Travelling withing Europe - Proof of NHS cover

Hi All,

Hubby and I plan on doing some traveling within Europe, likely within the next 2months or so. I was wondering if we need to carry some kind of proof of NHS coverage, in case we get sick while traveling, so we don't have to pay out huge amounts of medical bills. I could have sworn I saw info on here at some point about some kind of card you can get. If I'm remembering correctly, what is the card and where do we get it?  Or do we need to obtain travel insurance before we go anywhere?

You'll need an EHIC card (used to be called an E111 card) - it's a fairly simple process and you can find out how to get one here:

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

It says that if you are not a UK or EU citizen, you cannot apply online and you need to be able to show proof that you are ordinarily resident in the UK in order to be able to get one.... proof such as your visa.

EHIC only covers what the person in that country would get though.  So in France they are expected to pay 30% of bills, which would mean you would have to pay 30%.
Also, Spain has been caught sending UK, and other EU citizens, to private hospitals resulting in huge bills. 

EHIC also doesn't have any coverage to help you get home.  I have a EHIC card, but I would never depend on it alone.

This year, for the first time I bought a year's cover travel insurance for my partner and me. It wasn't a huge amount and it provides some peace of mind since we aren't getting any younger. (This is in addition to an EHIC.)

You'll need an EHIC card (used to be called an E111 card) - it's a fairly simple process and you can find out how to get one here:

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

It says that if you are not a UK or EU citizen, you cannot apply online and you need to be able to show proof that you are ordinarily resident in the UK in order to be able to get one.... proof such as your visa.

If you're married to a UK citizen, it's easy, you just apply together and it only asks the immigration status of the main applicant.

Yep, we did this and it worked fine.

ETA: I would agree with getting travel insurance as well though, especially if you have pre-existing conditions!

Yep, we did this and it worked fine.

ETA: I would agree with getting travel insurance as well though, especially if you have pre-existing conditions!

Hey DrSL99, I do have pre-existing conditions unfortunately. I wasn't sure if the EHIC card would help with that or not, but it doesn't sound like it does after reading the responses above.

Tenerife is one of the places we are looking at going to in January. What kind of things do we need to be on the lookout for, that could cost us a lot of money if we got sick while there? The last time I traveled to Spain was more than 10 years ago, and that wasn't with a residency visa for the UK. I don't quite understand how reciprocal treatment works, if at all. Could we end up on the hook for massive bills if we were unlucky to fall ill while there?

Can anyone recommend a travel insurance company that does cover pre-existings? I wasn't sure where to even start.

Lots of them do, you just have to declare it. I've used several different companies for varying levels of cover. You can use comparison websites like comparethemarket and whatnot. EHIC does cover you, just not completely, so it's always best to have something extra.

If you're married to a UK citizen, it's easy, you just apply together and it only asks the immigration status of the main applicant.

I second this. I put DH as the main applicant and we got our cards fine. :-)

Can anyone recommend a travel insurance company that does cover pre-existings? I wasn't sure where to even start.

I've used Virgin Money and Amex - both didn't care that I wasn't a permanent resident (I now am), which is another factor, along with the pre-existing condition.

You could try an independent insurance broker to help you:

http://www.biba.org.uk/