised bills and payment receipts. If you paid a co-payment, your home insurer or travel insurer may reimburse it, but only with proof. Photograph everything on the day; paperwork lost on a trip is rarely recoverable later.
Scam warning: the card is free — a fee means a copycat
Applying for an EHIC or GHIC costs nothing. Yet search results are full of lookalike sites that charge €20, €30 or more to "process" your application, often with official-looking logos and urgent language. They cannot give you anything your insurer does not give you free, and handing them your identity details and payment card creates a second risk on top of the wasted fee. The rule is simple: if a site charges for the card, leave it. Apply only through your national health insurer or, for a GHIC, the NHS route. The same no-fee rule applies to most government and charity applications in this series: SNAP, Medicaid, Lifeline, FAFSA, Erasmus+ and food-bank or charity applications never charge an application fee, and a fee demand in their name is a scam.
Why you still need travel insurance
The EHIC is not travel insurance, and treating it as a replacement is the most dangerous misunderstanding in this guide. It does not cover repatriation — the cost of flying you home by air ambulance can run into tens of thousands of euros. It does not cover private treatment, rescue costs, lost luggage, cancellation or disruption. And in countries where state care involves co-payments, it does not remove those. A sensible setup for a European trip is both: the EHIC or GHIC for state treatment, plus a travel insurance policy for everything the card does not do. Check that your travel policy does not exclude claims where the EHIC would have applied — some policies require you to use the card first.
Eligibility honesty
The EHIC is tied to being insured in a European health system. It is not available to everyone who happens to be in Europe: tourists from outside Europe, visitors without European health insurance, and residents who are not insured in any participating system cannot obtain one. Expat eligibility is conditional on legal residence and insurance in the issuing country, and the rules differ by country — a student, a posted worker, a pensioner abroad and a newly arrived employee can all face different conditions. Your insurer's answer is the only one that counts for your case.
Sources
- European Commission — European Health Insurance Card (commission.europa.eu) — free card, application through national insurers, coverage and exclusions.
- National health insurers of the issuing countries — application routes and card validity.
Health coverage rules change and vary by country. Your insurer's terms are authoritative; this guide is educational only.
Frequently asked questions
Is the EHIC card free?
Yes. The European Health Insurance Card is free, and you apply for it through your national health insurer. Any website that charges a fee for the card itself is not the official route — the card costs nothing.
Where is the EHIC valid?
The EHIC is valid in the EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. UK residents usually receive the GHIC, the UK's version of the card, which works the same way in the EU.
What does the EHIC cover?
It entitles you to necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay, on the same terms and at the same cost as people insured in that country. That means urgent treatment, treatment for a chronic condition that cannot wait until you return home, and maternity care that becomes necessary during your stay.
What does the EHIC not cover?
It does not cover private healthcare, planned treatment abroad, or the costs that travel insurance normally covers, such as repatriation to your home country. It is not an alternative to travel insurance, and it does not cover rescue or mountain-rescue costs.
How do I apply for an EHIC?
You apply through the health insurance institution of the country where you are insured — for example your Krankenkasse in Germany, your mutuality in Belgium, or the NHS route for a GHIC in the UK. The card is personal: every family member, including children, needs their own card.
What is the difference between EHIC and GHIC?
The GHIC is the UK's Global Health Insurance Card, issued to UK residents after Brexit. It works like the EHIC in the EU, and in practice the two cards give the same kind of state-healthcare access during temporary stays. EU citizens keep the EHIC issued by their own country.
Do I still need travel insurance if I have an EHIC?
Yes. The EHIC is not travel insurance. It does not cover private treatment, repatriation, lost luggage, trip cancellation or rescue costs, and in some countries state care still involves a patient co-payment that travel insurance can reimburse.
What should I do if I need treatment while travelling?
Show your EHIC or GHIC at a state healthcare provider, not a private clinic, and ask for treatment under the state scheme. Keep every receipt and medical report, because you may need them to claim back a co-payment from your home insurer or your travel insurer.