Get healthcare cover for travelling abroad
Important:
There is no deadline to apply for a UK Global Health Insurance Card or a UK European Health Insurance Card. If you have an existing European Health Insurance Card, you can continue to use it until it expires.
Use this service to:
- check if you are eligible and apply for cover
- replace a lost, stolen, or damaged card
Applying for cover
If you’re eligible, you’ll receive a card that can be used to get emergency treatment.
You only need to apply if you plan to visit the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland.
Depending on your circumstances this will be either a:
- UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)
- UK European Health Insurance Card (new UK EHIC), if you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement
During your application we’ll let you know what you’re entitled to. Both cards provide the same cover but are valid in different countries.
What countries are in the European Union (EU)?
The EU countries are:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Both cards give you access to state provided healthcare while staying in an EU country for things like:
- emergency treatment
- visits to A&E
- routine maternity care, unless you're going abroad to give birth
Important: If you already have a card
If you have an existing EHIC, it will remain valid until the expiry date on the card. Once your current card expires, you'll need to apply for a new card.
You can apply for a new card up to 6 months before your current card expires.
Before you start
You'll need:
- Your National Insurance number
- The National Insurance numbers of any other people, including your partner, you are applying for who are 16 years old or over
Depending on your circumstances we may also ask for your NHS number, if you have one.
Important: Timeout warning
Your session will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity.