As part of the brexit agreement, the UK and EU made the reciprocal healthcare arrangement that all travellers were hoping for. The only change is that no healthcare arrangement exists for anyone travelling to Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Switzerland. In saying that, these countries could be added to the GHIC arrangement in the future. The UK can negotiate with any other country to put a reciprocal healthcare agreement in place.
Just remember there are a handful of countries where it will not work see above. The GHIC is available now. Applications can be made on the official GHIC website. Some suspect this name was chosen because in the future it may expand to include other countries outwith Europe. New Zealand and Australia have been mentioned although discussions are still at a very early stage.
The GHIC is not mandatory for travel. However, some travel insurance policies may require that you have one. While you do not need to have one, a GHIC will give you some degree of certainty, security and peace of mind. You will benefit from an additional protection in place while you travel, should you need it. What is more, it is free and involves a very simple application process.
It seems a no-brainer to have it in your pocket when you travel to any participating country. In short, the GHIC will cover state-provided healthcare when you cannot reasonably wait until being back in the UK to receive it. That mention of state-provided is very important to note and applies to existing EHIC cards too.
As part of the deal announced on 24 December , the UK and the EU agreed that the cards can still be used until their expiry dates. What is an EHIC? The EHIC currently entitles you to state-provided medical treatment if you fall ill or have an accident in any EU country, or in Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, where the scheme also applies. The same applies to EU citizens who are in the UK. The cards cover pre-existing medical conditions and routine maternity care, as well as emergency care.
Individuals with chronic illnesses, for example those who require dialysis, can travel knowing they will receive treatment on the same terms as the citizens of the country they are visiting. The cards are valid until they expire. They last five years and the expiry date is printed on the front. It will cover chronic or existing illnesses and routine maternity care as well as emergencies, but treatments such as dialysis or chemotherapy will have to be pre-arranged to ensure they are available at your destination.
The government website says that the GHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It advises that you should also buy travel insurance which includes health cover as the GHIC - like the EHIC - does not cover any private medical healthcare such as mountain rescue in ski resorts or being flown back to the UK.
After the 5 years validity period of your EHIC, if your circumstances have not changed you can apply for its renewal using your existing account on the official NHS website. It always begins with UK, followed by 6 numbers. You can also renew your card over the phone or by post see Application. If your circumstances have changed see below , you might have to apply for a new card.
Do not hesitate to call the EHIC enquiry line on for more information. It is important to note that the renewal application must be made at least 6 months before its expiration date. For this, it is important to make sure your ehic is still valid before you travel, especially if you plan on staying abroad for a long time.
Note also that any time left on the card will not be added to the new card. When doing this, a warning message will be displayed, specifying which cards can and cannot be renewed.
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