A UK Global Health Insurance Card, known as a GHIC, is a free card that lets you get state healthcare you need while you are visiting certain countries abroad, on the same basis as a resident of that country. It replaced the European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC, for most new applicants after the United Kingdom left the European Union, and it is one of the most useful documents a British traveller can carry. It costs nothing, it lasts for up to five years, and you apply for it only through the official NHS website. This guide explains what a GHIC is, who can get one, where it works, what it does and does not cover, and how to apply without falling for the copycat websites that charge a fee for the same thing.

The first thing to understand is what the card actually does. A GHIC lets you access medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay abroad, which means treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the United Kingdom. That includes emergency treatment and visits to accident and emergency departments, treatment or routine medical care for long-term or pre-existing medical conditions, and routine maternity care, as long as you are not travelling abroad specifically to give birth. Whether treatment is medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you are visiting, not by you and not by the NHS. Some treatments need to be arranged in advance with the healthcare provider in the country you are visiting, for example kidney dialysis or chemotherapy, because it is not guaranteed that local healthcare providers will always have the capacity to provide that care.

The card works on the same basis as a local resident, and that phrase cuts both ways. In some countries the treatment you need will be free, just as it would be for a resident. In others, a local resident would be expected to pay something towards the cost of their care, and in that case you will be expected to pay the same amount. The NHS is clear that not all state healthcare is free outside the United Kingdom, and that you may have to pay for treatment that you would get for free on the NHS if a local resident would be expected to pay in the country you are visiting. Before you travel, you should check the state-provided healthcare services in the country you are visiting and any potential charges you may face, and the NHS points travellers to the country guides on GOV.UK for that information.

A GHIC can be used when you are visiting a country in the European Economic Area, which covers the European Union member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It can also be used in Montenegro, Australia, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and in St Helena, Tristan and Ascension. You can use a UK GHIC in Switzerland if you are a British national, a Swiss national, an EU citizen, a refugee, a stateless person, or a family member of someone who holds one of those nationalities or statuses. The rules for Montenegro have a detail worth knowing: you can get free emergency treatment there, but you will have to pay for your prescribed medicines and for other medical treatment. If you are a UK national, your UK passport will give you access to emergency healthcare in Montenegro, while if you are a UK resident but not a UK national you will need your passport and a UK GHIC or UK EHIC. The UK government is negotiating with other countries to expand the use of the GHIC, so always check coverage before you travel rather than assuming a destination is included.

Eligibility is straightforward for most people living in the United Kingdom. You will be entitled to a UK GHIC if you are ordinarily and legally resident in the UK and you do not have healthcare cover provided by an EEA country or Switzerland. You may also be entitled if you are living in the EEA or Switzerland with a registered S1 form, living in the EEA or Switzerland with an A1 document issued by the UK, or a family member or dependant of an entitled individual. Students have their own route: to apply for a UK Student EHIC or UK GHIC, you will need a letter from your university or college showing the name and address of the institution, the address where you are studying, details of the qualification, the dates of your study period, and your permanent residential address in the UK. If you started your course after 1 January 2021, or you are planning to study in an EEA country or Switzerland, you will need a UK Student GHIC rather than a student EHIC.

Applying for a GHIC is free, and the only official route is the NHS website. You can apply if you are a resident in the UK, and you can add your family members to your application when you apply. You will need to provide your full name, your address, your date of birth, your National Insurance number, and a Health and Care number if you are from Northern Ireland. Every member of your family needs their own card, so you can add your spouse, civil partner and children to your application when you apply, entering your own details first and applying for any additional cards when prompted. If you have already completed your application and want to add additional family members afterwards, you will need to contact NHS Overseas Healthcare Services with your reference number, name, date of birth and address so they can access your record.

After you submit your application, the NHS will email you within 24 hours to let you know whether it has been approved or not, so check your junk folder if no reply arrives. You may be asked for additional information or documents before your application is approved. Once your application has been approved, you should receive your new card within 15 working days, sent to you by post. That timetable means you should apply at least two weeks before you travel, and ideally earlier, because a card that is still in the post will not help you at a hospital reception desk. You can apply for a new card up to nine months before your current card expires, which is the sensible time to do it rather than the week before a trip, and a new card lasts for up to five years from the date it is issued, with the expiry date printed on the card.

Just as important as what the card covers is what it does not cover. A UK GHIC or UK EHIC does not replace travel and medical insurance, and it does not cover being flown back to the UK, which is known as medical repatriation, treatment in a private medical facility, or ski or mountain rescue. The NHS advises that you should have both a UK GHIC or UK EHIC and private travel and medical insurance for the duration of your trip. A GHIC will not cover costs that a local resident would have to pay, and it will not pay for private treatment simply because you would prefer it. If you are going skiing, taking part in other winter sports, or planning any activity that carries a higher risk, check that your travel insurance covers it, because your GHIC will not.

There are two situations in which travellers often get caught out, and both have a remedy. The first is arriving abroad without your card. If you need emergency treatment when you are in another country and you do not have your UK GHIC or UK EHIC with you, you can apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate, known as a PRC, which gives you the same level of cover as a GHIC or EHIC. A PRC also covers you if you have applied for a GHIC or EHIC and it has not arrived yet. Without a GHIC, EHIC or PRC, you will need to pay in full for treatment, so ask for a copy of your invoice and obtain a receipt. The second situation is being charged for treatment you believe should have been covered. Keep all of your documents, including receipts, invoices, confirmation that the treatment was state-provided, and discharge papers, and contact NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, who will look at your claim and decide whether you were charged when you should have been covered.

Money is also a practical issue while you are abroad. Depending on the country you visit, you may be expected to pay all or part of your bill upfront and then claim a refund afterwards, so keep every receipt and piece of paperwork. Some countries ask patients to pay a contribution towards the cost of their care, known as a co-payment or patient share. You can claim back the difference between the total bill and the co-payment, but the co-payment itself is not refundable. To claim a refund for healthcare covered by your GHIC or EHIC, you will need to download and fill in a refund claim form and send it to NHS Overseas Healthcare Services with your receipts and supporting documents. If you think you have been incorrectly charged, the same service can investigate, and if it determines that your treatment should have been covered, it will reimburse you or your insurer for the costs that are covered by your card.

The old EHIC still has a role, and this confuses many travellers. If you already hold a UK EHIC, it remains valid until the expiry date printed on the card, and you can keep using it in the EEA and Switzerland until then. Once it runs out, or if you are applying for the first time, you will need a GHIC instead. If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can choose to apply for a new UK EHIC rather than a UK GHIC, and like the GHIC it is free and lasts for up to five years. You can find out whether you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement on GOV.UK. For everyone else, the GHIC is the card to apply for, and there is no reason to pay anyone to get one.

That last point deserves emphasis, because copycat websites are the biggest trap in the whole process. A GHIC is always free, and the only official route is the NHS website. Any website that charges a fee to apply for a GHIC on your behalf is unofficial, and you should close the tab rather than enter your details. MoneySavingExpert has warned repeatedly that copycat sites try to charge £20 or more for applications that cost nothing through the NHS, and the NHS itself says to avoid unofficial websites because they may charge you a fee to apply. You cannot get a GHIC from your doctor, and you cannot get one from a post office. If you suspect that somebody has fraudulently applied for or used a UK GHIC or EHIC they are not entitled to, you can report it to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority. Before your next trip, check the expiry date on your card, apply through the NHS website if you need a new one, and buy travel insurance as well, because the card and the insurance do two different jobs and you need both. Healthcare rules and reciprocal agreements can change, so always check the NHS page before you travel.