Global Health Insurance Cards Explained for UK Travellers

Global health insurance cards, in the UK, usually mean the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), a free document that lets eligible UK residents access medically necessary state healthcare abroad on the same basis as a local resident. It is issued by the NHS, not an insurer, and it is not a private medical insurance policy or a worldwide health plan.

A UK GHIC is free, valid for up to five years and works in EU/EEA countries plus a handful of others, according to the NHS. It covers state-provided treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return home, but it does not pay for private hospitals, repatriation to the UK, or the gaps that travel insurance and private medical insurance (PMI) are designed to fill.

Understanding where the card stops and insurance starts helps you avoid an unexpected bill abroad. This explainer sets out what the GHIC covers, how to apply or renew, and how it differs from both travel cover and UK private medical insurance.

Last updated: October 2026

Written by the Free Price Compare editorial team | Reviewed October 2026

What is a UK global health insurance card?

A UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is a free NHS-issued card that entitles eligible UK residents to medically necessary state healthcare when visiting certain countries, charged on the same basis as a local resident. It replaced the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for most new applicants after the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The card is a reciprocal-healthcare arrangement, not an insurance product. It means that if you fall ill or are injured abroad and need treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return to the UK, you can be treated through the local state system. According to the NHS guidance on healthcare cover abroad (updated 3 October 2026), treatment may be free or you may pay the same resident charge a local person would pay.

Despite the word “global” in its name, the card does not provide worldwide cover and it does not pay for private medical treatment. Think of it as access to another country’s public health system, within the limits that system sets.

How does a GHIC work differently from travel insurance?

A GHIC and travel insurance do fundamentally different jobs. A GHIC gives access to state healthcare abroad at local cost, while travel insurance is a private policy that can cover private treatment, repatriation, lost belongings, cancellation and other travel risks that a card will never touch. The GHIC is a reciprocal-healthcare entitlement issued by the NHS, whereas travel insurance is a commercial product you buy for a specific trip or period. Because they address separate risks, they are complementary rather than interchangeable, and the NHS advises holding both whenever you travel. Relying on one alone leaves a gap the other is designed to close, so treating them as a pair is the sensible approach for most UK travellers heading abroad.

The GHIC only works in state hospitals and clinics, and only for treatment that is medically necessary during your trip. It will not fly you home, pay a private clinic, or cover a cancelled holiday. Travel insurance fills those gaps, which is why the two work best together rather than as alternatives. For more on where the card falls short, see whether European health insurance is enough on its own.

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Is a GHIC free, and how long does it last?

Yes, a UK GHIC is free and valid for up to five years, according to the NHS (guidance updated 3 October 2026). You should never pay for the card itself, so avoid any site charging an application or admin fee.

The card carries an expiry date printed on the front. Cover under the card is tied to that date, so it is worth checking it well before any trip. There is no cost to apply and no cost to renew.

How do I renew my global health insurance card?

You renew a global health insurance card for free through the official NHS service, and the NHS recommends applying around six months before your current card expires. The renewal process mirrors the original application and you do not pay anything.

A common mistake is leaving renewal until the last minute. If you travel with an expired card, you lose the reciprocal-healthcare entitlement it provides, which could leave you facing the full local cost of treatment. Applying early through the NHS Business Services Authority avoids that risk.

What if my card hasn’t arrived before I travel?

If your GHIC has not arrived before you travel, you can apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) from the NHS Business Services Authority to prove your entitlement while abroad. The PRC gives the same access to state healthcare that the physical card would.

You, or someone acting for you, would typically contact the NHSBSA to request the certificate, which can be sent to you during your trip. It is a useful safety net, but it is far simpler to apply or renew early so the card arrives in good time.

Where can you use a UK global health insurance card?

A UK GHIC can be used across the European Economic Area (EEA) and in several other places, including Montenegro, Australia, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension Island, according to the NHS and NHS Business Services Authority. Separate country-specific arrangements apply, so you should always check the destination before you travel.

Each country runs its own public health system, so what is free in one place may carry a resident charge in another. The card entitles you to treatment on the same terms as a local resident, which does not always mean free at the point of use.

• EU and EEA countries are the core of where the card works.
• Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are confirmed by the NHSBSA.
• Montenegro, Australia and certain UK territories are also included.
• Local resident charges may apply even where cover is available.

Is Ireland covered, and does it treat UK travellers?

Ireland is covered by UK GHIC arrangements, and UK residents can access medically necessary state healthcare there on the same basis as an Irish resident. As the GHIC is a UK document issued by the NHS, you present it when receiving treatment from a public provider, in the same way you would elsewhere across the covered countries. Treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return to the UK is the focus, delivered through Ireland’s public health system rather than private clinics. Any resident charges that apply to a local person in Ireland may also apply to you, so the card does not always mean free treatment at the point of use. Confirming the current arrangements before you travel remains the safest approach.

Because public systems vary, it is sensible to confirm how treatment and any charges work in your specific destination before travelling, using the NHS and official country guidance rather than relying on assumptions.

Travelling and want cover beyond state healthcare?

See how UK private medical insurance works alongside a GHIC.

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Can you have both a UK EHIC and a GHIC?

Holding both a UK EHIC and a GHIC is possible, and an existing EHIC remains valid until its printed expiry date. Most new UK applicants now receive a GHIC following the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, but some people are still eligible for a UK EHIC, and a valid EHIC can offer slightly wider country coverage in a few cases. The two documents serve the same core purpose of accessing medically necessary state healthcare abroad, so there is no advantage in rushing to swap one for the other. If you already carry an in-date EHIC, you can continue to use it as normal until it expires, at which point a GHIC becomes the standard replacement for most UK residents.

If your EHIC is still in date, there is no need to replace it with a GHIC before it expires, according to NHS guidance. When it does expire, you would normally apply for a GHIC as the replacement.

Does one card cover the whole family?

No, one card does not cover a whole family, because each person needs their own global health insurance card, including children. A parent’s card does not extend cover to a child, so every family member travelling must carry their own valid card.

When applying, you can usually add dependants to a single application, but each person receives a separate card. This matters for school trips and family holidays alike, where a missing child’s card can cause problems at the point of treatment. For families weighing wider protection, our overview of what people consider when looking at life insurance may also be useful alongside health cover.

What a global health insurance card does not cover

Private medical treatment, repatriation to the UK and travel-specific risks such as mountain rescue all fall outside what a global health insurance card provides, according to the NHS. The card is limited to medically necessary state healthcare during your trip, delivered through the public systems of the countries where it applies. That means it will not pay for a private hospital stay, a medical flight home, or the rescue and recovery costs that come with accidents in remote or high-risk settings. It also does not cover planned or non-urgent treatment arranged abroad. Understanding these boundaries is essential, because they are the exact gaps that travel insurance and UK private medical insurance are built to fill, which is why the NHS consistently advises carrying travel cover alongside the card.

Because it only works within public systems, you cannot use it at private hospitals or clinics abroad. If you choose private care, or need to be flown home, those costs fall outside the card entirely. This is the single biggest misconception the card causes, and it is why the NHS consistently advises holding travel insurance too.

• Private hospital or clinic treatment is excluded.
• Repatriation (medical flight home) is not covered.
• Rescue costs, such as mountain rescue, are not included.
• Non-urgent or planned treatment abroad is not covered.

It is also worth being clear on what UK private medical insurance does and does not do. PMI generally does not cover ongoing management of chronic conditions, accident and emergency (that remains the NHS), or pre-existing conditions, which are typically excluded or handled through a moratorium underwriting basis. If you have a medical concern, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than relying on any card or policy to decide your care.

See how UK private medical cover works

How much does UK private medical insurance cost?

Cover starts from £23 a month, with WPA promotional cover ranging from £22.90 to £38.58 a month across the single, couple and family tiers. This is UK private medical insurance, which sits alongside the NHS and a GHIC rather than replacing either.

Premiums may vary depending on each individual’s circumstances. £22.90/month (about £5.28/week) for a 29-year-old non-smoker with Treatment Cover (£100 excess). £25.17/month (about £5.81/week) for a 35-year-old non-smoker with Treatment Cover (£250 excess). £38.58/month (about £8.90/week) for a 50-year-old non-smoker with Treatment Cover (£250 excess). All prices under WPA promotion. All include limited cancer cover and a £50,000 Treatment Cover limit per year. These are indicative UK examples; prices correct as of May 2026 and vary by individual circumstances, location, exclusions and plan terms.

Price depends on your age, where you live, the excess you choose, your underwriting basis and the benefits you add. We compare health insurance across a range of leading UK insurers in one place, so you can see how each choice changes the price. Whole-of-market comparison helps because the same cover level can be priced very differently between insurers.

For context on scale, around 6.5 million people were covered by health insurance in the UK in 2024, up 4% on 2023, according to the ABI (published January 2026). Of those, 4.8 million were covered through workplace schemes, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), showing how many people access PMI through an employer rather than buying it individually.

How does underwriting affect your price and cover?

Underwriting determines how a PMI policy treats your medical history, and the two main types are moratorium and full medical underwriting. A moratorium excludes conditions you had in a set period before joining (often the previous five years) until you have been symptom- and treatment-free for a continued period, while full medical underwriting assesses your history up front.

Moratorium is usually quicker to set up because you do not complete a detailed medical form, but exclusions are only confirmed when you claim. Full medical underwriting gives more certainty about what is covered from the start. Neither route covers pre-existing conditions in the way the NHS does, so comparing underwriting basis matters as much as comparing price. You can look at individual insurer approaches through providers such as Bupa, Aviva and Vitality.

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GHIC, travel insurance and PMI compared

A GHIC, travel insurance and private medical insurance each cover different things, and most travellers benefit from understanding how they overlap. The table below summarises the main differences for a UK reader.

Figures are indicative and may change.

The practical takeaway is simple: a GHIC handles state emergencies abroad, travel insurance handles the rest of your trip, and UK private medical insurance handles planned private treatment at home. If you only take one point away, it is that a card alone leaves real gaps, which is why the NHS recommends travel insurance alongside it.

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Information correct as of 18 October 2026. Prices, tariffs, policy details and providers change frequently, so please check the latest details before making a decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Free Price Compare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).