For European Citizens traveling abroad: the EHIC
Travel insurance is a very important consideration in planning any trip or holiday in another country. Travel insurance should always be considered as an addition to the insurance for health provided by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC is NOT a replacement for Travel insurance.
The European Union (EU) has introduced the European wide European Heath Insurance Card (EHIC) to be used by members of EU when traveling throughout the European Economic Area (EEA).
EHIC- Where it is Valid
The EHIC entitles users to low cost, and sometimes free, treatment anywhere inside the EEA and Switzerland. The EEA consists of the countries of the European Union and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland also accepts the European Health Insurance Card through an arrangement with the EU. A full list of countries in which the EHIC was valid in at the time of writing is given below:
| Austria Belgium Cyprus (except Northern Cyprus) Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece |
Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta |
Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland |
What you get with the EHIC
The EHIC entitles European Citizens to state-provided medical treatment only, and you'll be treated on the same basis as an 'insured' person living in the country you're visiting. This member-state service provision may be different to the entitlements you would get in your home country, and you may be asked to pay for some of your health care. For this reason the EHIC is NOT a replacement for Travel Insurance.
EHIC - Who is Eligible
There are some restrictions on the eligibility for and EHIC depending on your nationality. The following are some guidelines.
- EU nationals, stateless persons and refugees are covered in all EEA countries and Switzerland.
- Nationals not covered in Switzerland include Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
- nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are covered in all EEA countries but not in Switzerland.
- Swiss nationals are covered in all EU countries but not in Liechtenstein or Norway. In Iceland they are covered for emergency treatment only.
- dependents of EEA nationals who are ordinarily resident in the UK are covered in all EEA countries and Switzerland, irrespective of their own nationality.
UK citizens are referred to the UK Department of Health pages about the European Health Insurance Card for more information and application procedures. Remember, the EHIC is NOT a replacement for Travel Insurance.
Note: this information provided above was correct at the time of writing. Panoramic Earth does not guarantee the accuracy of this information, which may change over time.