Have you got your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)?

If you are resident in an EU country and travel in the EU, you should have an European Health Insurance Card.  This entitles you to access the national health care system of the country you are in if you get sick or injured in Europe and you need treatment.  The card is free from your National Health Service and if you’re in the UK,  you can get it from the NHS EHIC site.

If you already have a card but it was issued before 2006, it’s been replaced with a new version and you do need to get that before you travel.  It only takes a couple of minutes to apply for and should be with you in a couple of weeks.

It is important to have the card, as some travel insurers won’t pay if you get sick and could have claimed some of the treatment through EHIC.  If you find you need treatment and don’t have your card with you, you can contact the NHS and they will provide the details to the treatment provider.  EHIC will not pay any privately incurred medical costs, it only covers those costs that are free to the residents of that country and are what is considered “medically necessary”, so it excludes medical tourism (which is going to another country to see if you can better treatment for a condition than you would at home).

There’s lots of good information on the NHS EHIC site, so have a read and know your rights.