EU National Health Insurance Card Explained

The EU national health insurance card for UK residents is now the free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which lets you get necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area (EEA) and some other countries on the same basis as a local resident. It replaced the old European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for most UK residents from 1 January 2021, and it is issued free by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

A GHIC is not travel insurance and it is not private medical insurance (PMI). It gives you access to state-provided treatment in the country you are visiting, not a flight home, not private hospitals, and not cover for cancelled trips. Understanding that distinction matters, because the two products do very different jobs.

This explainer sets out what the card is, who can get one, what it does and does not cover, and where private medical insurance fits alongside it. Any medical concern should go to a GP or NHS 111 – this is a factual comparison, not medical advice.

Last updated: October 2026

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

What exactly is a GHIC card and how does it work?

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is a free card that entitles UK residents to necessary state healthcare when visiting the EEA and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. According to the NHS and gov.uk guidance, it is issued by the NHS Business Services Authority on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, and there is no charge to apply.

The card works on a reciprocal basis. When you need treatment abroad, you present the GHIC (or a Provisional Replacement Certificate if your card has not arrived) and you are treated like a local patient. That means care may be free, or you may pay the same reduced cost a local resident would pay, depending on how that country’s system works.

Only a healthcare provider in the country you are visiting decides whether treatment is medically necessary. The card does not guarantee free care everywhere, and it does not cover costs a local would normally have to pay themselves.

GHIC vs EHIC: what is the difference?

The GHIC replaced the EHIC for most UK residents, but an existing UK EHIC stays valid until the expiry date printed on it. If your EHIC has not yet expired, you do not need to rush to swap it for a GHIC – you can keep using it until it runs out, then apply for a free GHIC.

A small number of people remain eligible for a new UK EHIC rather than a GHIC, such as certain UK pensioners living in the EU and some students studying abroad. Most UK residents applying today are issued a GHIC.

The two cards cover slightly different territory. Both can be used in all 27 EU countries plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. For Montenegro, Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, only the UK GHIC applies – the UK EHIC does not cover those. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein joined the UK healthcare arrangements from 1 January 2024, and UK-issued GHICs or EHICs can be used for eligible healthcare during temporary visits under the relevant country rules.

Our longer breakdown of how the GHIC and EHIC compare goes into the country-by-country detail if you want it.

Compare health insurance cover

Is the European health insurance card free, and how do you apply?

Yes – the European health insurance card is free, and so is the GHIC that replaced it for UK residents. Applying costs nothing when you go through the official NHS route, and you should never pay a fee. Unofficial websites may charge for an application that is free elsewhere, and using them is unnecessary.

You apply online through the NHS. You will need your name, date of birth and National Insurance number, and you can add family members to a single application. A card arrives by post within a few weeks in most cases.

If you are travelling before your card arrives, you can request a Provisional Replacement Certificate, which gives you the same cover as a GHIC or EHIC while you wait. That also helps if you have lost your card abroad.

• The card is free – only apply through the official NHS service.
• You can include partners and children on one application.
• A Provisional Replacement Certificate covers you if the card has not arrived.
• Renew before travelling if your card is close to its expiry date.

Who is eligible for a European health insurance card?

UK residents are eligible for a free UK GHIC, which is the current version of the EU national health insurance card. Eligibility is based on being ordinarily resident in the UK rather than nationality, so most people living in the UK can apply.

Certain groups retain access to a UK EHIC instead, including some UK pensioners who live in the EU and draw a UK state pension, and some UK students studying in the EEA. The NHS application service checks which card you qualify for when you apply.

Each person travelling needs their own card, including children. A card issued to one family member does not cover the rest of the household.

What does the GHIC cover, and what does it not?

The GHIC covers medically necessary state healthcare – treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return to the UK. According to NHS guidance, this includes emergency treatment and A&E visits, treatment for long-term or pre-existing conditions, and routine maternity care, as long as you are not travelling abroad specifically to give birth.

Some treatments must be arranged in advance with the local provider. Kidney dialysis and chemotherapy are the common examples, because local units cannot always guarantee capacity for visitors. Pre-arranging keeps the cost on the same state-funded basis as a local patient.

What the card does not do is act as travel insurance. It does not cover private hospitals or private treatment, medical repatriation or a flight back to the UK, ski or mountain rescue, cancelled trips, lost possessions or missed transport. It also does not cover travelling abroad purely to receive treatment.

Travelling in Europe this year?

A GHIC handles state care, but travel insurance covers repatriation, cancellation and lost belongings.

Read the travel cover guide

Is Ireland covered, and how does it work?

Ireland is covered, and in a more generous way than the card alone. If you are ordinarily resident in the UK, you are automatically entitled to access medically necessary state health services in the Republic of Ireland on the same basis as an Irish resident, under gov.uk guidance. You do not strictly need to show a GHIC for this entitlement.

You may still pay a fee for some services, exactly as an Irish resident would. You will not have to pay for hospital care, including A&E or inpatient treatment, when it is medically necessary. It is still worth carrying your GHIC, as providers may ask for it.

How to claim refunds for emergency treatment abroad

To claim a refund for emergency treatment abroad, keep every receipt and medical document, then contact the NHSBSA overseas healthcare team once you are home to recover costs that should have been covered by the GHIC. If you were charged in full because you could not present the card, or a provider did not apply the state rate, a refund of the overcharge may be possible.

Refunds are limited to the state-funded portion of the care. If you were treated privately, or charged amounts a local resident would also have paid, those costs are not refundable through the card. That gap is exactly where travel insurance and, for planned care in the UK, private medical insurance come in.

For longer trips or expat life, our guide to international health insurance options covers how worldwide policies handle refunds and direct billing.

See health insurance options

How is the card different from private medical insurance?

Private medical insurance (PMI) is a UK-based policy that pays for private diagnosis and treatment of eligible new conditions, usually to skip NHS waiting lists – a completely different product from the free EU national health insurance card. PMI sits alongside the NHS, it does not replace it, and it does not do the job of a GHIC when you travel.

PMI generally does not cover ongoing management of chronic conditions, emergencies and A&E (that remains the NHS), or pre-existing conditions, which are typically excluded or handled through underwriting. There are two main underwriting approaches: a moratorium, which excludes conditions you had in a recent look-back period, and full medical underwriting, where you declare your history up front so exclusions are clear from day one.

Demand for PMI has grown as NHS waits have lengthened. According to the ABI, 6.5 million people were covered by health insurance in the UK in 2024, up 4% on 2023, and UK health insurers processed a record £4 billion in individual and workplace claims that year (ABI, published January 2026). Of those covered, 4.8 million were through workplace schemes.

So the two products answer different questions. A GHIC answers “what happens if I need state care while I am in the EEA?” PMI answers “how do I get faster private treatment for a new condition here in the UK?” Many households hold both, along with travel insurance for trips.

How much does private medical insurance cost in the UK?

Cover starts from £23 a month with us, with WPA promotional cover ranging from £22.90 to £38.58 a month across the single, couple and family tiers depending on age, excess and plan. That is a monthly premium for private treatment in the UK, and it is separate from the GHIC, which is always free.

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.

Your price depends on age, where you live, your chosen excess, the cover level and any add-ons. A higher excess lowers the monthly premium; broader cover with outpatient and mental health benefits raises it. We compare across a panel of leading UK insurers through our Health Window partnership so you can see how each choice changes the price in one place.

Compare private medical insurance prices

Do you still need a GHIC if you have travel insurance?

A GHIC is still worth holding even if you have travel insurance, because the two work together and the card is free. Some travel policies reduce or waive your excess on a medical claim if you used a GHIC first, and the card can cut the upfront cost of state treatment to the local rate.

Travel insurance covers the things a GHIC does not: repatriation, cancellation, lost baggage, and private treatment where no state option is practical. If you travel outside the EEA and the card’s small list of extra countries, the GHIC gives you nothing at all, so travel insurance does the heavy lifting there.

Our view on whether the card alone is enough is set out in more detail in is European health insurance enough, and the wider picture for trips is covered in our 2026 European health insurance card guide.

• National Friendly Health Insurance: Comprehensive Coverage
• EU Health Insurance Card: GHIC & EHIC Explained
• European Health Insurance Card: What to Know in 2026
• Health Insurance for Travelling to Europe (2026)
• International Health Insurance: 2026 Cost & Cover Guide

Information correct as of 17 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).