By Soumava Goswami
When you are looking to travel to Europe, there are several different elements that you need to consider. Not only do you need to think about the passports and accommodation, but you also need to consider the GHIC card and other elements, such as packed items.
The UK Global Health Insurance Card has replaced the EHIC or the European Health Insurance Card. If you are currently using an EHIC card, you can keep using it, until its expiry date. However, after that, you have to apply for a Global Health Insurance Card or GHIC.
The UK GHIC card is free and has a validity of upto 5 years. You can apply for a new one through the NHS website. It is better not to use any unofficial websites, as they can cost you a certain amount for getting the card.
What Is A Global Health Insurance Card?
The GHIC Card is an identity card that the NHS issues on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions to ensure that you are safe and secure when you are traveling abroad.
This card can provide you access to medical care at a reduced cost, as well as any medication that you need, and works alongside your health insurance to ensure that you are safe when traveling around Europe.
How Long Do You Need To Leave When Applying?
When applying for a GHIC card, it is important to leave at least 2 weeks before the card arrives. This will allow for the application to be processed and the card to be sent to you before you are due to travel in the summer months.
With more information available online regarding the application process and the amount of time you need to leave, it is easier than ever to make sure that you are protected when you are traveling to several European locations from the UK.
Who Can Apply For A GHIC Card?
When looking to apply for a GHIC, it is important to make sure that you fit the criteria criteria are as follows:
- You must live in the UK
- You must live in the UK, or you are living in the UK and studying in the EU.
- Living in the EU and being issued with a UK S1 Or A1 Document.
- Being eligible by a family member or one of the other criteria listed above.
Each of these cards should be applied for in advance as this will make sure that it arrives on time before you are set to travel.
How can you apply for a UK Global Health Insurance Card?
Applying for a Global Health Insurance Card is not as difficult as it seems. As mentioned in the previous section, you can only apply for a GHIC if you are a resident of the UK. You can also apply it to your family members. Let’s check how it is done. You will have to provide the following:
- Your full name
- Complete address
- Your date of birth
- Your national insurance number
- Health and care number (this is specifically for those who are from Northern Ireland)
Applying For Your Family Members:
The final element that you need to consider when looking at GHIC cards is who needs them. When you are applying for a GHIC, you need to make sure that everyone that you are traveling with has one.
Whether this is a spouse, a civil partner, or your children, everyone that you are traveling to Europe with needs to have a GHIC card.
This will provide them with the level of care that they need should they fall ill when they are traveling. These can then be stored with a passport and other important paperwork to ensure you have it when needed.
What does this card cover?
This card can be used to get state healthcare, which you cannot wait to come back and treat in UK. It is also known as medically necessary healthcare. It includes things like
- Emergency visits and treatment to A&E
- Routine medical care or treatment for pre-existing or long-term medical conditions
- Routine maternity care (as long as you are not giving birth abroad)
You will have to arrange a few things before you leave with the relevant healthcare provider of the country where you are going. For instance, it could be chemotherapy or kidney dialysis, as not every healthcare center in the country has the required facilities.
However, the healthcare provider will finally decide if you need the medical attention you are asking for. Not every healthcare state is free outside of the United Kingdom. You might have to pay for the treatment, which you could have got for free in the UK. So, before you go, just check with the state healthcare provider for potential charges you might have to face.
What does it not cover?
A UK EHIC or UK Global Health Insurance Card does not replace medical and travel insurance or cover services such as:
- Flying back to the United Kingdom (medical repatriation)
- Mountain or ski rescue
- Treatment in any private medical facility
What should you do if you do not have the card with you?
If you need any kind of emergency treatment while you are traveling and find yourself without the EHIC or GHIC card, then you have to apply for a PRC or Provisional Replacement Certificate.
A PRC will cover you in the same way an EHIC OR GHIC would. A PRC also takes care of the situation if you have applied for the card and it hasn’t arrived yet. However, if you do not have either of the three, EHIC, GHIC, or PRC, you will have to pay for the treatment in full. Always ask for a copy of the invoice and get a receipt.
