Travelling to Europe? Don't forget your EHIC (and insurance)

Time for my annual reminder that if you are traveling to Europe you really need to get your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card).

Apply here on the official NHS Choices website. The card is free and any alternative website asking for payment is a SCAM.

But the EHIC is not an alternative to proper travel insurance which you still need as the EHIC doesn't cover things like repatriation back to the UK.

Despite the initial impression this BBC report gives the EHIC does not give you totally free treatment. It gives you the same as the national of that country would get under their state health system.

So if the nationals of country X pay €50 for a Doctors visit, €100 for drugs or € 250 a night for 'hotel costs' then you have to pay that.

The cards are only valid at state run hospitals. Many countries have a larger private health sector that the UK where the cards don't apply.

Many travel insurance companies require people going to Europe to have the EHIC card and will adjust any claim if the policy holder doesn't have one.

Good reminder Tonty.

I have seen insurance policies that will void any claim of you didn't take your ehic with you.

By the sound of it today...... if travelling to Spain..... don't bother !

By the sound of it today...... if travelling to Spain..... don't bother !

I think that is a little unfair to the Spanish.

It is only a very small number of cases (compared to the number of Brits that go to Spain each year) where this has happened and mistakes happen in all systems.

The rules are complicated - even more so when we Brits are not used to paying for lots of things out of our pockets under the NHS that people in other health systems do have to pay for - so some of these cases might well be down to misunderstanding the Spanish system than to any malfeasance by the Spanish.

How bizarre that my card arrived today